Representatives from across the Diocese gathered at two meetings in June to tell the stories of what they are doing to support the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to start encouraging others to do the same. The MDGs are a set of eight goals that aim to halve extreme poverty, halt the spread of HIV/AIDS and provide universal primary education by 2015.

St. Stephen’s, Richmond (above, right), hosted 10 people on June 21 and 15 people met at Holy Comforter, Vienna (above, left) on June 28.  Both meetings were convened by Cindi Bartol (Christ Church, Alexandria) and Eleanor Braun (Holy Comforter, Vienna), appointed by Bishop Lee as co-chairs of the Millennium Development Task Force, a sub-group of the Commission on Global Mission.

Beginning with prayer and Bible study, the sessions then focused on storytelling by individual parish members. 

• Holy Comforter, Richmond joined with St. Stephen’s, Richmond last year to host a “U2charist”—a Eucharist featuring the music of the group U2, which attracted churched and un-churched from around the area, including Bishop Johnston.  Holy Comforter has pledged 0.7% of its plate and pledge revenue, held a ONE Sunday where over $2000 was raised, and have held a two-part adult forum, and had a youth confirmation class focus on the MDGs. (Stephanie Turner, with Steven Van Voorhees and Peggy Hombs)
  
  
• St. John’s, West Point has committed 0.7% of its budget and, building on an existing relationship, sponsored 24 AIDS orphans in Tanzania. (The Very Rev. Beth Palmer)
  
  
• Kingston Parish, Mathews used the Episcopal Relief & Development (ER-D) booklets for Lenten meditations. (Barbara Kerr)
  
  
• Grace Church, Keswick has designated 0.7% of its budget to the MDGs.  Those funds are used in partnership with the Rotary Club and the University of Virginia to support a water project in Cameroon to produce clean drinking water, improve sanitation and reduce water-borne disease.  Grace Church is identifying all of its outreach activities to match up with each of the eight MDGs, so that it can sponsor ongoing projects related to each. (Cathy Bodkin)
  
  
• St. Stephen’s, Richmond has active programs covering all of the eight MDGs, supporting programs in the Dominican Republic and South Africa, becoming a ONE congregation and providing 0.7% of their budget to MDG programs.  They have studied the book, What Can One Person Do, Faith to Heal a Broken World. (Keith Dull)
  
  
• The St. Mary’s, Goochland y outh group sells beads from Uganda. (Laura Inscoe)
  
  
• Christ Church, Alexandria has a substantial foreign mission program which supports the MDGs, including work with Our Little Roses in Honduras, the Diocese of Renk in Southern Sudan and Mengo Hospital in Uganda.  They are increasing awareness of the MDGs by “claiming and naming” these mission activities; they have also hung banners in the nave representing each of the MDG goals. (Cindi Bartol)
  
  
• St. Anne’s, Reston engages in a broad range of parish-wide activities, including a workshop at their Shrine Mont retreat, watching and discussing the film “The Girl in the Café," contribution of 0.7% of plate and pledge revenue to ER-D and support for a dental clinic in Liberia.  They have used the MDGs Stations of the Cross, and have encouraged advocacy through the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN).  St. Anne’s MDG activities focus on whole-church involvement. (John Schwartz, Margaret Hjalmarson)
  
  
• All Saint’s, Sharon Chapel, Alexandria is supporting a trade school in Liberia for former prisoners. (Vickie Sharp)
  
  
• St. Michael’s, Arlington is seeking to establish the connection between existing activities and the MDGs and is learning more about Darfur.  They are looking at teaming with other parishes. (Jim Burke)
  
  
• Trinity, Manassas has an extensive outreach and MDG program, including studying the joint Episcopal-Lutheran study guide, God’s Mission in the World, investigating the MDGs in the youth group, looking at the film “The Business of Being Born” and having sermons from their rector on the MDGs.  (Mark and Barbara Yow)
  
  
• Immanuel on the Hill, Alexandria has a congregational ONE campaign steering committee which works closely with outreach and Stewardship of Creation committees to coordinate activities, which have included prayers of the people, a special liturgy and teaching on themes of social and economic justice, supporting Five Talents micro-lending in the Dominican Republic, working with a neighboring synagogue to assemble oral rehydration kits and developing an adult forum for this coming fall.  (Everett Post)
  
  
• St. John’s, McLean has been supporting a school in the Dominican Republic (which they have incorporated into their MDG program). They are focusing on one of the eight goals each year, and have committed to working on the MDGs through the target year of 2015. They have a focus on ER-D’s Gifts for Life on Palm Sunday. (Michel Ishakian)
  
  
• St. Thomas', McLean has no formal MDG program, but the outreach committee supports CrossLink, which provides medicines to overseas clinics. (Betsy Heilman)
  
  
• The peace and justice ministry at Holy Comforter, Vienna has been active for three years supporting the MDGs through raising awareness with a “hunger banquet,” obtaining 0.7% allocation of pledge revenue, which is divided among the Haiti Micah Project, Women’s Learning Partnership and Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation; learning advocacy as a ONE congregation, and conducting an alternative giving fair to encourage parishioners to target Christmas spending to fair trade items from Ten Thousand Villages, or gifts of donations to ER-D, Five Talents or the Heifer Project. (Eleanor Braun, Anne Martin, Judy Kilkenny).

At the Richmond meeting Elisa Wheeler, coordinator for churches in the southern part of our diocese on behalf of ER-D, discussed three areas where ER-D is working for the MDGs:

• Nets for Life – a major focus after the 2006 General Convention.  Treated mosquito nets can help reduce or eliminate malaria, which kills one million people per year.
• Clean water – building wells, latrines, water stations to prevent water-borne illnesses, and provide training in their use and maintenance.
• Latin America – particularly distributing smokeless stoves which help prevent respiratory diseases.

“It is exciting to learn of all the different ways churches in the diocese are embracing and supporting the MDGs,” said Eleanor Braun, co-chair of the task force.  “These meetings give us a good foundation to spread these efforts to more parishes in the future.”  

“Inspiration and renewed energy are two of the things we experienced at these sessions.  The size of the congregation has no bearing on the ability to act—it is answering the call to live in relationship where the givers and those in need each benefit that will enable us to contribute to the decrease and eventual elimination of poverty,” said Cindi Bartol.

A steering committee drawn from those who participated will help design the actions of the task force for education and advocacy.  The development of a web link on our diocesan web site and plans for sharing information at Diocesan Council 2009 are the starting activities of these plans.

For more information about the MDG task force, or to add your parish story of support for the MDGs, contact Eleanor Braun (eleanor.braun@gmail.com) or Cindi Bartol (cindibartol@comcast.net).