Program
Blowing of the Shofar
A Jewish tradition to call the community for assembly
Rabbi Alan Flam
Swearer Center for Public Service, Brown University
Rabbi Wayne Franklin
Temple Emanu-El, Providence
Rabbi Aaron Philmus
Temple Torat Yisrael, East Greenwich
Abigail Sherwood
Temple Beth-El, Providence
Music by: Shirley Howe
Welcome by Maxine Richman
Co-Chair of Rhode Interfaith Coalition
National member of the Board of Directors, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Greetings by Governor Gina Raimondo
Greetings by Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed
Greetings by Speaker of the House Nicholas A. Mattiello
Keynote Address by the Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island
Responsive Reading Led by Seminarian Chontell Washington
Intern, Rhode Island State Council of Churches
The Reading of the Names of Our Elected Officials
Our elected officials’ names will be announced by members of the faith community to ask them to govern with wisdom and compassion
Remarks by Rev. Betsy Aldrich Garland
United Church of Christ, Congregation
Co-Chair of Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition, President of the RI State Council of Churches
Closing Blessing by Mufti Ikram ul Haq
Masjid Al-Islam, North Smithfield
Readers
The Rev. Agnes Akinrolabu Christ Miracle Church Services
Providence
The Rev. Dr. Donald Anderson Executive Minister, Rhode Island State Council of Churches
Imam Farid Ansari Muslim American Dawah Center
of RI, Providence
The Rev. Robert Auld Summit Baptist Church, Coventry
The Rev. Dr. Carl Balark Ebenezer Baptist Church Providence
The Rev. Dr. Janice Byers Kingdom Seekers Fellowship Providence
The Rev. Janet Nelson-Cooper Chaplin Brown University, UCC Providence
The Rev. Sandra Demmler D’Amico Immanuel Lutheran Church Attleboro
The Rev. Eugene Dyszlewski Lime Baptist Church, Lincoln
Rabbi Alan Flam Swearer Center for Public Service
Brown University
The Rev. James Ford First Unitarian Church, Providence
The Rev. Amy Frenze Hope Congregational Church
Warwick
The Rev. Herson Gonzalez Calvary Worship Center
Woonsocket
The Rev. Valerie Gonzalez Calvary Worship Center
Woonsocket
The Rev. Doris Hooks Antioch Christian Community
Providence
The Rev. Henry James Trinity United Methodist Church
Providence
Rev. Alvin Johnson Second Free Will Baptist Church
Providence
The Rev. Mathew Kai West Side Tabernacle Baptist
Church, Providence
Fr. John Kiley Diocese of Providence
Rabbi Andrew Klein Temple Habonim, Barrington
The Rev. Barbara Libby United Church of Christ, Pawtucket
Rabbi Sarah Mack President, RI Board of Rabbis
Temple Beth-El, Providence
The Rev. Nikita McCalister Bethany Baptist Church, Pawtucket
Father Gene McKenna St. Lucy Church, Middletown
The Rev. Caroline Patterson Chaplin, Women & Infants Hospital
Rabbi Aaron Philmus Temple Torat Yisrael
East Greenwich
Sister Mary Reilly Sophia Academy, Providence
The Rev. Timothy Rich St. Lukes Episcopal Church
East Greenwich
The Rev. Keila Rodriguez Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Providence
The Rev. Santiago Rodriguez Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Providence
The Rev. Dr. Anita Schell-Lambert Emmanuel Church, Newport
The Rev. Hyuk Seonwoo Zion, Korean United Methodist
Church, Warwick
The Rev. Naomi Smith Generations for Christ Mission
Church, Providence
The Rev. Shavon Starling-Louis Providence Presbyterian Church
The Rev. William Sterrett Amicable United Church of Christ
Tiverton
The Rev. Thomas Wiles American Baptist Churches of RI
The Rev. Dr. Johnny M. Wilson Olney Street Baptist Church
Providence
The Venerable Sochettra Yieng New England Buddhist Temple
Providence
Swami Yogatmananda Vendante Society of Providence
Responsive Reading
Our God, the Guide of humanity, let your spirit rule the elected leaders of this State of Rhode Island so that their actions may be prompted by love of justice, and bear fruit in goodness and peace.
Bless our leaders with love of righteousness.
Guide our elected officials to work for the welfare of all, and to work with special diligence to reduce the impact of poverty in our state that holds too many of our brothers and sisters in its grasp and stands in the way of our shared prosperity.
Bless our leaders with civic courage.
Bless the work of our legislators to work for a society where justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Bless our leaders with a vision of justice and righteousness.
You have endowed humans with noble powers; help our public officials to use those powers wisely and with compassion.
Bless our leaders with qualities of wisdom and compassion.
We stand together today with the recognition that humans have been given the freedom to choose between good and evil, life and death.
May our leaders choose life and good that our children may inherit the blessings of dignity and freedom, prosperity and peace.
Written by Rabbi Alan Flam, from the Swearer Center for Public Service, Brown University and
member of the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty Steering Committee
Every Rhode Islander shall have:
· A decent, safe and affordable home
· Adequate food and nutrition
· Equal access to affordable and quality health care
· Equal and quality education for all children
· Decent work with adequate income
As people of faith, we are committed to helping our neighbors when they are in need. But we understand that there is a vital role that Government must play in assuring that all Rhode Islanders are protected against economic deprivation and are afforded opportunities to achieve economic security.
We call on our public officials to preserve and enhance programs and policies that ensure that all Rhode Islanders are able to meet basic needs and that establish pathways out of poverty through education and job training.
As a Coalition of faith communities, we are the watchdog for our neighbors who are most at risk and those who may need extra assistance on the road to self-sufficiency. These are our seniors, children, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, chronically homeless, people who were formerly incarcerated, people subject to abuse, working poor, people with limited skills and those who need to improve their English.
We work in collaboration with other organizations and coalitions who share our values and goals and support their efforts to impact public policy to achieve economic security for all Rhode Islanders. For the coming legislative session The Interfaith Coalition will work with our partners on the following policy initiatives:
All Rhode Islanders deserve a warm place to live, food on the table and adequate health care:
o Implement Opening Doors RI, the State’s plan to end homelessness
o Increase funding to the RI Community Food Bank and reinstate funding for SNAP outreach
o Increase funding for the Meals on Wheels Program
If you work you should not be poor:
o Increase the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit
o Reform Pay Day lending
o Increase income limits for the child care assistance program and increase the quality of programs by improving rates paid to providers who participate in the program
Education is the way out of poverty:
o Provide child care assistance for low-income parents who want to go to job training
o End the waiting list at adult education programs so adults can access services to improve their English language and/or literacy skills
o Increase access to high quality early childhood education including high quality child care, Pre-K, Head Start, and Full –Day Kindergarten
Vision “With one voice, the interfaith community of Rhode Island champions justice and mercy, and eradicates poverty”
Mission To organize the Rhode Island faith community, its leaders and members, into a force that can be mobilized and is to be reckoned with, at the federal, state and city/town levels on matters impacting the poor, the vulnerable and the disenfranchised.
To connect the common threads of our faith traditions and build awareness of those connections to enable us to fight poverty with faith; helping all believers see the solid line connection between what they believe and what is happening around them that impacts those “least of these.”
To advocate for and accompany the poor, by encouraging community organizing and development, advocating for grants, spotlighting initiatives of consequence and supporting challenges to the status quo, i.e. the culture of poverty.
To empower poor communities to discover their own resources and capabilities, to embrace them and to discover the means of success in a democratic society that starts with personal responsibility and expands to community responsibility-taking.
The Coalition is part of a national faith-based initiative that will work to cut poverty in half by the year 2020. The Coalition is an advocate for sound legislation and public policies that address the causes of poverty and that promote economic well-being for all Rhode Islanders.
Steering Committee
Rev. Dr. Donald Anderson, RI State Council of Churches; Imam Farid Ansari, Muslim American Dawah Center; Toby Ayers, RI for Community & Justice; Elizabeth Burke Bryant, RI Kids Count; Rev. Marie Carpenter, American Baptist Churches RI; Channavy Chhay, Center for Southeast Asians; Marty Cooper, Community Relations Council of Jewish Alliance of Greater RI; Rabbi Alan Flam, Swearer Center for Public Service, Brown University; Rev. Betsy A. Garland, RI State Council of Churches and United Church of Christ; Jim Jahnz, Catholic Diocese of Providence; Karen Jeffreys, RI Coalition for the Homeless; Rev. Alvin Johnson, Second Free Will Baptist Church; Linda Katz, Economic Progress Institute RI; Sr. Ann Keefe, St. Michael Parish, Providence; Rabbi Sara Mack, Temple Beth El, Providence and President of RI Board of Rabbis; Rev. Michael Mageau, Open Table of Christ; Carlos Morals, Progreso Latino; Maxine Richman, Community Relations Council, Jewish Alliance of RI and JCPA National Board Member; Rev. Santiago Rodriguez, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church; Sr. Joan Rokicki, McAuley House; Andrew Schiff, RI Community Food Bank; Chontell Washington RISCC, ANTS Field Education Student; Yogatmananda, Vedanta Society of Rhode Island
For more information contact: The Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition
401.421.4111 ext. 171
endpovertyri.org