What an amazing and inspiring day!

Today I’m hosting Central and South Coast Faith Leaders’ Day here in Washington, D.C. and I just took a quick break to share a few notes and reflections from the day.    First of all we have an amazing group of people coming together from across the Central and South Coast and the country to share their thoughts on faith and its role in policy. We’ve been blessed with the presence of over twenty faith leaders from the 23rd Congressional district, representing a variety of faith traditions.   

We began the morning with a moving prayer by the House Chaplain Father Coughlin. His words were inspiring and started our day off in the proper frame of mind. Following Father Coughlin, my dear friend Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) gave a fiery and impassioned opening speech with a central question that cut to the heart of our Faith Day: What is the role of Faith in policy? To paraphrase Rosa, faith teaches that we have a moral imperative to help the ones who are most in need. Drawing on our diverse religious teaching we find our nation’s common core values and strengths. She also reminded us that our faith guides our conscience and should guide our actions, thus there is a vital connection between faith and public service! I couldn’t have said it better myself.   

After Rosa’s stirring opening my friend Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (MO-5) gave the opening remarks for our first panel discussion “Faithful Environmental Stewards.” Emanuel is a remarkable man who holds down two jobs simultaneously – a Congressman who represents the 5th District of Missouri in Washington, D.C. and a man of faith who still serves as Senior Pastor at St. James United Methodist Church in Kansas City. Emanual serves on the newly created Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which addresses one of the greatest challenges of our time – global warming. He offered a powerful pronouncement on the current global warming debate noting “climate change is a theological issue, not a political issue. It is a matter of faith.” He also reminded us that we are, at best, mere “tenants” on a piece of rock owned by God and we must act as responsible stewards to protect the environment and respect God’s creation.   

Well I have to get back to our next panel “Justice For All” but I hope to write more later in the day as time permits.

Blessings,  

Lois

Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with Central Coast firefighters to discuss emergency preparedness.