Interfaith Advocacy Day in Salem

Oregon State Capitol building

On Monday, members of Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Baha'i communities gathered in the state capitol to talk about the service work they are doing, the common spirit they have in doing it, and about issues on which they could encourage and educate their representatives.

The morning began with a prayer for the well-being of all the peoples of the world who are suffering and in need. The program continued with a panel discussion on the three key issues of the day: hunger, homelessness and healthcare. The panelists covered topics such as mercy, the work of all Faith communities to serve others, and the common spiritual Teachings of these Faiths. Panel members included:

• Imam Muhammad Najieb, Muslim Community Center of Portland.

• Rabbi Michael Cahana, Congregation Beth Israel in Portland.

• A retired Christian pastor named Ann who was a last-minute replacement for Reverend Alcena Boozer, who was sick.

Later in the day there were small group discussions about three key issues and the progress in creating legislation to address these issues:

• Affordable Housing and Homelessness

• Hunger Prevention and Relief

• Health Care Access

The keynote address was delivered by Bruce Goldberg, MD, Director of the Oregon Department of Human Services and was followed by a communal blessing.

Throughout the morning and afternoon, meetings were scheduled with the participants and their state representatives and/or staff to talk about the day's issues. Some people took the opportunity to talk about issues they personally felt were important as well.

In the afternoon a rally was held in front of the Capitol building where two legislators, Frank Morse and Dave Hunt, the latter of whom used to be the president of the American Baptist Church, addressed the concerns and requests of the participants.

Meetings with legislators continued throughout the afternoon, with people checking back to a central location in the capitol building. Some of the meetings were individual and others involved groups of seven or eight people. Common themes addressed were the central importance of mitigating the suffering caused by the absence or failure of social services, the difficulty of balancing the budget due to the 3.5 billion dollar shortfall, specific legislature currently under consideration, the remediation of the extreme disparity between the poor and the rich, and education.