EPPN

Episcopal Church Toolkit for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations has put together a toolkit for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. This toolkit is designed as a compilation of ideas and educational resources to help your local Episcopal Church work with the government to help end this pandemic. Churches and church leaders (lay and ordained) can serve as important trusted bridges between public health officials and congregations.

The following information is provided:

  • Background

  • 10 Actions to Help Everyone Get Vaccinated

  • Government COVID-19 and Vaccine Rollout Plan

  • Vaccine Hesitancy

  • Additional Resources

  • Sample Message to Your Congregation or Ministry

  • State-by-state COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Information

Episcopal Public Policy Network Action Alert: Support Statehood for D.C.

The United States, an international beacon of freedom and democracy, is the only democracy in the world that does not allow voting representation for its capital city in the national legislature. In a representative democracy, we see our Christian values of respecting the dignity of every human being reflected. One way we can honor the dignity of all is to grant equal rights, including the right to vote.

The District of Columbia, our nation’s capital, is home to more than 700,000 residents, a population greater than Vermont and Wyoming. According to data from the Census Bureau, nearly half the population of the District of Columbia is Black or African American followed by non-Hispanic White (37.5%), Hispanic or Latino (11.3%), and Asian (4.5%), making the district one of only a handful of majority-minority jurisdictions in America. D.C. residents have fought and died in every war since the founding of the republic, and more than 26,000 veterans reside in the federal district today.

The Episcopal Church’s 77th General Convention expressed support for the rights of D.C. residents in the strongest terms. The Episcopal Church views D.C. representation as a matter of justice. The U.S. government taxes D.C. residents without providing them with voting representation in Congress. Statehood is the only way this injustice can be remedied.

That is why The Episcopal Church strongly supports H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, sponsored by D.C.’s Congresswoman, the Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton. H.R. 51 would admit D.C. to the union as the 51st state, while carving out the immediate area around the White House, the National Mall, and the Capitol complex as “the Capital” to preserve the most immediately relevant areas of D.C. for federal government purposes.

By passing H.R. 51 Congress can right a longstanding constitutional wrong, address a lingering racial injustice (given D.C.’s majority-minority demographics), and further our founding mandate to build a more perfect union. We urge you to contact your representative and senators and urge them to support H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act.

In Case You Missed It
Statement on President Biden’s Day One Actions

Upcoming Events
Democracy and Faith Under Siege: Responding to Christian Nationalism w/ Presiding Bishop Curry
Wed., Jan. 27, 4:30pm EST - Register here

Congress Weekly: EPPN Network Call
Thurs., Jan. 28, 1:00-1:30pm EST - Register here

OGR Priorities for the New Congress and Administration

On Sunday, members of the 117th Congress were sworn in. This new Congress is the most diverse in U.S history in terms of race and ethnicity, including having a record number of Blackand Indigenous women in Congress. There are more women in Congress than at any other time in history, as well as record numbers of the LGBTQ community.

Members of Congress have their work cut out for them in the coming months. While Congress passed the appropriations and stimulus bill at the end of the year (which the President thankfully signed), many of the benefits in the stimulus bill expire in March. Congress will need to address a dizzying array of domestic concerns and international crises. And members across the political spectrum will want to take action on the promises they campaigned on, ranging from addressing racial injustice and enacting police reform to ending corruption and bringing back jobs.

A new Congress and new Administration presents The Episcopal Church with the opportunity to highlight our values and to speak up for the way we think our country should be governed. The first 100 days of the presidency do matter (see an article from FiveThirtyEight here and the work of political scientist Casey Byrne Knudsen Dominguez here), and the new Administration has an ambitious agenda. We are hopeful that our government will be able to rise to the challenge and enact meaningful legislation that helps all Americans. We will continue to engage on areas where the Church has spoken, including:

Creation Care: The Episcopal Church supports policies that protect the natural resources that sustain all life on Earth. In recognition that loving God and our neighbor includes caring for God’s creation and the environment where our neighbor lives, OGR advocates for policies that protect the natural world and that promote a healthy, clean, and safe environment for all. Our advocacy includes greenhouse gas emission reduction, a just transition away from fossil fuel energy, and safeguards to protect clean water and clean air. 

Racial Reconciliation: OGR challenges long-established policies that perpetuate systemic racism and injustice and strives to change legislation that continues to harm Black and Indigenous communities and other communities of color. The Episcopal Church aims to bring a perspective of transformation to public policy to heal communities that have been the most marginalized and discriminated against.

Ending Poverty: OGR advocates for policies that will eliminate poverty and help people live with dignity, both in the U.S. and internationally. OGR advocates for federal programs that provide development assistance and humanitarian relief, including education and healthcare initiatives, as well as support for social safety net programs, care for veterans, and other U.S.-focused anti-poverty initiatives. 

Immigration and Refugees: We advocate for comprehensive immigration reform through policies that respect the dignity and worth of every human being. OGR works to protect the human rights and safety of refugees by supporting the refugee resettlement work of Episcopal Migration Ministries and advocating for robust refugee resettlement policies.

Human Rights and Peacebuilding: The Church supports legislation and policies that protect human rights and prevent atrocities, promote gender justice, and build peace. OGR partners with non-U.S. Episcopal dioceses and provinces throughout the Anglican Communion to work towards justice.

We will also push for an ambitious response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including accelerating vaccination for the most vulnerable and helping to encourage the general public to take the vaccine following guidance from public health experts. We thank you for your commitment to public policy advocacy and look forward to our partnership in the year ahead!

With best wishes in this Christmastide and New Year,

The Office of Government Relations (OGR)

-shared from https://episcopalchurch.org/posts/ogr/ogr-priorities-new-congress-and-administration

OGR Advocacy Newsletter December 2020

December 16, 2020

Dear Friends,

Advent is a season that teaches us to wait well, and we are all waiting for what’s next. We are waiting to put 2020 behind us. We are waiting for a new Administration and new Congressional session to take the reins of our government. We are waiting for the vaccine to be ready, for the pandemic to be over, and to hold those we love close to us again. Many of us are waiting in grief over loved ones we’ve lost or waiting in worry for those who are sick. Yet, we are waiting as we always do at this time of year – waiting for Christmas, for the Christ Child to arrive and to transform the world. We are waiting always for the second Advent, for Christ’s return, waiting for the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.

This is a time that allows for reflection on what we are doing to build the beloved community. You will see below a review of the work that we have done together over this past year – from alerts that you may have acted on, to statements and sign-on letters we joined raising the voice of The Episcopal Church in the public square. We also take some time to summarize some key resolutions from General Convention and tie together our advocacy with work on corporate social responsibility.

In the New Year, we have several new projects planned including a weekly “network call”. On these calls (which will be Zoom meetings!), we will provide updates on what we are working on, what we are hearing from Capitol Hill, and provide some background information on that week’s action alert. Above all, we want this to be a chance to hear from you. Stay tuned—we hope you will join us.

We also look forward to sharing our priorities for the 117th Congress and the new Administration with you, including letters we have signed on to as part of coalitions urging the upcoming Biden Administration to take swift action on critical issues. Thank you, as always, to you our network members. Your advocacy makes a difference, and you are helping The Episcopal Church to carry out our public witness.

OGR “Behind-the-Scenes” Advocacy

OGR staff have worked directly with grassroots and grasstops leaders throughout the Church to push for Congressional action, most especially on COVID relief. We are so grateful to all of those who took the time to meet with us, to meet with Members, and to meet with Congressional staff. This behind-the-scenes advocacy can be the most impactful and allows us to engage across Congress in strategic ways while working with Episcopalians who are constituents of the members we meet with. We are grateful for all the partnerships and dedicated staff work that makes these meetings happen.

All of our advocacy is based on the resolutions of the Church. The Episcopal Church has a long history of advocating on healthcare issues, and you can find here a Summary of Episcopal Church Policy and Advocacy on Healthcare in the United States. For an update on immigration issues, you can review this update from August and a statement on abuses in detention facilities here: Statement on Reported Abuses of Immigration Enforcement and Detention Centers.

OGR Action Alerts

Over the past many months, almost all of our action alerts have focused on the pandemic – in particular boosting SNAP, federal support to states, and international assistance - urging Congress to take action and help all of those in need. Despite these efforts, and several instances when it seemed Congress would be able to move forward, we have still not seen Congressional action for more than half a year. Our action alerts are still active – we urge you to continue to take action until Congress provides relief!

Urge Congress to Pass COVID relief before year end
Support International Relief for COVID-19

Sign-on Letters

The Episcopal Church, with the guidance of OGR, continues to raise its voice with our secular and faith-based partners in policy areas where we think we can make a positive difference. The letters we sign on to serve the purpose of helping policymakers understand our Christian witness and demonstrating to them the power of broad and diverse coalitions in the fight to ensure a more just and compassionate society. Please find below a list of our letters since the publication of our last newsletter in July.

A Year in Review: Election and Census Work

Alan Yarborough led OGR’s work on the Census and the 2020 Election. He mailed out thousands of #VoteFaithfully stickers and magnets, developed resources, toolkits, and promotional materials through both new and old partnerships with faith-based and secular organizations. He helped to plan and host webinars, alongside other OGR staff, to make sure Episcopalians knew about deadlines for registration, had information on early and mail-in voting, and understood the importance of the 2020 Census. The work – and the partnerships we all relied on – created some incredible engagement from our network and beyond. Thank you!

EPPN Election Educational and Webinar Series: This fall, we released an election education series as well as two webinars focusing on various aspects of the election process in the U.S. Check out each of the educational series here: Election Process IntegrityVoter Access, and What to Expect When You're Electing.

Check out the webinar series here: Empowering the Vote: Voices from the ChurchVoting Beyond 2020: You vote Nov. 3, now what?

EPPN Census Series: What Happens Next?: In an installment of our series on the U.S. Census, we discussed the implications of COVID-19 for the administration and enumeration of this year’s Census, whose results will be publicly released in the new year.

OGR Resources

2020 was a year like no other that was epitomized by a once-in-a-century pandemic and historic demonstrations for racial justice. In the midst of these unprecedented circumstances, the Office of Government Relations has continued to amplify the positions of the Church directly to the U.S. government. We cannot do that work alone, and we rely strongly on your skills and persistence in advocating alongside us and the partners we connect with. To help improve Episcopalians’ capacity for advocacy, we have shared the following resources with our network.

An updated Faith and Citizenship Guide for Advocacy seeks to help you fulfill your baptismal covenant to strive for justice and peace. While it is focused on the federal level, the advocacy tips and tactics we recommend throughout the guide are applicable to state and local advocacy as well.

The Postcard Project invites Episcopalians to engage in “slow advocacy” to shift the focus from reactionary outreach to long-term, big-picture strategy and relationship building with government officials. Use this guide to create advocacy events in your congregation.

The EPPN Ambassador Program is a curated group of Episcopalians across the Church who help amplify our messaging on advocacy, education, and civic engagement. We are slowly building this program with the goal of one ambassador in each diocese. We’d love to have you join this group of brand ambassadors to help get more folks advocating with us.

We now have our disinformation resource available in Spanish: La información errónea, la desinformación y las noticias falsa: ¿Por qué nos importa?

As always, we are very grateful for the tenacious advocacy of our EPPN network. 2020 has assuredly had its fair share of challenges. But we’ve come this far by faith – leaning on the Lord and trusting in God's holy word. Onward!

Yours faithfully,

The Washington Office

Reposted from The Office of Government Relations