National Episcopal Leader Joins with ONE to Advocate for World’s Poor

National Episcopal Leader Joins with ONE to Advocate for World's Poor

Presiding Bishop and Nevada's New Bishop join Las Vegas congregation for first-ever ONE Sabbath celebration and church's 100th anniversary

For Immediate Release:
November 27, 2007

LAS VEGAS, Nev.-The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, will join Christ Church Episcopal in Las Vegas on Sunday to celebrate the parish's 100-year anniversary and the first-ever ONE Sabbath event to raise awareness about the plight of extreme poverty and the actions people of faith can take to respond to the crisis. Also joining the celebration will be the newly elected Diocesan Bishop of Nevada, The Very Reverend Dan Edwards.

"This Sunday, our congregation celebrates 100 years of worship and service.  As part of that celebration, we are eager to welcome Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori and Bishop Edwards to discuss how we can build on the extensive work of the Episcopal Church to eliminate extreme poverty around the world.  After a century of service, we are excited to participate in ONE Sabbath to deepen our church's work for the world's poorest and most needy people," said Christ Church Rector Father Kent Belmore.

The church's offering for this weekend will be sent to St. Augustine's Integrated Community Center and Child Care Facility - a live-in community on five acres of land in Olooltepes, Kenya, about 25 miles from Nairobi. The center helps children who have been abandoned, who suffer from HIV, or who are homeless from catastrophe. The funds collected at Christ Church Episcopal this weekend will be used primarily for a water project at the center.

ONE is working with all interested churches, temples, synagogues and mosques for this weekend's inaugural ONE Sabbath.  In services, discussions and events, ONE Sabbath is challenging congregations to get involved in the movement to fight extreme poverty, hunger and disease in the poorest parts of the world.  The program will not only raise awareness about the issues surrounding extreme poverty, but will also give congregations and individual believers the tools to respond within their own faith traditions and obtain resources from ONE partner organizations.  Interested congregations and individuals can learn more at ONE.org/faith.

"We are excited and grateful that Christ Church Episcopal has chosen to include ONE in its service celebrating the congregation's 100th year. On behalf of 2.4 million ONE members, I thank Christ Church for continuing to bring attention and compassion to the fight against extreme poverty and global disease," Mark Brinkmoeller, the national coordinator of ONE Sabbath, said.

Christ Church Episcopal's participation in ONE Sabbath continues an active and established partnership between ONE and the Episcopal Church.  Nationwide, the grassroots partnership ONE Episcopalian has been working to rally Episcopalians to join ONE and take action to help alleviate extreme poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  More on the group can be found at episcopalchurch.org/ONE.

As congregations take part in ONE Sabbath, they join more than 2.4 million Americans of all backgrounds who are working to mobilize their communities and encourage their leaders to make the fight against extreme poverty a priority.  ONE also includes nearly160 of the nation's leading relief and humanitarian organizations, many of which are working around the world to save lives through actions such as providing bed nets that stop the spread of malaria, distributing hydration tablets to treat children with diarrhea and administering antiretroviral medication to treat people with HIV/AIDS. The full list of partners can be found at ONE.org/partners.

Well-known faith leaders are also part of ONE, including Pastor Rick Warren, Rabbi Marjorie Berman, the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Mark Hanson, President and Founder of Save Africa's Children Bishop Charles E. Blake, Pastor Brian McLaren and General Minister and President of the Disciples of Christ Sharon E. Watkins.  ONE's partner organizations also include Episcopal Church USA, Islamic Relief, World Hope International, World Vision, United Methodist Church and the American Jewish World Service.

ONE is an effort by Americans to rally Americans, ONE by ONE, to fight the emergency of extreme poverty and global disease. ONE is a coalition of more than 2.4 million people and nearly 160 of the nation's leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations. For more information, visit ONE.org.