I – Start with a story. Put a human face on this. II – give a snapshot III – Brief History of the MDGs III – Why does the church care? IV – What has the church done? V – What One Can Do - Pray, Act/Advocate, Give, Educate

Talking points for MDG presentations

I – Start with a story. Put a human face on this.

It’s easy to get bogged down in statistics. We are an incarnational faith. At it’s heart, poverty is always about people. Our scripture tells us not only that we are called to give good news to the poor (Luke 4) but that it is in meeting the poor that we meet Christ (Matthew 25). So help people meet Christ.

If you have a story of your own, use it. If not, use the story from the Christian science monitor article attached.

Make sure the story is not just about someone being pathetically poor. This is a story of Christ. Highlight the beauty, the heroism.

Remember – appealing to people’s guilt and sense of responsibility will not get you very far. We need to appeal to people’s sense of opportunity – and their sense of greatness as Christians and Americans.

Remind them that numbers are never just numbers. Every number is a name, a face, a story, the image of God.

II – give a snapshot

This is where you throw the numbers at them. Even if you don’t use the powerpoint, you can use the statistics from them. They’ll be overwhelming, but that’s OK. Intersperse with stories wherever possible. I talk about the shock we felt during Katrina that this could be happening here in the U.S. … well this is how 1/6 of the world’s population lives every day.

III – Brief History of the MDGs

This is where you give the response to the brokenness. In 2000 leaders from 189 nations -- including the United States -- agreed to cut extreme global poverty in half by 2015.  189 world leaders unanimously adopted the Millennium Declaration, pledging:

"We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty to which more than 1 billion of them are currently subjected."

The declaration led to the articulation of eight specific Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to be achieved between 2000 and 2015.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty, hunger and disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion-while promoting gender equality, education, and enviromental sustainablity. They are also the basic human rights-the rights of each person on the planet earth to health, education, shelter, and security. 

They committed themselves and their nations to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Go through each of them. Have the individual targets handy for backup, but you don’t need to go into those in detail – it will probably be too much for people.

What will it take to accomplish them? Only 0.7% of the income of the rich nations of the world (they – including the U.S. – have promised this twice … currently the U.S. gives the lowest percentage of Gross National Income of any of the rich nations – about 0.17%. See the 0.7% FAQ for more information.

III – Why does the church care?

This is where you draw the bridge between the secular program and the missio dei, God’s mission of global reconciliation. This isn’t about us buying into a secular world fix-it program. This is us taking part in a worldwide social movement that is also one of the greatest opportunities for lived discipleship we have today.

Use the second chapter of What Can One Person Do … as well as your own personal faith story and theology – to draw this bridge.

IV – What has the church done?

The past two General Conventions have endorsed the MDGs and urged every individual, congregation, and diocese to give 0.7% of their income toward their achievement.

This past General Convention dedicated more than 0.7% in new money of the national church budget toward the MDGs, and urged every bishop, deputy and national church committee, commission and board to dedicate 0.7% of their income/budget toward them. They also set aside the last Sunday after Pentecost as a special day of prayer, education,m advocacy, fasting and action for the MDGs.

ERD structures all its development work on the MDGs.

The Episcopal Church has launched the ONE Episcopalian campaign – a political advocacy campaign designed at getting the whole church behind advocating for the MDGs (the specific ask is for an additional 1% of the federal budget going toward eradicating extreme global poverty – if done, that would get us up to .0.35% of GNP – halfway to the 0.7% mark).

The Diocese of Missouri has dedicated 0.7% of its budget toward the MDGs. In 2006, that money was put in a fund for common mission toward accomplishing the MDGs in Lui, Sudan.

V – What One Can Do - Pray, Act/Advocate, Give, Educate