More than 275 people have pledged more than $78,000 to organizations supporting the Millennium Development Goals from their "economic stimulus checks." Click here and choose compassion over consumption by taking the "Give It 4 Good Pledge" and support a MDG-supporting organization of your choice.
Direct the Church’s attention globally
Using the Millennium Development Goals as a structure for living out Christ’s call to seek and serve him in “the least of these” (Matthew 25)
Make explicit the Christ center of the MDG movement in the Church
Draw people to this mission not as a secular agenda but as a way to fulfill Jesus’ words “that all might have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10)
Herald a call to conversion at every level of our common life
Lift up the opportunity and need for confession, repentance and amendment of life. Let Christ change us so we can be part of God’s mission of global reconciliation – individually and corporately.
God's dreams are always big dreams ... like ending extreme poverty. But God's dreams are also dreams that every One has a call to participate in. That's why EGR's motto is "What One Can Do" -- because God's mission will be realized as we work together One by One -- One Person, One Congregation, One Diocese, One Church, One World.
EGR's focus is thoroughly practical. We're about giving every ONE the resources and connections to get moving and keep moving on this mission with excellence. New resources for you, your congregation and your diocese are being uploaded every day ... but those resources come from you. So don't just download ... upload, too. When you come up with or stumble across a great new idea or resource for God's mission, send it to us and we'll get it up here for everyone to use.
Looking for partners in this ministry? Join the EGR listserv -- a churchwide community of people passionate about God's mission of global reconciliation. Looking for daily inspiration and challenge? Read the EGR blog (and contact us if you'd like to become a contributor), which has new content every day.
Whatever you do, never forget that Christ the Good Shepherd calls each of us by name -- One by One -- to follow him. And we follow him by going where he resides, in the lives of the poor and powerless. Join us in answering that call ... your life will never be the same!
The MDGs --
A Structure for
Living the Gospel
EGR uses the Millennium Development Goals as a structure for this movement. Agreed to in 2000 by representatives of more than 190 nations, the 8 MDGs are our response as humanity to the deepest material brokenness in the world today.
The MDGs have been embraced by the Episcopal Church at the past three General Conventions, culminating in 2006 when the church made supporting the MDGs its No. 1 mission priority. -- a recognition that living the Gospel requires an active global partnership to end extreme poverty.
For us as Christians, the MDGs are a part of the larger work of Christ drawing the whole world to himself, bringing wholeness to all that has been broken and, life by life, fulfilling the dream God has for all humanity.
The MDGs are nothing new. Our scriptural story is full of accounts of God's people doing these things and of God calling us to do them, too. Check out "The MDGs - Straight from Scripture" for plenty of examples. Also, EGR diocesan contact Eleanor Braun (Virginia) has put together this extensive list of scripture passages with peace and justice themes.
A Mission Surrounded by Prayer
"History belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being." - Walter Wink
Prayer is the way we join our work with God's work, our hope with God's hope, our actions and love with the mission of God. Without prayer, all we have is the limits of our own imagination, efforts and stamina. With prayer, we are joined to and supported by something much greater -- the movement of God's Spirit, continually luring the whole creation forward more deeply into the hear of the divine.
You can find lots of prayer resources for this mission on the Prayer and Liturgy pages of this site. Please send us your prayer and liturgical resources so we can share them with the Church!
Two prayers form a specific foundation for this movement. The first is the EGR Prayer ... written for the movement by one of its founders, the Rt. Rev. Jeffery Rowthorn.
Most loving God,
as your desire for mercy for the poor is unrelenting,
may we be unrelenting in our pursuit of mercy for all;
as your compassion for the suffering of the poor knows no limit,
may our hearts overflow with compassion for all;
as you long for justice for the poor,
may we strive for justice for all.
Open our eyes to the structures of oppression from which we benefit,
and give us courage to accept our responsibility,
wisdom to chart a sound course amid complexity,
and perseverance to continue our work until it is finished.
Breathe your life-giving Spirit afresh into your Church
to free us from apathy and indifference;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The second is the Counting Prayer -- a worldwide interfaith movement to pray for the will to end extreme poverty. Please go to www.countingprayers.org and learn how to add you and your congregation to those praying daily and weekly for the will to make poverty history.
"The world now has the means to end extreme poverty;
we pray we will have the will."
