Interfaith Worker Justice has published a Prayer Service designed to help people reflect on a moral economy within the context of their religious tradition. Written for clergy and religious leaders, the prayer service is aimed for those Occupying Wall Street and other cities, and for congregational use.
Many people of faith are seeking to understand how their tradition calls them to respond to the movement.
Joe Hopkins, a young adult missionary of the United Methodist Church, working with IWJ's Workers' Center Network, was one of 175 arrested on Saturday in an act of non-violent civil disobedience at an Occupy Chicago site in Grant Park. The crowd chanted together, "We are unstoppable; another world is possible."
Hopkins said, "Imagine that world: families live together in their houses, the sick and elderly receive care, workers receive payment before the sun sets. I invite you to take a moment of silence to reflect on the voices so often ignored. Then when you've listened to those voices, break the silence. Join us in that possible world. We are building that world together right now, and you can build it with us."
Kim Bobo, Executive Director of Interfaith Worker Justice, told the National Catholic Register, "The core issues here are the growing inequality in the nation, the lack of responsiveness to that and the job crisis."
"There is a growing frustration," Bobo said, "with what people have witnessed in Congress, which almost had a total meltdown this summer and couldn't get anything done at all. People are just like 'What are our options right now?' We've got to get attention from our policymakers on these issues."
The Interfaith Prayer Service is available as a free download HERE or at iwj.org.
On Nov. 17-20, Interfaith Worker Justice and faith and labor communities across the nation are preparing for action aimed to develop an economic system oriented around Just Jobs.
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