Technology and a prayer breakfast!

So, while I am at the mic welcoming everyone to our annual urban ministries prayer breakfast at Dallas Market Center (cool venue!), my buddy, Jerermy Gregg, aka Captain, fires off a Tweet that sends the photo below to only the good Lord knows where! 

Technology!  Amazing!

Thanks for being there this morning, Captain!

Best,

Col K

More than food pantries. . .

This column appeared in The Dallas Morning News yesterday.  David Beckmann, co-author, will deliver the keynote address at CitySquare's 16th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast this Thursday, March 3 beginning at 7 a.m. at Dallas Market Hall. 

Beckmann and James: We cannot ‘food bank’ our way out of hunger


Poverty and hunger are stark realities for many Texans. At 17 percent, the Texas poverty rate is the ninth-highest of the 50 states. The poverty rate among children is even higher, at 24 percent. Both Hispanics and African-Americans have poverty rates above the state average. Of the 15 U.S. cities with the highest poverty rates, six are in Texas.

Worse, Texas ranks second in households that struggle to put food on the table. There are strong links between hunger and poverty. The Texas food insecurity rates closely mirror the Texas poverty rates; 17 percent of Texans and 24 percent of Texan children live in households that can’t always afford groceries.

The poverty rate in Dallas is higher than the state average. Child poverty is significantly higher than the state average — 35.4 percent of children in Dallas are poor. The poverty rates of Hispanics and African-Americans in Dallas are also higher than the Texas average for each group — and almost double the overall poverty rate for the state.

Fortunately, we believe it is within our power to help ease the effects of the recession on people in need and to set the stage for rapid progress once our economy rebounds. Many of us help hungry people by contributing to food banks and charities. While this is important, all of the food collected by charities combined is only about 6 percent of what is provided by government nutrition programs.

We must continue to invest in U.S. safety-net programs, which cost just 14 cents of every federal dollar. Many families cannot afford cuts to free school breakfast and lunch, unemployment insurance, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and tax credits for working poor families.

Cutting these anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs would be damaging to people in need and to our still-fragile economy. Without these public efforts, Texas will sink even further below the national averages for numbers of citizens and their children living in poverty. We cannot allow this to happen to our low-income neighbors.

Spending on programs such as SNAP provides an immediate stimulus to local economies. Studies show that low-income families spend their SNAP benefits immediately — spurring greater economic activity in their communities. Every dollar in SNAP benefits generates almost $1.75 in economic stimulus — so the 11 percent of all Texans who receive SNAP benefits are significantly boosting local communities.

Americans are not the only people suffering. The world has almost one billion chronically hungry people. U.S. foreign assistance can do a great deal to give hungry and poor people the tools and opportunities they need to improve the lives of their families.

We will speak on these issues at the annual CitySquare (formerly Central Dallas Ministries) Prayer Breakfast in Dallas Thursday. What can you do? Urge members of Congress to not balance the budget on the backs of hungry and poor people at home and abroad. Encourage them to press forward instead with reforms to make foreign assistance more effective in reducing poverty. With the stroke of a pen, decisions are made that can address the fundamental reasons people are hungry and poor — in Texas, in the United States, and around the world. We believe God is moving in our time to overcome hunger and poverty, and God is calling us to change the politics of hunger.

David Beckmann is president of Bread for the World, Bread for the World Institute and the Alliance to End Hunger; his e-mail address is david@bread.org . Larry James is president and CEO of CitySquare; his e-mail address is ljames@citysq.org.

Join me for 16th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast

Join us on March 3 for CitySquare's 16th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast with keynote speaker World Food Prize laureate David Beckmann, one of the foremost U.S. advocates for hungry and poor people. He has been president of Bread for the World since 1991, leading large-scale and successful campaigns to strengthen U.S. political commitment to overcome hunger and poverty in the U.S. and globally.


Beckmann is also president of Bread for the World Institute, which provides policy analysis on hunger and strategies to end it. He founded and serves as president of the Alliance to End Hunger, which engages diverse U.S. institutions—Muslim and Jewish groups, corporations, unions, and universities—in building the political will to end hunger. He is also the author of the recently released book, Exodus from Hunger.

Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. Bread for the World members meet with and write personal letters and emails to their members of Congress. It is one of the largest organizations in the world dedicated to building the political will to end hunger.

About Bread for the World


Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

God's grace in Jesus Christ moves us to help our neighbors, whether they live in the next house, the next state, or the next continent.

Learn more at http://www.bread.org/.

For details about this year's prayer breakfast go to http://dallasprayerbreakfast.org/.

Speak up!

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:8-9
(New International Version, ©2010)

16th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast with David Beckmann

CitySquare (formerly Central Dallas Ministries) invites you to attend our 16th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast and Public Forum on March 3, 2011, at Dallas Market Center – Grand Pavilion.


CitySquare exists to fight the root causes of poverty by partnering with those in need. Working together as a community, we feed the hungry, heal the sick, house the homeless and renew hope in the heart of our city.

From the beginning, addressing the hunger needs of our neighbors has been at the heart of our work. In 1988, CitySquare began as a small store front food pantry. It is from this humble beginning that the work of CitySquare has grown.

The problems we see every day come from harsh realities. Texas has the 2nd highest rate of “food insecurity” in the U.S. and the highest rate of child hunger in the nation. We are hosting this year’s breakfast event in honor of the families in our communities that struggle to provide nutritious meals for their loved ones each day.

The Prayer Breakfast and Public Forum will give you an opportunity to learn about the problems associated with “food insecurity”, CitySquare’s unique response, and how you can join us in the fight against hunger. Together we can make sure there truly is FOOD FOR ALL.

When:   Thursday, March 03, 2011 7:00 AM -9:00 AM

Where:   Dallas Market Center (Grand Pavilion, 2100 Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207)

For information about tickets, tables and sponsorship levels click here

About our featured speaker:  World Food Prize laureate David Beckmann is one of the foremost U.S. advocates for hungry and poor people. He has been president of Bread for the World since 1991, leading large-scale and successful campaigns to strengthen U.S. political commitment to overcome hunger and poverty in the U.S. and globally.


Beckmann is also president of Bread for the World Institute, which provides policy analysis on hunger and strategies to end it. He founded and serves as president of the Alliance to End Hunger, which engages diverse U.S. institutions—Muslim and Jewish groups, corporations, unions, and universities—in building the political will to end hunger. He is also the author of the recently released book, Exodus from Hunger.

Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. Bread for the World members meet with and write personal letters and emails to their members of Congress. It is one of the largest organizations in the world dedicated to building the political will to end hunger.

Don't miss this very special opportunity to hear one of our nation's leading voices in the fight against poverty and hunger today.

[For more information contact lgoolsby@citysq.org.]

Lifting families from poverty. . .

Consider:

The estimated "poverty line" (based on an antiquated index linked to the cost of food) for a family of four (4) is $21,946. 

By applying the benefits of three very equitable, simple and efficient public support programs, such a family can be lifted above that crushing line. 

Here's how.

One family member working at a minimum wage job earns $13,391, less payroll taxes--this assumes 2,000 hours of work per year. 

By enrolling in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), filing for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and including the child tax credit, this family rises to 105% ($23,043.30) of poverty and has a much better chance to move ahead. 

Finding ways to enroll more families in SNAP is essential to loosening poverty's grip on family life. 

The EITC rewards hard work and makes it possible for working families to advance. 

A challenge we continue to address is certification difficulties and outreach to inform all who are eligible for the benefits. 

Public programs and progressive public policy are essential if we are to achieve real, sustainable progress in overcoming poverty for 40 million Americans.

Reply to Glenn Beck. . .Offering of Letters

Every church in the nation should respond to the recent, "over the top" commentary of Glenn Beck (encouraging church members to flee their congregations at the mention of the hated concept "social justice") by participating in Bread for the World's annual "offering of letters."

This year the letter writing to Congress will focus on U. S. tax policy and low-income, working Americans.

If you are a church member or a church leader, click here to find out how to get fully involved this year.

A resource you should know: Bread for the World

Not sure when I first discovered Bread for the World (BFW), but I know that my life has been aimed in a different direction since that first day.

BFW provides ordinary citizens and people of faith the simple tools and direction needed to become activists on behalf of the poor and the hungry at home and around the world. Thanks to my involvement with BFW, I remained fully informed on issues that affect the weakest and most vulnerable men, women and children on earth.

But beyond reliable information, BFW has positioned me to make a difference in the lives of the impoverished by being a consistent advocate for the measures, issues and actions that attack the poverty that devastates millions of our brothers and sisters around the world.

Art Simon, past president of BFW, once told us that every time a person stops to write a letter to Congress on behalf of the poor, a life is saved. Over the years, I've become friends with many elected officials thanks to BFW. Following the leadership provided by BFW, you can really make a difference.

If you don't know about BFW, click on the icon or the title line and check it out. You can make a real and lasting difference by getting involved.

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