Dear United Methodist sisters and brothers in the struggle; communities across Illinois have been deeply and negatively affected by the ongoing budget crisis. People all over the state are struggling to make ends meet, to put food on the table, and to access essential services like healthcare and other programs. Homeless shelters have shut down. Domestic violence shelters have had to turn people away. Our schools are not properly funded. We are also divided along racial, religious, political, and economic lines. These divisions prevent us from doing what God calls us to do which is to love our neighbors as ourselves. These divisions prevent us from realizing that the budget crisis is not the fault of any one person or politician. Rather, the budget crisis has emerged out of a broken system in Springfield that prioritizes people wealthy enough to be major campaign donors and corporations over regular folks like you and me.
This is why we are marching for 15 days from Chicago to Springfield to tell our elected officials to do their job and pass a budget that fully invests in our communities. We have a bold vision of a budget that puts people and planet first. If millionaires, billionaires, and corporations pay their fair share, we can have more than enough money to fully fund the services and programs we need and deserve.
The march will begin on May 15 and conclude on May 30. We envision this march as an opportunity for neighbors to come together. We want to provide space for storytelling, a time for our neighbors to share how they have been hurt by the budget crisis. We need your help to make this happen. There are many ways for our United Methodist sisters and brothers to support this march:
Marching – Are there folks in your congregation who would like to march with us, either for the entire journey or just a day?
…Lodging and Food – Could your congregation offer a space to sleep and food to eat?
…Hosting a Town hall – Could your congregation host a town hall meeting where folks can share their stories and struggles as we discuss our vision for the budget?
…Financial – Could your congregation make a financial contribution to this work?
…Actions – The march will begin with a send-off action in Chicago and conclude with a public demonstration in Springfield. …Are folks in your congregation interested in attending these actions?
More information about Fair Economy Illinois and the March to Springfield for a People and Planet First Budget can be found here. The call to love our neighbor transcends that which divides us. Our neighbors have stories worth sharing. Our neighbors deserve safe communities, good schools, health care, and other essential services and programs. When we come together as neighbors, we can influence our elected officials to do their jobs and pass a budget that puts people and planet first. The people, united, will never be defeated! For more information contact Pastor Charles Straight at charlesmax201@yahoo.com or 773-426-2008 (C) 708- 841-3939 (church).