Prayer in Action Days 2021

The Common Goal for the Commonwealth

Our Annual Prayer in Action Days have begun! This year will be a bit different since we cannot be at the Capitol but you can still participate by tuning into our Facebook Live sessions. Each session will be held via Zoom and streamed on our Facebook page so that you may watch it at the time it is happening or come back to it at a later time.

Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/kycouncilofchurches to see each session. If you are not a member of our KCC Facebook group, just request to be a member in advance of the Prayer in Action Days.

“We will pray for our governor and legislators and call them to a higher moral agenda that puts the well-being of Kentucky’s people first.” said Rev. Dr. Donald K. Gillett, II, Executive Director of the Council. Each event will include prayer, education on issues, and a call to action. “We want to engage religious leaders and their congregants in direct justice advocacy.” Prayer in Action Days are inspired by Moral Mondays in North Carolina, where religious leaders created significant change in policies that oppressed the poor and people of color.

The Kentucky Council of Churches chose these issues based on policy statements approved by all eleven of the Council’s denominational members. (You may view our policy statements here on the website; they are located under the “Resources” tab and are labeled “Council Statements”) The membership includes Protestant and Roman Catholic congregations. The Council works with other state advocacy groups and coalitions on issues, and many of them have committed to support the Prayer in Action Days.

All Prayer in Action events are interfaith and open to the public and media. For more information contact the Kentucky Council of Churches at KCC@kycouncilofchurches.org, 859-269-7715.

Schedule for Prayer in Action Days 2021.

All sessions will be held at 9:30 a.m.

February 9: Criminal Justice

February 16: Healthcare and Disabilities

February 23: Fair Housing

March 2: Voting Rights

March 9: Death Penalty

September 24, 2020

From the Faith Leaders of the Kentucky Council of Churches

With so many others in the commonwealth today we stand in solidarity with those feeling the frustration and outrage of yet another injustice in the case of Breonna Taylor’s death at the hands of Louisville police. Assurances that the letter of the law was observed is hardly comforting when the law has been written, manipulated, and used to deny justice to persons of color in too many times and places. And once again, the opportunity to promote healing and community reconciliation has been passed over. We deplore the injuries endured by protestors and police alike, and hold in our prayers the healing of their bodies, minds, and spirits as we pray for the very soul of our nation.

For Breonna Taylor’s family and for many other individuals the long delay in the investigation has already been trauma upon trauma. That the grand jury saw fit to charge no one with any crime in the unjust death of Ms. Taylor but only for the wanton endangerment of her white neighbors is a chilling testament to the inadequacies of our legal and law enforcement procedures as currently construed. Black lives matter. But in the areas of our laws and practice, not as much as white lives.

This must change. Ms. Taylor’s death is but one of countless, disproportionate acts of violence suffered by persons of color. Those acts have been perpetrated and perpetuated by a system of police practices and laws rooted in systemic preservation of white-skinned power and privilege. This is idolatrous sin and direct rejection of Christ’s command for neighbors to love each other as we love ourselves.

The prophet Amos reminds us that a nation without justice shall fall. Christ, even in the beatitudes which calls for comforting those who mourn, also reminds us that blessing comes to those hungering and thirsting for righteousness; and later, that which we do unto the least we have done unto Christ himself. This is the heart of God’s yearning for us and the source of any ethical or moral standing we might seek with the Almighty.

In ethical and moral standing, our society has fallen far short of the mark. While some may be just now coming to awareness, others have known for generations the need for both repentance and action. Let the disappointments and disillusionment of this day demand that we work tirelessly toward the day when our justice systems, our economic systems, our educational systems, our voting systems, and all other aspects of our life together reflect the value of black and brown skinned people. We cannot stop or rest until we have become “repairers of the breach, restorer of streets to live in.”

To that end we call for:

·           The immediate improvements in police procedures and for continuing, transparent, community-based review of those procedures with appropriate and timely consequences for those who endanger human life or well-being. Police review boards at both state and city level should comprise citizens representing the diverse neighborhoods they serve.

·           The removal of military equipment from our neighborhoods as tools for policing and the end of the “1033 Program,” whereby Congress transfers excess military equipment to local police agencies for use in counter-drug activities. 

·           Prohibitions to the hiring or retaining of any law enforcement officer who has a history of excessive force and misconduct. 

·           Reform and improvement of the broken practices that result in little or no repercussions for aggressive officers. So called “internal policing,” and unchecked police union contracts, powerless civil arbitration boards, and ineffective external (non-police) review boards contribute to the culture and practice of uncalled-for police violence and inappropriate exoneration of offending officers.

·           An end to the standard of “reasonableness” that allows police officers to shoot to kill black and other racial minority citizens on the officer’s assertion that they feared for their life. 

·           Support for initiatives that help inform and educate journalists, police departments, and other civic entities about the culture, history and religious conceptualizations of black, indigenous, and other persons of color. Ignorance, unsubstantiated biases and “white-skinned norming” have contributed to poor understanding, poor policy, and poor community involvement.

·           The commitment of all persons, parties, protest movements, and departments to engage passionately and non-violently, respecting the dignity and worth of each human soul, even as we relentlessly address the injustices too long endured. We cannot advance the cause of peace and justice by becoming the very evil we deplore and hope to eradicate.

We urge all Christians to join us in prayers and action:

·           For understanding the system of racial bias we all participate in, and for dismantling it in our hearts, homes, and congregations. 

·           To hold leadership accountable at every level, in every municipal and state office, that a higher regard for racial justice may prevail.

·           To participate meaningfully and effectively through voting and a commitment to voting rights.

Let us adhere to the challenge of the prophet Micah: to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God toward that day where no mother must fear for their child’s life in their own bed.

In the sure and certain hope of resurrection,

Rev. Kent Gilbert, President, and Rev. Dr. Donald K. Gillett, II, Executive Director

At the direction of and on behalf of the gathered leaders of the Kentucky Council of Churches

The Kentucky Council of Churches is comprised of the following communions and observers.

African Methodist Episcopal

African Methodist Episcopal Zion

Christian Church in KY (Disciples of Christ)

Christian Methodist Episcopal

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky

Episcopal Diocese of Lexington

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Presbyterian Church (USA)

Roman Catholic

United Church of Christ

United Methodist Church

Union Church, Berea

Friends Meeting Berea/Lexington

Church Women United

Church World Service

Tell Your Legislators: House Bill 1 is Sweeping, Punitive and Expensive

HB 1 makes broad changes to the way we provide medical, food, and income assistance to our fellow Kentuckians with very low incomes. It aims to reduce the “benefits cliff” many low-income families experience when they begin earning too much to qualify for benefits, but not enough to cover the cost of basic necessities. Unfortunately, it misses the mark by adding in harsh penalties and lifetime bans to target a very small number of people suspected of committing fraud. It also attempts to promote financial independence by adding in more unnecessary red tape and reporting requirements for many adults, the majority of whom are already working in low-wage jobs, students, caregivers, retired, or living with a disability.

Bottom line: This bill creates numerous barriers to benefits that will hurt the vast majority of Kentucky families who are doing all the right things. Fewer Kentuckians would get the benefits they need to make ends meet, care for their families, and gain financial security. Many could even be banned from benefits for life.

●      Establishes new penalties, including a lifetime ban on public assistance programs.

●      Codifies illegal work reporting requirements that have been struck down in federal court and would cause tens of thousands of Kentuckians to lose coverage, including workers, caregivers, people with disabilities, and students.

●      Attempts to reduce the health insurance “cliff” for the working poor by temporarily expanding Medicaid for employees with incomes between 138 - 200% FPL (up to $25,520 for an individual), but falls short by leaving employees with no protection for unaffordable out-of-pocket costs.

●      Adds significant cost to the budget by creating the need for much more state administration and adding thousands more state employees to the state health insurance plan.

●      Adds more paperwork and red tape for employees and families, requiring more frequent documentation to maintain enrollment in benefits.

●      Makes it harder for Kentucky families without bank accounts to withdraw cash benefits to pay for rent, utilities, babysitting or other necessities.

●      Dictates expensive new tracking requirements for grocery retailers.

●      Assumes many people are misusing SNAP & K-TAP benefits when state data shows a fraud rate of about 1%.

●      Indirectly harms children who rely on caregivers for access to benefits, including some non-parental adults who live in their home like an aunt whose food assistance would be in jeopardy.

●      Expands the current partial ban for SNAP and K-TAP to be a lifetime ban for Medicaid by creating a 90-day time limit to report receiving treatment after release from incarceration for Kentuckians ever convicted of a drug-related felony.

●      Leads to higher rates of uninsurance, which increases uncompensated care for hospitals.

●      Creates a costly mandate on employers offering health insurance benefits, who may be required to cover employees currently enrolled in Medicaid.

Kentucky’s Benefit Programs are Already Designed to Ensure Eligibility and Combat Fraud

Enrolling in benefits requires documentation to prove eligibility. Applicants must prove:

●     Identification

●     Citizenship

●     Residence in Kentucky

●     Household composition

●     Current income and income change

●     Employment status

●     Loss of employment and loss of income

●     Certain benefits also require proof of bank account balances, home ownership, and vehicle ownership (or lack thereof)

●     Recipients must re-verify some or all of this information at least annually

Kentuckians are already losing benefits due to penalties and red tape...

●     Since May 2018, SNAP enrollment has decreased by over 105,000, largely due to the reinstatement of a work reporting requirement and other penalties for some adults.

●     Since December 2017, Medicaid enrollment has decreased by more than 92,000, including nearly 23,000 kids. The most common reason for disenrollment is not lack of eligibility, but paperwork issues.

●     Excessive call center wait times and shutdowns make it nearly impossible for people to resolve enrollment issues.

●     Staff shortages mean caseworkers cannot sufficiently assist people and process documents in a timely manner, leading to unnecessary disenrollments and reapplications.

Kentucky already detects fraud in a number of ways, including…

●     Alerts from state, federal, and other external data sources that detect discrepancies

●     Individual participant data from the USDA used to investigate/shut down retailers

●     Reports (including SNAP trafficking) to the Office of Inspector General’s Division of Audits and Investigations. Reports can be sent by a toll-free call at 800-372-2970, by email at chfs.fraud@ky.gov, or by mail. Reports can be made anonymously 24/7.

●     Law enforcement officers who identify potential SNAP fraud during the course of other investigations.

Kentucky Health Bills to Watch For

Provided to us by Kentucky Voices for Health

Bill Number
Sponsor(s)
Subject

HB1
Osborne, Meade
Comes out of discussions from last session’s HB 3.  Just an alert that it could be good and/or bad

HB12
Bentley and 44 others; bipartisan
Caps insulin copays at $100 for 30-day supply

HB17
Kulkarni
Require Medicaid to cover dental, vision, and transportation services

HB72
Bentley and 2 other Republicans
Disallow copay accumulators

HB129
Moser and 17 others; bipartisan
Public Health "transformation"

HB138
Attica Scott and several other Democrats
Maternal health equity; tracking data on maternal mortality and morbidity

HB179
Stevenson and ALL other Democrats
Prohibits surprise billing

HB199/SB85

Willner and Kerr

Banning conversion therapy for a broad range of fee-based professionals/providers

SB8
Wise and others
School "safety" update that allows mental health providers as well as counselors, but also requires armed school resource officers.

SB29, 30, 34
Meredith
Medicaid bills: rural provider payment parity, limiting number of MCOs, disallowing copayments

HB32
Miller and others
Taxation of vaping products on par with other tobacco products

SB56
Alvarado and D. Carroll
Raise the minimum purchase age to 21 for cigarettes and all other tobacco products, including vaping products; removes status offense for purchase of these products by a person under age 18.

PRAYER IN ACTION DAYS RETURNS!

The Kentucky Council of Churches is hosting Prayer in Action Days at the State Capitol during next year’s General Assembly to pray for government officials and act on behalf of Kentucky’s most vulnerable citizens. The kick-off event will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday, January 7, 2020 in the Capitol Rotunda. Subsequent gatherings will begin at 9:30 a.m.

“The Prayer in Action events were very successful last year, and people have requested that we continue them in 2020,” said Rev. Dr. Donald K. Gillett, II,  Executive Director of the Council. “We will pray for our governor and legislators, and call them to a higher moral agenda that puts the well-being of Kentucky’s people first.” Each event will include prayer, education on issues, and a call to action. “We want to engage religious leaders and their congregants in direct justice advocacy.”

Each Prayer in Action event will focus on a different social issue like minimum wage, justice reform, healthcare, and gun violence and the abolishment of the death penalty. The Kentucky Council of Churches chooses the issues based on policy statements approved by all eleven of the Council’s denominational members. The membership includes Protestant and Roman Catholic congregations. The Council works with other state advocacy groups and coalitions on these issues, and many of them have committed to support the Prayer in Action Days.

SCHEDULE

Each week we will meet from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. for prayer and education of a specific topic. All meetings will be held at the Capitol Annex in Room 131.

January

14: Criminal Justice
21: Healthcare/Disabilities
28: Voting Rights

February

4: Death Penalty
11: Gun Violence
18: Worker's Rights/Fair Wages
25: Environment/Energy

March

10: Smoke-Free Tomorrow
24: Tax Reform

Prayer in Action Days 2019 Kick-Off

The Kentucky Council of Churches is hosting Prayer in Action Days at the State Capitol during the 2019 General Assembly to pray for government officials and act on behalf of Kentucky’s most vulnerable citizens. The kick-off event will be Tuesday, January 8th at 11 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda. Subsequent gatherings will begin at 9:30 a.m.

“The Prayer in Action events were very successful last year, and people have requested that we continue them in 2019,” said Rev. Dr. Don Gillett, Executive Director of the Council. “We will pray for our governor and legislators, and call them to a higher moral agenda that puts the well-being of Kentucky’s people first.” Each event will include prayer, education on issues, and a call to action. “We want to engage religious leaders and their congregants in direct justice advocacy.”

Each Prayer in Action event will focus on a different social issue like criminal justice, voting rights, tax reform, and gun violence. The Kentucky Council of Churches chooses the issues based on policy statements approved by all eleven of the Council’s denominational members. The membership includes Protestant and Roman Catholic congregations. The Council works with other state advocacy groups and coalitions on these issues, and many of them have committed to support the Prayer in Action Days.

All Prayer in Action events are interfaith and open to the public and media. For more information contact the Kentucky Council of Churches at KCC@kycouncilofchurches.org or call 859-269-7715.

Litanies & Prayers

Prayer in Action Litany of Wholeness and Welcome 

Let us pray for all God’s people. For people who are blind and cannot see, and for those who can see but are blind to people around them.

Lord, in your mercy help us touch each other.

For people who move slowly because of accident, illness, or disability, and for those who move too fast to be aware of the world in which they live,

Lord, in your mercy help us work together.

For people who are deaf and cannot hear, and for those who can hear but who ignore the cries of others,

Lord, in your mercy help us respond to each other.

For people who learn slowly, for people who learn in different ways, and for people who learn quickly and easily but often choose ignorance,

Lord, in your mercy help us grow in your wisdom.

For people who have chronic illness for which there is no known cure or relief, and for people who live in unholy fear of developing a chronic illness.

Lord, in your mercy help us and heal us.

For families, friends, and caregivers who serve people with disabilities, and for those who feel awkward in their presence,

Lord, in your mercy help us see each other with your eyes.

For people who think they are worthless and beyond your love, and for people who think they don’t need your love,

Lord, in your mercy help us accept your love.

For people who feel isolated by their disabilities, and for people who contribute to that sense of isolation,

Lord, in your mercy change our lives.

For people who feel powerless to change anything, and for people who have power and will not change,

Lord, in your mercy transform us.

For lawmakers and public officials who turn a death ear to the needs of the people, who put partisanship before compassion,

Lord, in your mercy soften their hearts.

For all the people in your creation, that we may learn to respect each other and learn how to live together in your peace,

Lord, in your mercy bind us together.

All: Amen.

Adapted from “That All May Worship: An Interfaith Welcome to People with Disabilities,” produced by The National Organization on Disability, 910 16th St. NW, Suite 600, Washington DC 20006, (202) 293-5960, written by Kate Chipps, adapted by Ginny Thornburgh.

Litany for Prayer in Action on Gun Violence Prevention

Giver of Life and Love, you created all people as one family and called us to live together in harmony and peace. Surround us with your love as we face the challenges and tragedies of gun violence.

For our dear ones, for our neighbors, for strangers and aliens, and those known to you alone, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.

God of Righteousness, you have given our leaders, the President, members of Congress, the judges of our courts and members of our legislatures, power and responsibility to protect us and to uphold our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

For all who bear such responsibility, for all who struggle to discern what is right in the face of powerful political forces, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.

God of Compassion, we give you thanks for first responders, for police officers, firefighters and EMTs, and all those whose duties bring them to the streets, the lobbies, the malls and the homes where the carnage of gun violence takes place day after day. Give them courage and sound judgment in the heat of the moment and grant them compassion for the victims.

For our brothers and sisters who risk their lives and their serenity as they rush to our aid, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.

Merciful God, bind up the wounds of all who suffer from gun violence, those maimed and disfigured, those left alone and grieving, and those who struggle to get through one more day. Bless them with your presence and help them find hope.

For all whose lives are forever marked by the scourge of gun violence, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.

God Who Remembers, may we not forget those who have died in the gun violence that we have allowed to become routine. Receive them into your heart and comfort us with your promise of eternal love and care.

For all who have died, those who die today, and those who will die tomorrow, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.

God of Justice, help us, your church, find our voice. Empower us to change this broken world and to protest the needless deaths caused by gun violence. Give us power to rise above our fear that nothing can be done and grant us the conviction to advocate for change.

For your dream of love and harmony, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.

Adapted from a Litany for Gun Violence Prevention written by the Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane, Episcopal bishop of Maine.

Litany for Prayer in Action on Justice Reform

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. I know that the LORD maintains the cause of the needy and executes justice for the poor.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them;

Who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.

Thus says the LORD: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.

Justice is turned back and righteousness stands at a distance; for truth stumbles in the public square and uprightness cannot enter.

For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate [your over-incarceration, your juvenile and criminal injustice systems, your unfair sentencing, and every kind of] wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to God day and night? Will God delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.

Who will bring any charges against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

2001 © African American Heritage Hymnal, adapted from Responsive Reading no. 28: Justice

Litany for Prayer in Action on Tax Reform

We pray to You, O Almighty and Eternal God! Who hast revealed Your glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Your mercy that we, Your People of God, spread through the whole world, may continue with faith in confessing and praising Your Name.  Let us pray—God, hear our prayer.

Let the light of Your Divine wisdom direct the deliberations of our Kentucky State Government, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may preserve our peace; promote human solidarity; increase of industry and education; and bless us with equal freedom.  Let us pray—God, hear our prayer.

We pray for our governor, for the members of this legislative assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Your powerful protection, to discharge their respective duties & positions with honesty and competence.    Let us pray—God, hear our prayer.

We recommend also to Your unbounded mercy, all our brothers & sisters and fellow citizens throughout Kentucky, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and the observance of Your Wisdom & Love; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. Let us pray—God, hear our prayer.

In the Name of our God Whom we call by many names, we pray. Amen

LITANY For Prayer in Action on Voting Rights

God of the marginalized, the unenfranchised, and the disenfranchised, we give thanks for the noble vision of a commonwealth where all community members have voice and vote; and we confess our complicity in a history that has fallen far short of that vision.

Lest we forget the long wait of women and African-Americans for the full rights of citizenship and the courageous sacrifices of those who made those rights a reality, inspire in us the resolveto keep on keeping on in that endeavor, to elevate always the image of God over a photo I.D.   So help us, God.

Lest we forget the hazards and prejudiced requirements that plagued people’s attempts to register to vote in the past and the procedural hurdles and unfounded allegations of fraud that they can still face in the present, instill in us a determination to make registration a birthright and not a bonus.  So help us, God.

Lest we forget the difficulties some people encounter in casting their ballots due to such strategies as closed polling places and biased eligibility requirements, give us noses for needless obstruction and voices for dissatisfaction with the problems people may face when “voting while black or brown or yellow.”  So help us, God.

Lest we forget that Kentucky’s disenfranchisement law is one of the harshest in the land and that the restoration of released felons’ voting rights has all but ground to halt here, steel us to persist in the push to restore voting rights to a large segment of released felons, as reflected in repeated actions of our Kentucky House of Representatives.  So help us, God.

Lest we forget that race and class continue to unbalance the scales of justice and that our system too often fails to focus on restorative justice, summon us to obey the prophetic call to both justice and mercy for prisoners and to urge our elected representatives to do the same.  So help us, God.

Litany for PRAYER IN ACTION on Responsible Lending

Today we cry out on behalf of those who are burdened with loans with excessive interest and appeal to our legislators to enact policies that ensure responsible lending.   Hear our cry, O God.

Usury is defined as excessive interest. Our sacred texts all speak against usury as an evil that should not be perpetuated among the people.  Hear our cry, O God.

We cry out so that our legislators will not be beholden to those who enact usury against the people, but will enact legislation that caps payday loan interest rates at 36 percent or less.   Hear our cry, O God.

It is our belief that usurious interest rates keep people trapped in a cycle of poverty, and that our legislators must look to their faith traditions that speak to them about caring for the poor and marginalized.  Hear our cry, O God.

We cry out that businesses that engage in these practices would recognize that successful community calls us put people before profits.  Hear our cry, O God.

It is our prayer that we remember that we are called to care for and advocate on behalf of those who are unable to speak for themselves. We pray that our legislators will remember the faith that they live and use it to effect the greater good in our Commonwealth for all its citizens.  Hear our cry, O God.

KY MORAL DAY OF ACTION

Approximate Schedule of Activities

10:15-10:30 Faith leaders and impacted persons meet at the circle on State Street (see map) where you will line up for the march. All others will gather on the front steps of the Capitol.

10:30-11:00 Faith leaders and impacted persons will march to the Capitol, around one time, then gather with supporters on the front steps of the Capitol.

11:00 Statement of purpose
Opening song
Higher Ground Moral Declaration and testimonies read
Responsive reading of litany
March around the Capitol two times.

11:50 Small delegation delivers Declaration to the Governor

12:00-12:15 Closing songs, prayer and remarks.

Other Resources

Click here for more information on HB210 and SB103