It is here again!

This year Pray Against Poverty Day is April 26th for Dordt College.

We will be taking a vow of silence for the day, quieting our mouths and minds, in order to reflect upon the global poverty situation facing our world today. As we hold our tongues, we will open our ears to hear the needs of the world and the tears God cries over the brokenness of this world. As we calm our hearts we will reflect on the causes and changes that must be made on both large and small scales. When we silence our words, we will open our hearts in prayer to the God who is in control of change. We will raise awareness in the eyes of others and ourselves about the social injustices that keep people from basic needs.

On this day, take the opportunity to:
- PRAY, fervently and without ceasing
- FAST from food, TV, internet, music - try to keep yourself from things that will break your silent mindset
- WRITE to Senators and Representatives
- FIND imaginative ways to write on a plain white shirt, "We will take a vow of silence, to speak out against poverty" and write statistics, verses, and other quotes about poverty
- MEDITATE and practice Lectio Divina (repetitive, intimate prayer and meditation with God on a single verse) on Scripture that shows us God's heart on the matter of poverty and oppression
- READ about hunger issues in the US and around the globe (bread.org)
- PROVIDE for the immediate needs of the homeless people in your area
- VOLUNTEER in your community at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, etc.
- GET CrEaTiVe!!! Find a way to express your passion against poverty in your community, nation and world

Those who will be working
- We understand many of you will be working. We request that you try to be reflective to the degree that you can
- Wear the shirts to work!

Churches
- Get your members involved! Help us get the word out about Christians internationally uniting together to express our passions against poverty
- Have a reflective, poverty, lament or social justice based Sunday/Wednesday service
- Hold a prayer service on this day

Schools
- Get student groups involved! Wear the shirts to class and post fliers explaining Pray Against Poverty Day
- Have organized prayer time

We will be getting together (FRIDAY APRIL 23rd at Dordt College in the Grill area from 3-4:30) to make tshirts. Come with a plain white tshirt, markers and some quotes/scripture ready!


Rest. Relax. Enjoy the silence!

Check the Pray Against Poverty Blog to download printable fliers and a word document describing this event.

Great Day!

We are sure the Lord is pleased with our efforts in this!

As we put effort to unite together and pray against poverty, many of us learned a lot or were opened to different experiences, realities and stories of poverty. 

Please send a response of how the day went for you, what was the most beneficial experience or means of improvement for next year to:

dnldvs@dordt.edu or andrew.feight@asu.edu

Thank you to all who participated! Let us continue to remember the poor and oppressed in our daily prayers and actions.

Readings...

Here are some readings to reflect on today.

Psalm 82:3-4
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Read through this passage slowly three times. Consider the following words. When you think of these as descriptions of people, what comes to mind? Where do you see these characteristics in the people around you?
Weak
Fatherless
Poor
Oppressed
Needy

Consider these words. When you think of these actions, what comes to mind?
Defend
Maintain the rights
Rescue
Deliver

How have you obeyed this command in the Psalms? How can you on a daily basis begin to further obey this command? Take a few minutes to use the words above in a prayer to the Lord. Ask him to deepen your heart for the weak, the fatherless, the poor, the oppressed, the needy. Ask him to strengthen you and give you creative ideas how to truly defend, maintain the rights, rescue, and deliver those to whom God has called you.


Also, visit bread.org to read an incredible amount of info on poverty and ways to address it personally (here you can find letter writing to your senator).
Thank you to Linsay Vladimirov for writing this Lectio Divina.

Reflect. Pray. Fight.

One Week...

We are so excited that this has received such great interest. Since the day is a week away we decided to set some ground work so that everyone knows what's going on. Please read the WHOLE post-

1) We will take a vow of silence for the whole day. Prayerfully consider what that looks like in your context. Challenge yourself for the whole day. Those who have excuses are those who will be working where talking is required.  

2) Refrain from using computers (except to read the info that will be on the website), TV, radio, text messaging and other forms of communication and media. This will disrupt the silence we are trying to instill in ourselves.  

3) We will be wearing shirts that will say, "We are taking a vow of silence to speak out against poverty" and quotes or statistics on them. We will make them ourselves.  

Dordt (IA)- we will be meeting THIS THURSDAY at 7 to make shirts. I will be in the Grille area for an hour. Please bring your own white T-shirts or email me and we'll buy a pack together. Please bring markers and statistics or quotes you'd like to put on your shirts. This will not take long but it will be cool to get together and pray about these things.  

Phoenix- If you are interested email or message Andrew Feight and he will set something up asap.  

Elsewhere (we haven't forgotten about you Spain, Missouri and Cali!)- try to get people together in your area and make shirts.  

ALSO, please go to the group page and write out your vow on the facebook discussion board. This is going to be one sweet day of prayer, awareness and unity.  

God bless you all!

Date!

So we've decided on a date... April 20th, 2009 will be the first ever Day of Silence!

We are depending on you to help spread the word about this event, so tell your friends, neighbors, schools, churches, everyone you know to join this event. Our goal is 1,000 Christians participating in unity!

Also, feel free to post comments asking questions or anything on your heart.

God bless you all!

What Can You Do?

We're glad that you are participating!

Here are some details about what we will be doing and some ideas for you to do throughout the day:

Look at this day as a break from your everyday, hectic schedule...

We will be taking a vow of silence for the day, quieting our mouths and minds, in order to reflect upon the global poverty situation that we face today. As we hold our tongues we will open our ears to hear the needs of the world and the tears God cries over the brokenness of this world. As we calm our hearts we will reflect on the causes and changes that must be made on both large and small scales. When we silence our words we will open our hearts in prayer to the God in control of change. We will raise awareness in the eyes of others and ourselves about the inequality of basic needs in our world.

On this day, take the opportunity to:

- PRAY, fervently and without ceasing

- FAST from food, TV, internet, music - try to keep yourself from things that will break your silent mindset

- WRITE Senators

- FIND imaginative ways to write on a plain white shirt, "We will take a vow of silence, to speak out against poverty" and write statistics, verses, and other quotes about poverty

- MEDITATE and practice Lectio Divina on Scripture that shows us God's heart on the matter of poverty and oppression

- READ about hunger issues in the US and around the globe (bread.org)

- PROVIDE the immediate needs of the homeless people in your area

- VOLUNTEER in your community at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, etc.

- GET CrEaTiVe!!! Find a way to express your passion against poverty in your community, nation and world

Churches

- Get your members involved! Help us get the word out about Christians internationally uniting together to express our passions against poverty

- Have a reflective, poverty, lament or social injustice based Sunday/Wed. service

Professors

- Be creative in planning a class period that would promote silence, solitude and reflection

- Question ways in which the topic of your class addresses or relates to poverty

- Have students bring their Bibles to class and practice Lectio Divina as a class

Those who will be working

- We understand many of you will be working. We request that you try to be reflective to the degree that you can (silence in grading papers, 

- Wear the shirts to work!

Rest. Relax. Enjoy the silence!

It's Time To Take A Stand

We will take a vow of silence, to speak out against poverty.

As Christians, God calls us not only to pious living but also brokenness for the poor. This is an attempt to raise awareness in our schools, churches, families, communities, nations, and in our selves about the reality of poverty in the world. We need to reexamine the way we look at our lives, spending, habits, social structures and more. We must look carefully at how we view Christianity. Love must be our agent of change and passion our motivation.

Thus, let all Christians, everywhere, ban together and take a vow of silence in order to let our voices be heard. As we spend a day together in silent reflection, prayer and thought we will fight for the cause of the poor, sick and needy. Inevitably become more concerned ourselves with the poverty our neighbor experiences. On this day devoted to social injustice, let us plead the case of the oppressed to the only One who can make a change this cosmic in size.

“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” Psalm 82:3

“Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

“Religion that is pure and holy before God, the Father, is this: to care for the orphan and widowed in their distress, and to keep one’s self unstained from the world.” James 1:27