AnglicansUnited.com

The cry that the Government is best influenced by “grassroots movements” is heard all the time today. Obama is our president because he had a successful “grassroots organization.” But what we hear about the Episcopal Church’s influence in this country and abroad has mostly been about how its decisions stimulate reaction in the Anglican Community.But there is an organization that ties policy created in the Episcopal Church to government decisions. That group is called The Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN), “a nationwide grassroots network of Episcopalians who call and write their members of Congress and the Administration to advocate for positions of the Church.”

So when the 76th Triennial General Convention delegates met last month to pass their resolutions, the decisions were forwarded to the Network, which in turn, directed the new policies to the lawmakers. In addition to meeting with government leaders, the EPPN:

• works with media,
• recruits and mobilizes Episcopalians,
• builds relationships with Members of Congress and staff,
• forms coalitions of both religious and secular interest groups to further the Church’s positions.

The EPPN informs its members about events. Every time something happens or a bill affecting the Church’s ministries is being considered, ordinary Episcopalians can find out how their ministries might be influenced.

A “green” alert (green is the color that is used for the alerts, and members are encouraged to look for them) was recently delivered by email to members, asking them to contact Secretary Clinton about the eviction of some Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem. Israeli settlers immediately moved into the homes. According to the Network, “[The action] undermines the efforts of President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, and Special Envoy George Mitchell to create an environment for starting talks for comprehensive peace agreement and is therefore harmful to both the Palestinian and Israeli hopes for peace.” Members were not only offered a form letter that automatically emailed Secretary Clinton, but were also allowed to create their own messages to send to offer another point or opinion.

Whether you call EPPN is a grassroots organization or a lobby, Episcopalians have the opportunity not only to write their own resolutions to be considered at the General Convention, but to have a say on how areas of ministry and justice influence the US Government.

You can sign up to be a member on the EPPN website.   http://episcopal.grassroots.com/reg1join/?topicId=5425