Are you uncomfortable with the cruel direction our federal administration is heading in? Immediately, I think of the harsh treatment of refugees, including the separation of children from their families. And the increasing use of the National Guard, ICE, and Border Patrol to quell peaceful protests in cities while claiming that these protests are acts of war. And the sudden ending of USAID without congressional approval, which a peer-reviewed study published in "The Lancet" says will cause 14 million deaths – including 4.5 million children – by the end of 2030. I know you can raise up many, many more disturbing events and decisions.
To express our concern and push back against these policies a growing group of clergy and lay people are joining together in a campaign begun by the NY Conference of the United Church of Christ calling on our nation to govern with “Compassion Not Cruelty.” To that end, you are invited to participate in one or both of the following actions:
Attend a Prayer Vigil on Saturday, October 25 at 6 p.m. one of the following locations (note different Batavia time below):
First Congregational Church of Ithaca, 309 Highland Road, Ithaca, NY (Tompkins County)
Broadway UCC, 123 West 71st Street, New York, NY (Manhattan)
Scarsdale Congregational Church UCC, 1 Heathcote Rd, Scarsdale, NY (Westchester County)
Epiphany Congregational Church, 9365 Clarence Center Rd, Clarence, NY (Erie County)
Emmanuel Congregational UCC, 39 West Orvis Street, Messena, NY (St. Lawrence County)
First Congregational UCC Poughkeepsie, 269 Mill Street, Poughkeepsie, NY (Dutchess County)
Buffalo Federal Detention Center, 4250 Federal Drive, Batavia, NY (Genesee County) (NOTE: vigil at 11 a.m.)
As people of faith, we can make a huge impact by standing up and speaking out in favor of "Compassion Not Cruelty."
85 Chestnut Street
Albany, New York 12210
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