The MDGs

MDG Cross

Ring your Church Bells for the MDGs on September 18

As part of the Stand Up 2010 weekend, Saturday, Sept. 18th has been designated as Make Noise for the MDGs Day. Around the globe, church bells will be ringing, trumpets sounding and people will be banging spoons on metal pots and pans to let officials know of their commitment to end extreme poverty. World leaders will gather at the United Nations for the Millenium Development Goals Review Summit on September 20-22. This is our opportunity for the churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland to show our solidarity in support of the MDGs by ringing church bells at noon on Saturday, Sept. 18th. The message will be loud and clear to the leaders of the summit of our resolve. To register your action, go to the Stand Up 2010 wesite (www.standagainstpoverty.org).

A Bit of History

In 2000, all the nations of the world came together and signed onto the Millennium Development Goals, pledging to end extreme poverty by 2015. It is now 2009, over halfway to 2015 in time and there is still much more to do to achieve the Goals.

Learn how far we have come
and how much more there is to do.

The Goals are:

eradicate extreme hunger and poverty
achieve universal primary education
promote gender equality and empower women
reduce child mortality
improve maternal health
combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
ensure environmental sustainability
develop a global partnership for development

Achieving the Millennuim Development Goals

used with permission of C. Picciolini

How much is 0.7% of your income?
It is $280 of $40,000 and $1050 of $150,000.
We can do this!

How the Diocese of Maryland Supports the MDGs

The Diocese of Maryland at the 2006 Convention passed Resolution 2006-6 pledging 0.7% of the annual budget to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals. The resolution also encourages congregations and individuals in the Diocese to make the same commitment. The Diocese established the Global Missions Committee to make recommendations to Diocesan Council as to where the 0.7% of budget should go. The Diocese gave the first grants for Global Mission in 2007.

During Lent, the Diocese, sponsors an MDG related Lenten Project,linking Lenten practice with education about the MDGs.

Applications for Global Mission Grants are accepted through the end of July and the Grants are awarded in December. Application form (word document) is available here.

How can you get involved?

Learn: Start by checking out the Images of the social and economic world , a series of maps drawn by M.E.J. Newman of the University of Michigan, and Newman's other set of maps at Worldmapper.

More posters and maps are available from the World Health Organization at the Children's Environmental Health web site.
The World Bank also has interactive maps at Building a Better World - an Online Atlas of the Millennium Development Goals.

Additional resources are available from Episcopal Relief and Development, E4GR, and from the official web site of the MDGs, end poverty 2015.org.

Ask: Invite speakers, especially those who have received Diocesan Global Mission grants, to your Church or organization. Talk about Honduras with Michael Curry from St. James Monkton. Ask the DreamBuilders to tell about housing in Central America. Ask Debi Frock to show pictures and tell about the preschool in Ghana and of the little ones there. Invite Rosemary Beales+ to share stories of schoolchildren in Kenya.

Give: There are the opportunities to give and learn.
Look at your own Church. What are your Outreach Committee and Vestry doing? Are they giving 0.7% to the MDGs?
What are you doing? Join with your Diocese and support to their grantees. Participate in the United Thank Offering. Be a 0.7% giver this year and every year.

Consider Micro-lending through Kiva or Five Talents You can be a "banker to the poor."

Connect: with children in the developing world by sponsoring a child through World Vision, Save the Children, or any number of other organizations. Send money to Nets for life, mosquito nets to help prevent malaria, or to the Worm Project where a 5 cent deworming pill can help prevent malnutrition.

Go: Even better, if you can do it, is travel. Visit developing countries and talk with the people there.

Go to Ghana with Ghanaian Mothers' Hope. St. James Monkton is always looking for volunteers to participate in the on-going work in Honduras. Talk with them. Accompany young Episcopalians who are the Diocese of Maryland Youth Missioners when they travel to Honduras in the summers. Join DreamBuilders and build houses in Guatemala and Panama.

Pray. Participate in Counting Prayers. Remember in your daily prayers at home and in your congregational prayer on Sundays the many people who live on less than $1 a day, the children who go to bed hungry, those suffering with HIV-Aids and malaria. Pray the Prayer for the Human Family on page 815 in the Book of Common Prayer.

Additional resources can be found at EPPN Prayer Resources and at E4GR prayers.

Advocate. Learn about the Millennium Challenge Account, the U.S. government's "new compact for global development...devoted to projects in nations that govern justly, invest in their people and encourage economic freedom.” (President George Bush, March 14, 2002)

Contact Congress. Let your Representatives and Senators know that you expect the United States to fulfill its promises and fully fund the Millennium Challenge Account.

Make a difference. Live the Gospel.

Be a careful donor: Check with Charity Navigator.

The Diocese of Maryland encourages all congregations, regional councils, organizations, and individuals to support the MDGs.

Episcopalians and Episcopal Churches that join in learning about and funding the MDGs are invited to be part of the Episcopal Church's ONE Episcopalian™ campaign. Urge your congregation to become a ONE Congregation.

Become a ONE Episcopalian™ today!

"Extreme poverty means that households cannot meet basic needs for survival. They are chronically hungry, unable to access health care, lack the amenities of safe drinking water and sanitation, cannot afford education for some or all of the children, and perhaps lack rudimentary shelter -- a roof to keep the rain out of the hut, a chimney to remove the smoke from the cook stove -- and basic articles of clothing, such as shoes." - Jeffrey D. Sachs. The End of Poverty (The Penguin Press, 2005), p. 20.

Applications for Global Mission Grants applications are due in November and the grants are awarded in June.
The application form is available here.
The Diocese requests all parishes with Global Missions fill out and return this survey. Let us know what ministries you are doing!

The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland

The Millennium Development Goals

An invitation to live the Gospel

	Ring your Church Bells for the MDGs on September 18 As part of the Stand Up 2010 weekend, Saturday, Sept. 18th has been designated as Make Noise for the MDGs Day. Around the globe, church bells will be ringing, trumpets sounding and people will be banging spoons on metal pots and pans to let officials know of their commitment to end extreme poverty. World leaders will gather at the United Nations for the Millenium Development Goals Review Summit on September 20-22. This is our opportunity for the churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland to show our solidarity in support of the MDGs by ringing church bells at noon on Saturday, Sept. 18th. The message will be loud and clear to the leaders of the summit of our resolve. To register your action, go to the Stand Up 2010 wesite (www.standagainstpoverty.org). A Bit of History In 2000, all the nations of the world came together and signed onto the Millennium Development Goals, pledging to end extreme poverty by 2015. It is now 2009, over halfway to 2015 in time and there is still much more to do to achieve the Goals. Learn how far we have come and how much more there is to do.
The Goals are: eradicate extreme hunger and poverty achieve universal primary education promote gender equality and empower women reduce child mortality improve maternal health combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases ensure environmental sustainability develop a global partnership for development	Achieving the Millennuim Development Goals used with permission of C. Picciolini How much is 0.7% of your income? It is $280 of $40,000 and $1050 of $150,000. We can do this!
How the Diocese of Maryland Supports the MDGs The Diocese of Maryland at the 2006 Convention passed Resolution 2006-6 pledging 0.7% of the annual budget to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals. The resolution also encourages congregations and individuals in the Diocese to make the same commitment. The Diocese established the Global Missions Committee to make recommendations to Diocesan Council as to where the 0.7% of budget should go. The Diocese gave the first grants for Global Mission in 2007. During Lent, the Diocese, sponsors an MDG related Lenten Project,linking Lenten practice with education about the MDGs. Applications for Global Mission Grants are accepted through the end of July and the Grants are awarded in December. Application form (word document) is available here.
How can you get involved? Learn: Start by checking out the Images of the social and economic world , a series of maps drawn by M.E.J. Newman of the University of Michigan, and Newman's other set of maps at Worldmapper. More posters and maps are available from the World Health Organization at the Children's Environmental Health web site. The World Bank also has interactive maps at Building a Better World - an Online Atlas of the Millennium Development Goals. Additional resources are available from Episcopal Relief and Development, E4GR, and from the official web site of the MDGs, end poverty 2015.org. Ask: Invite speakers, especially those who have received Diocesan Global Mission grants, to your Church or organization. Talk about Honduras with Michael Curry from St. James Monkton. Ask the DreamBuilders to tell about housing in Central America. Ask Debi Frock to show pictures and tell about the preschool in Ghana and of the little ones there. Invite Rosemary Beales+ to share stories of schoolchildren in Kenya. Give: There are the opportunities to give and learn. Look at your own Church. What are your Outreach Committee and Vestry doing? Are they giving 0.7% to the MDGs? What are you doing? Join with your Diocese and support to their grantees. Participate in the United Thank Offering. Be a 0.7% giver this year and every year. Consider Micro-lending through Kiva or Five Talents You can be a "banker to the poor." Connect: with children in the developing world by sponsoring a child through World Vision, Save the Children, or any number of other organizations. Send money to Nets for life, mosquito nets to help prevent malaria, or to the Worm Project where a 5 cent deworming pill can help prevent malnutrition. Go: Even better, if you can do it, is travel. Visit developing countries and talk with the people there. Go to Ghana with Ghanaian Mothers' Hope. St. James Monkton is always looking for volunteers to participate in the on-going work in Honduras. Talk with them. Accompany young Episcopalians who are the Diocese of Maryland Youth Missioners when they travel to Honduras in the summers. Join DreamBuilders and build houses in Guatemala and Panama. Pray. Participate in Counting Prayers. Remember in your daily prayers at home and in your congregational prayer on Sundays the many people who live on less than $1 a day, the children who go to bed hungry, those suffering with HIV-Aids and malaria. Pray the Prayer for the Human Family on page 815 in the Book of Common Prayer. Additional resources can be found at EPPN Prayer Resources and at E4GR prayers. Advocate. Learn about the Millennium Challenge Account, the U.S. government's "new compact for global development...devoted to projects in nations that govern justly, invest in their people and encourage economic freedom.” (President George Bush, March 14, 2002) Contact Congress. Let your Representatives and Senators know that you expect the United States to fulfill its promises and fully fund the Millennium Challenge Account. Make a difference. Live the Gospel. Be a careful donor: Check with Charity Navigator.
The Diocese of Maryland encourages all congregations, regional councils, organizations, and individuals to support the MDGs. Episcopalians and Episcopal Churches that join in learning about and funding the MDGs are invited to be part of the Episcopal Church's ONE Episcopalian™ campaign. Urge your congregation to become a ONE Congregation. Become a ONE Episcopalian™ today!
"Extreme poverty means that households cannot meet basic needs for survival. They are chronically hungry, unable to access health care, lack the amenities of safe drinking water and sanitation, cannot afford education for some or all of the children, and perhaps lack rudimentary shelter -- a roof to keep the rain out of the hut, a chimney to remove the smoke from the cook stove -- and basic articles of clothing, such as shoes." - Jeffrey D. Sachs. The End of Poverty (The Penguin Press, 2005), p. 20.

Applications for Global Mission Grants applications are due in November and the grants are awarded in June. The application form is available here. The Diocese requests all parishes with Global Missions fill out and return this survey. Let us know what ministries you are doing!

The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland

The Millennium Development Goals An invitation to live the Gospel

Applications for Global Mission Grants applications are due in November and the grants are awarded in June.
The application form is available here.
The Diocese requests all parishes with Global Missions fill out and return this survey. Let us know what ministries you are doing!

The Millennium Development Goals

An invitation to live the Gospel