Friday, November 27, 2009

 

UPCOMING EVENT: "The Role of Faith in Effecting Change"


Come hear Jack Calhoun, author of Hope Matters: The Untold Story of How Faith Works in America, address the annual meeting of the Virginia Interfaith for Public Policy Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. in the Library of Virginia. He will speak on "The Deeper Principles of Prevention: The role of faith in effecting change." The event is free and open to the public and begins with a reception at 6 p.m. in the main lobby of the Library and concludes with a book signing and meet-the-author opportunity.

Mr. Calhoun is former President and CEO of the National Crime Prevention Council; U.S. Commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families; Senior Consultant National League of Cities, Institute for Youth, Education and Families; and the coordinator of the 13-City Gang Prevention Network. The Interfaith Center is a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy organization that works with and through the faith informed community statewide.

To find out more, PLEASE CLICK HERE.


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

 

THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS!

DAWN wishes you and your loved ones a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Please pray for and share from your bounty with those who have less or nothing.

Join us in giving thanks for our families, our nation, our congregations, our region, our denomination, the Church Universal, and people of faith and good will throughout the world.
Also, please consider making a special contribution to the organization that handles our communications, The Disciples Center for Public Witness. Contribute online HERE.

- OR - Please mail your most generous contribution to:

Disciples Center for Public Witness
c/o Christian Church Capital Area
8814 Kensington Parkway, Suite 208
Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6743

Many Thanks and Many Blessings!

 

WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES 'FEED A NEIGHBOR' INITIATIVE

According to the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Partnerships, "President Obama is calling on all Americans to come together to solve hunger in our communities."

Toward that end, the Corporation for National and Community Service is launching the United We Serve: Feed a Neighbor initiative in collaboration with the White House and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The purpose of the initiative is to raise public awareness of hunger issues and ask Americans to help ensure that their neighbors have access to nutritional food this winter and throughout the year. Although focusing the national spotlight on hunger this holiday season, the Corporation and USDA hope to continue their year-round commitment to support anti-hunger programs in communities across the country.

To find out more about this initiative, PLEASE CLICK HERE and HERE.

Friday, November 20, 2009

 

Unemployment Drops in Most W.Va. Counties

Unemployment rates are down in most West Virginia counties. Figures released recently by Workforce West Virginia show unemployment declined in 44 counties in October.

Ten counties reported higher jobless rates. The rates in three counties were unchanged from September. Statewide, West Virginia's unemployment rate fell by three-tenths of a percentage point to 7.7 percent in October.


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

 

Additional Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Benefits Available To Delaware Unemployed

Gov. Jack Markell and Secretary of Labor John McMahon recently announced that unemployed Delaware workers will be eligible for up to fourteen weeks of additional unemployment insurance benefits.

“These benefits will help Delawareans who have been hit hard by the national economic recession get back on their feet,” Markell said. “Turning around the state’s economy takes time. That’s why my administration is working hard every day to move our economy forward and create jobs by making Delaware the best state in the nation for starting and growing businesses.”

These additional benefits have become available as the result of the Worker, Homeowner, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 that was signed into law by President Obama on Nov. 6.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

 

UPCOMING EVENT: GWAIR 3rd Anniversary


THIRD ANNIVERSARY
GREATER WASHINGTON ALLIES IN RECONCILIATION
A Regional Interfaith Antiracism Alliance


WHY DO WE STILL NEED A REGIONAL INTERFAITH ANTIRACISM ALLIANCE?

with Synergy-in-Action PLAYBACK THEATER GROUP

November 22, 2009: 4-7:30pm

Church of the Pilgrims
22nd & P St. NW (Dupont Circle area)


Share your stories and concerns, and celebrate GWAIR's 3rd ANNIVERSARY over
table fellowship, birthday cake and wishes/ideas for our next year.

Reserve a space at www.gwair.org or by emailing INFO@GWAIR.org.
$10-50 donations requested.
RSVP by November 18, 2009.

 

Annapolis Mayor-Elect Puts Together Diverse Transition Team

Annapolis mayor-elect Josh Cohen announced his transition team Tuesday, asking a bipartisan and eclectic group of Annapolitans to address issues ranging from crime to the environment.

The 88-member team - led by former Democratic mayoral candidate Zina Pierre and Greg Stiverson, a Republican who lost a bid to represent Ward 6 - has been charged with analyzing the way city government runs and to suggest ways to make it more effective and efficient.

To read the rest of the story, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

 

REMEMBRANCE DAY / VETERANS DAY

Remembrance Day in Canada – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.) The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war.

To read more, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

To read a statement by Prime Minister Harper, PLEASE CLICK HERE.


Veterans Day in the United States is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is usually observed on November 11. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. Unfortunately, in the recent past, the holiday had decreased in importance among many U.S. citizens. But increasing patriotism across the political spectrum, and the continuing participation of many Americans in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have resulted in recent years in greater observance of this important holiday.

To read more, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

To read a statement by President Obama, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

 

Former President Speaks at Delaware Event

At the invitation of Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton gave the keynote speech at the annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Wilmington, DE. At the dinner the former president publicly thanked the Vice President's son, Beau Biden, for his service in the National Guard and as Attorney General.

The younger Biden has not announced his political plans for the future, but he was publicly encouraged by Governor Jack Markell to run for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by his father.

Source: Associated Press and Delmarva Media Group.


Sunday, November 08, 2009

 

Virginia Republicans, Pragmatic Politics, and Minority Voters

Despite winning the governor's race by a 17-percentage point blowout, Virginia Republicans insist hat they have gained no broad mandate and would make their top priority the pragmatic platform that drove voters to the polls.

To read the rest of this story, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Despite his overwhelming support among white voters, Robert F. McDonnell made efforts to reach out to black, Hispanic, Asian, and other minority groups in his campaign for governor.

To read the rest of this story, PLEASE CLICK HERE.