Here are some of our many experiences along the road of our 40 Days of Faith and Family Tour:
Walterboro: The Faith Forum tour rolled in to Walterboro last night on the campus of the University of South Carolina, Salkehatchie. It’s named after the river that runs through each of the five counties that support the campus. We met in the main building and got to mingle with several members of the community. There's a lot of Obama love in the area; the crowd broke out in a round of applause after seeing a brief biography of the senator on DVD. We had an engaging conversation about the issues facing Walterboro and Colleton County. Mrs. Taylor spoke of the downturn in business given the high cost of gasoline that hinders tourism in her part of the state. She works as an artist weaving sweetgrass baskets made solely from natural materials indigenous to the Low Country. Bishop Taylor (no relation) expressed his worry over the growing appeal of gangs and drugs to so many young people. Mrs. Callender expressed the anxiety of many over the outsourcing of jobs and diminishing opportunities for employment. But we also spoke of the values of our beliefs that spur us to remain hopeful in spite of the weighty issues we face in our communities and in our country. We made a wish list of qualities we want to see in our next president: honesty, integrity, compassion and a person who lives their values instead of simply talking about them. Next stop: the College of Charleston on Thursday! College of Charleston On Thursday we visited the College of Charleston --home of the Cougars and the oldest university in South Carolina. We were blessed by the school’s gospel choir who opened this Faith Forum up with song. Folks from all over the community came together and shared in our discussion. The lack of healthcare again was at the forefront of the conversation. Dee who works on peace initiatives in Charleston spoke of her desire to see a sustained focus on creating a more peaceful community and country and promoting values that lead to less conflict and strife in our society. Sumter Somewhere along Route 378 we took a wrong turn and ended up arriving late to our forum in Sumter. We were as anxious as the crowd to begin the dialogue; however, once we did our guests did not disappoint. We heard of the need to ensure safety in our communities. Mrs. Taylor spoke of the increasing gang activity and violence in Sumter that needs to be addressed. Mr. Davis spoke frankly of his pessimism that the president would be able to get anything done without the support of Congress. We all agreed that it's imperative our next president be a uniter in the truest sense of the word. Ms. Bohanon, a veteran, shared her story of working with Tricare -- the military version of Medicare -- and the steep drop off in coverage and benefits once she reached 65. Camden Last night were in Camden at the historic Price House. The conversation touched on several of the issues that we’ve been hearing about: healthcare, the war in Iraq, education and the affordability of higher education. Audrey spoke of the need for education to break the cycle of poverty in American families. As a beneficiary of parents who saw the need for higher education she considers it crucial that a college education or some vocational training be made available for all. We also talked about our collective desire to see our country once again viewed by the world as a force for cooperation and international goodwill. Lancaster Tonight’s forum was, in a word, unusual. We shared the Lancaster Community Center with the Barr Street Seniors and their “Everybody’s Birthday” program. There was prayer and selections by the Bright Light Choir. Before the keynote speaker of the program began she gave Joshua a few minutes to speak about Senator Obama and what he’s bringing to this campaign. We walked away with a committed group of seniors ready to work to advance this movement for change. The forum was unusual because it was occurring simultaneously in a room connected to the banquet hall. We had a great discussion and new folks were constantly joining the conversation with plates of food in hand. We left Lancaster with some great ideas and full stomachs. Tomorrow morning we’ll be in Rock Hill for a forum at the Freedom Center.
It's been a busy few days as we've crisscrossed the state of South Carolina on our Forty Days of Faith and Family tour. On Friday we visited Myrtle Beach and spent the evening hearing from the community about the issues that affect them and those closest to them. The connection between faith and healthcare dominated our discussion as Mr. Struthers spoke of waiting for four hours in a hospital emergency room - a visit that cost him $2600 - and how this was offensive to the values of his faith. Ms. Goodman told her story of working for the local corrections department for more than 25 years - only to now be told that her insurance does not cover her illness. Ms. Graeves suggested that everyone in the room exchange contact information so that the discussion on faith and politics can continue and lead to collective action. After coffee and snacking on doughnuts aptly named Minister Sweet led us in a closing prayer before we hit the road again.
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Hello folks! My name is Paul Monteiro and I serve as Deputy Director of Religious Affairs for the campaign. I’ll be blogging a bit as our faith forum tour moves across Iowa. We had our first forum on Tuesday evening in Burlington. It was a great success with a packed house and a great conversation. The tour continued with a stop in Clinton, Iowa last night. On the second floor of the Clinton Public Library a group of supporters, undecided voters and campaign staffers came together to discuss the role of faith in politics. Joshua facilitated the program and we heard some insightful comments from those in attendance. Bob spoke of his disappointment with mainline denominations in allowing the dialogue on faith to be dominated by extreme and polarizing voices. He also lamented the tendency of candidates to speak in religious terms and cite the language of faith while acting in a seemingly contradictory manner. During our group discussion Lindra pointed out a common desire for the moral dimension of the many issues we face (the war in Iraq, skyrocketing healthcare costs, unaffordability of higher education) to be addressed. Roberta expressed her desire for her president to possess a personal faith that informs his policy decisions but to have that faith coupled with a healthy respect for those who don’t subscribe to those beliefs. After the forum wrapped up, several of us remained behind to watch a 60 Minutes report on the close relationship between drug industry lobbyists and lawmakers in Congress that led to the passage of the Medicare prescription drug benefit program, and higher drug costs for many Americans. It was a powerful illustration of the lack of principled leadership cited by those at the forum and the moral implications that exist in the weightiest issues of public policy. Our travels take us next to Dubuque for a forum this evening. We’ll be joined by Father Michael Pfleger of Saint Sabina in Chicago, IL. We’ll be sure to keep on blogging and share our progress with you. Below is a listing of the remaining stops on our journey across the Hawkeye State.
September 7: Iowa City
September 8: Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, Davenport, Council Bluffs
September 10: Mason City
September 13: Des Moines
September 14: Waterloo, Cedar Falls
September 17: Waverly
September 18: Fort Dodge, Ames
