Occasional reflections, opinions and commentary from the Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer, Executive Director. While deeply informed on the teachings and positions of the church members of the Florida Council of Churches, Dr. Meyer’s blog does not communicate the official positions of any member churches or the Council itself unless expressed stated as such.
As part of Florida Advocacy Days and Children’s Week, four church leaders and I met and prayed with Governor Crist on Tuesday, March 26. Led by Bishop Timothy Whitaker (Florida Conference, United Methodist Church), the group also included Bishop Leeland (Alabama Panhandle Conference, United Methodist Church), and the Rev. Wilma Read more
By Bishop Charles Leigh, Apostolic Catholic Church Yesterday I listened to the pain and desperation of a young mother whose husband’s paycheck had been garnished by a subsidiary of CitiBank. In light of the current corporate bailout, I could not help but recall Jesus’ description of a very similar situation Read more
For the first time, I attended Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington DC (www.advocacydays.org) this past weekend and visited congressional offices to speak up for issues I have come to believe in. While I’ve often supported advocacy in principle and even admired some people for taking strong stances, I’ve not really Read more
We are the first generation that has the ability to end hunger. The food, the tools, the transportation systems — we have all that it takes to end extreme poverty, the poverty that kills. We just need to exercise the will to do it. A major first step in ending Read more
Quality of life is hanging in the balance in Tallahassee these last days of the legislative session. If you don’t have a lot of padding to asorb economic shock, chances are you you’re going to be bruised badly – and receive no care in the meanwhile. Here’s some things to Read more
Rev. Russell L Meyer, Executive Director “It is not acceptable to us as a family owned business that agricultural workers have any less rights than folks working in white collar jobs,” said Jon Esformes, operating partner and chief marketing officer of Pacific Tomato Growers. Calling for a public conversation on Read more
Some folks wonder why we should be active as people of faith in public life. Lots of good reasons can be listed. There are those who’ve decided to use a form of Christianity as a political weapon, and they may be setting cultural opinions about what Christianity is all about. Read more
I work with a wide variety of faith leaders both Christian and other religions, from the Catholic to the Pentecostal; Jew and Muslim. When the question about immigration comes up, the universal approach is to welcome the stranger. This is a profound concept. As the New Testament puts it: “Do Read more
The controversy over immigration issues has reached a stalemate over competing values – both of which deserve respect. One is the due regard for the law and the other is compassion for the stranger. One is a matter of rules that apply to all; the other is the measure of Read more
‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. (Act 2:17) Each Spring, thousands of high school students Read more