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Offering of Letters
Sponsored by Advocacy For Peace and Justice
2010 Offering of Letters
April 17/18
Join this Year’s Annual
Offering of Letters and Become a Pencil in God’s Hand.
In an interview in 1989,
Mother Theresa spoke about her ministry in helping the poor. When asked
about the special qualities she had that made her so successful at
helping the poor she said that she had none. She stated,
I don't claim anything of the work. It is His [God’s] work. I am like a
little pencil in His hand. That is all. He does the thinking. He does
the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it. The pencil has only
to be allowed to be used.
Parishioners at St. Peter’s have shown time and time again that they are
pencils in God’s hand by supporting efforts to help those in need. Today
we ask that you literally become a pencil in God’s hand and write
letters to congress to help those in this country who are poor and who
do not have enough to eat.
This year’s annual Offering of Letters, sponsored by the Advocacy for
Peace and Justice Ministry, is asking congress to create a comprehensive
strategy to fight hunger and poverty in the United States. One step in
this process is by protecting and strengthening the Earned Income Tax
Credit and the Child Tax Credit that is available to low-income
families.
The Earned Income Tax Credit or the EITC is a refundable federal income
tax credit for low to moderate income working individuals and families.
When the EITC exceeds the amount of taxes owed, it results in a tax
refund to those who claim and qualify for it.
According to a 2006 Brookings Institution study, the EITC alone lifts
more children above the poverty line than any other government program.
In 2005, an estimated 5 million people, including 2.6 million children,
were lifted above the poverty line because of the EITC.
In New Jersey alone nearly 9 percent of people and 12.5 percent of
children live below the poverty line. In the United States more than 14
million children live in poverty. In 2008, the Poverty Threshold for a
family of four (two adults and two children) was $21,834 a year. Imagine
trying to live on that in Bergen County.
If you cannot see the video shown in the Parish Center today please
write a letter to both of your senators and to your congressman. The
letters will be collected next week in a basket in the Gathering Space.
The number of letters will then be totaled and mailed. The numbers will
also be reported to Bread for the World which will stop by the offices
of each member of congress and let them know that Christians across the
nation care about those who are poor and those who are hungry.
For more information visit
www.Bread.org or
contact St. Peter’s Advocacy for Peace and Justice Ministry.
Click on this link for Sample Letter
Includes addresses for:
Congressman Rothman
Congressman Garret
Senator Menendez
Senator Lautenberg
For more
information contact Steven Citarella at 201 265-1317
----------------------------------------------------
Bread for the World Website
http://www.bread.org/
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