International Church Leaders Unite to Insist Poverty Reduction

Leaders from World Evangelical Alliance will join more than 30 leaders of Christian denominations worldwide in a gathering at Washington National Cathedral on Sunday, Sept. 11, to affirm the UN plan to halve extreme poverty by 2015 and propose stepped up action to eradicate poverty throughout the world. Participants will call for a recommitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals as laid out by UN members in 2000.

The event, “Consultation of Religious Leaders on Global Poverty,” will open with a series of worship services and lectures in the Cathedral nave, including a 2 p.m. speech by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and special advisor to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

During a 4 p.m. service of music and prayer, featured speakers will include the Most Rev. Njongonkulu W.H. Ndungane, archbishop of Cape Town, ; and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright.

All events in the Cathedral nave on Sunday, Sept. 11 are open to the public and free of charge. Media coverage is welcome.

Beginning Sunday evening, the Christian leaders will enter closed consultative sessions that will extend into Tuesday, Sept. 13, after which a delegation will travel to New York to present the group’s communiqué to the U.N.

Although the three-day conference’s meetings will be private, the Cathedral’s Office of Public Affairs will be able to arrange limited media availabilities with participants.

Geoff Tunnicliffe , WEA international director, Ndaba Mazabana, WEA’s international board chair and Michael Smitheram , WEA Micah Challenge international coordinator will participate in this strategic gathering and will be available for interviews.

“The upcoming consultation on Global Poverty provides the religious communities with a tremendous opportunity to reflect together on ways we can be part of the solution in the fight against the ‘giant’ of poverty which ravages so many of our peoples. It is my sincere hope that our contribution, informed both by our faith and deeds, will help make a big difference,” says Rev. Ndaba Mazabane .

For a complete press kit, please click on the following link, http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/news/050911index.shtml

Among the participants currently slated to attend:

· The Rt. Rev. George Leonard Carey, the retired Archbishop of Canterbury ()

· The Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane, Episcopal Bishop of Washington ()

· Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, Theological Advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch on Environmental Issues, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of ()

· Dr. Stephen Colecchi, Director, Office of International Justice and Peace, Catholic Conference of Bishops ()

· Mr. Ray Dabrowski, Communication Director, Seventh Day Adventist Church ()

· The Rev. Randolph Dales, Chairman, Standing Commission on Anglican and International Peace with Justice Concerns ()

· Ms. Marie Dennis, Director, Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, Roman Catholic Church ()

· The Rev. George Freeman, General Secretary, World Methodist Council ()

· The Rt. Rev. Angel Furlan, former President, Iglesia Evangleica Luterana Unida ()

· The Rev. Canon Brian Grieves, Director of Peace and Justice Ministries, The Episcopal Church ()

· The Most Rev. Frank Griswold, Presiding Bishop, The Episcopal Church ()

· The Rt. Rev. Tord Harlin, Bishop of Uppsala , The Lutheran World Federation ()

· The Most Rev. Andrew Hutchison, Primate of the Anglican Church of

· Ms. Wahu Kaara, Ecumenical Millenium Development Goal Programme Coordinator, All Africa Conference of Churches ()

· The Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General, Anglican Communion Consultative Council, London ()

· The Rev. Dorothy Lau, Director, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, ( Hong Kong )

· The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd, Dean, Washington National Cathedral ()

· The Rev. Canon Dr. Richard Marsh, Director of the International Education Centre, World Faiths Development Dialogue, Canterbury Cathedral ()

· The Rev. Ndaba Mazabane , Chair, World Evangelical Alliance ()

· Dr. Esther Mombo, Dean, St. Paul ’s United Theological Seminary ()

· The Most Rev. Donald Mtetemela, Archbishop of , The Anglican Church of

· The Rt. Rev. Trevor Mwamba, Bishop of , Diocese of ()

· The Most Rev. Njongonkulu Ndungane, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town ()

· The Rev. Canon Livingstone Ngewu, Rector, The College of the Transfiguration ()

· The Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary, The Lutheran World Federation ()

· The Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, General Secretary, World Alliance of Reformed Churches ()

· Dr. Jenny Te Paa, Principal, College of Saint John the Evangelist ()

· The Rev. Michael Perry, Consultant for Africa , Franciscans International, Roman Catholic Church ()

· The Rev. Canon John L. Peterson, Director, Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation, Washington National Cathedral ()

· The Rt. Rev. Luis Prado, Dean, Theological Provincial Seminary in Porto Alegre ()

· The Rt. Rev. Theodore F. Schneider, Bishop of Washington , Evangelical Lutheran Church of

· Mr. Michael Smitheram , International Coordinator, Micah Challenge ()

· Archdeacon Tai Tuatagaloa-Matalavea, Anglican Observer at the United Nations, Anglican Communion ( Samoa )

· The Rev. Geoff Tunnicliffe , International Director, World Evangelical Alliance

World Evangelical Alliance is a global network of 123 nations who each have formed an evangelical church alliance. Nearly 3,000,000 local churches and 380 million Christians identify with these alliances.