Responding
through faith to end extreme poverty by
developing partnerships with the poor and building relationships
Our
Mission:
The
mission of Millennium Congregation is to develop a network of congregations
supporting the end of extreme poverty through Millennium Villages
as we promote justice, compassion, and reconciliation.
A
Faithful Response:
Millennium Congregation works to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and end extreme poverty because God calls us to ministries
of justice, compassion, and reconciliation. This is a common thread
that runs through all the world's religions and finds particular
emphasis in responding to the needs of the poor and oppressed. We
hope that Millennium Congregation will draw all faiths together
in partnership with one another and the extreme poor in responding
through faith to end extreme poverty.
Millennium
Congregation offers people of faith an opportunity to seek and serve
God in feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing
the naked, and taking care of the sick in responding through faith
to end extreme poverty. While we are focused on faithful action
-- the active work of ending extreme poverty through support of
Millennium Villages, our ministry is deeply rooted in scripture,
prayer, and worship. We seek to live faithfully to God's calling
in the world and grow in faith through engaging with God's mission
of restoring wholeness to creation.
What
We Do: Partnership with the Extreme
Poor and Building Relationships
Millennium Congregation works to establish partnerships of support
between congregations in the United States and Millennium Villages
in Africa as a faithful response to God's call for mercy and justice
in empowering the poor and oppressed to lift themselves out of poverty
and deprivation.
Through
our Millennium Congregations campaign,
we are building a network of congregations who are responding through
faith to end extreme poverty by supporting Millennium Villages.
This support assists in delivering the crucial MDG interventions
that are breaking the poverty trap to end extreme poverty and build
sustainable futures. But far beyond congregations writing checks,
Millennium Congregation offers the opportunity to build life-changing
relationships.
A
core aspect of Millennium Congregation is the opportunity for congregations
and villagers to develop relationships through the partnership.
Regular updates from the villages and the use of media (i.e. pictures
and video) and technology (i.e. website, blogs and live Internet
chats) congregations will share in the stories of the villagers
and allow for villagers to learn about your congregation. Millennium
Congregation also offers the opportunities for members of congregations
to visit the Millennium Village to experience first-hand the empowering
work that is ending extreme poverty and further develop relationships
- in person - with the villagers. Millennium Congregation goes far
beyond congregations writing checks; it is about partnering with
the extreme poor to
promote relationships rooted in justice, compassion, and reconciliation.
Our Background:
Millennium Congregation was co-founded by the Reverend Jay R. Lawlor
and Mr. Jonathan (Jon) Denn. The vision for Millennium Congregation
grew from two directions. One is Father Lawlor's work within the
Episcopal Church in advancing the Millennium Development Goals since
2000 and over a decade of work, as an economist, with Dr. Jeffrey
D. Sachs on finding practical solutions to end extreme poverty.
The other from Mr.Denn's work as founder of The Counting Prayer
- "The world now has the means to end extreme poverty, we pray
we will have the will."- and his over 15 years of experience
in working with congregations as co-Director of the Trinity Conference
Center.
Millennium
Congregation is working directly with the Millennium
Villages Project in Rwanda (directed by Dr. Josh Ruxin) and
in a formal arrangement with
Millennium Promise and the Earth
Institute at Columbia University.
Millennium
Congregation is the first-of-its-kind faith organization to launch
such an initiative with the Millennium Villages Project. We hope
that our efforts will draw all faiths together in partnership with
one another and the extreme poor in growing the number of Millennium
Congregation-supported Millennium Villages. Millennium
Congregation launched in April 2008.
