Monroe County Religious Leaders

advocating for the religious principles of mercy, peace, social and economic justice and stewardship of the earth.

Four Primary Areas of Concern

Health Care Reform
Care for the Earth
Homelessness
Criminal Justice

Over the years there have been repeated attempts to form and sustain an association of inter-faith clergy in the Bloomington area, with mixed results. In 2004, after a breakfast meeting hosted by some members of Congregation Beth Shalom to explore ways for local congregations to work together in addressing mounting social concerns, this inter-faith group reconstituted itself and decided to meet at Monroe County United Ministries on a monthly basis. This would serve a dual purpose of boosting congregational support of MCUM while providing a “neutral” and somewhat more permanent space for the struggling inter-faith organization to take root and blossom. Under this new rubric, meetings started taking place at the MCUM facility in early 2005. In 2006, MCRL adopted its current mission

MCRL has grown into a vital community of faith leaders that meets on the third Wednesday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to Noon, after which many stay for lunch and further conversation. Increasingly, MCRL devotes each meeting to topics of vital national, world and community interest such as health care reform, environmental issues, shelter for the homeless, war, American imperialism and correctional justice. We share knowledge and information on these issues, advocate in the political arena, and implement specific courses of action.

Revised from a statement prepared by John VanderZee in 2008.

Since 2006, MCRL has undertaken numerous actions including:

• Testifying before the Indiana Budget Committee to oppose cuts to Medicare
• Generating 350 postcards from faith communities supporting the deployment of peacekeeping troops to protect the people of Darfur in Sudan and raising awareness
• Meeting with congressional candidates to discuss issues of concern including health care, the environment, the war, and civil liberties,
• Persuading the Democratic and Republican candidates for the 2006 congressional race (joined by the Libertarian candidate) to sign a clean campaign pledge and holding them to this pledge
• Convening a successful “town meeting” on universal health care at the Monroe County Library
• Addressing Islamophobia through newspaper articles and a series of events with the Islamic Center and community at large
• Sponsoring and organizing the Spring 2007 interfaith dinner, “Building Bridges: A Celebration of Divine Messages”
• Holding our congressional candidate to his word that he would vote for the S-CHIP children’s health insurance bill
• Sending letters and testifying to the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission against the proposed new $2 billion coal plant in Edwardsport
• Raising awareness and funds for the new endowment for Volunteers in Medicine through an interfaith fund drive during Thanksgiving week 2007
• Meeting with the sheriff to assure that clergy of all faiths have access to meet with prisoners
• Meeting with both local school superintendents to discuss issues of bullying and expressions of religion in the schools.
• Representing an interfaith solidarity in response to hate crimes
• Had published in 2009 in the Bloomington Herald-Times its “Statement on Health Care Reform”
• Meeting with members of the Latina/o community to hear their concerns about immigration issues and the presence of undocumented immigrants in our community
• Meeting with representatives of Transition to learn more about how to work together in addressing issues of sustainability in community
• Meeting with U.S. regional census coordinator John Keays to hear about ways to support the success of the 2010 census, e.g., by including information in bulletins and newsletters
• Meeting with Steve Ivy, Senior Vice President for Values, Ethics, Social Responsibility, and Pastoral Services for Clarian Health to learn about implications of Bloomington Hospital’s forthcoming merger for delivery of health care services locally
• Supporting the work of the Interfaith Winter Shelter and of EarthCare
• Meeting with Congressman Baron Hill in his Bloomington office to communicate our concerns regarding health care access, environmental issues, and issues of economic hardship in the face of the Great Recession