Tribunal induction

Opening prayer
Dottie Stevens
National Welfare Rights Union, Boston, MA

Dear Father God, dear Mother God, dear Creator, higher power, God of my understanding:

Thank you for this day and this opportunity to speak in this United Nations, Church of all Nations about our lives, our issues of poverty and our human rights.

It is no accident that we are here today, but by the grace of God.

We thank you Lord for the courageous "Freedom Riders", who toured the country participating in tribunals, and collecting documentation of human rights violations since "Welfare Reform" was enacted.

We thank you for the people who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, the mothers, fathers, children, the organizers, students, Underground Railroad and the heavenly voices of the Freedom Riders' choir.

We are heartened to hear the words of the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute welcoming the Economic Human Rights Campaigners. We know that this is indeed God's work that has brought us together in this place.

We know our afflictions are not new, it was the same in Jesus' time. He was up against the Roman Empire. Jesus knew he must upset the status quo. Jesus proved to be the ultimate organizer. He recruited the apostles who organized committees, elected a treasurer, held speaking events and toured all over the Middle East over two thousand years ago. The Bible says that we should work towards the "Kingdom of God" ("...on Earth as it is in Heaven") where everyone gets what they need. For the Kingdom of God is simply equality for all.

Amen.

Introduction - Peter Weiss