Churches lobby for social services, school funding
Topeka ? Members of about a dozen Christian churches and groups Tuesday called on lawmakers to increase funding for public schools and social services, and to abolish the death penalty.
Not on the agenda of the Legislative Event for Advocacy in Faith was a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage that will be decided April 5. The amendment was supported in the Legislature by some Christian ministers.
But organizers and speakers at the event said Christians were divided on the issue of the amendment, while they were generally in agreement on trying to protect vulnerable Kansans and educate children.
“The issues that are really a priority are the issues of social justice,” said keynote speaker Melinda Lewis, director of policy advocacy and research at El Centro Inc. in Kansas City, Kan. “How do we protect the very, very vulnerable in our society?”
Workshops and speakers at the event, held at First United Methodist Church, tackled the thorny political issues being debated at the nearby Statehouse. Some legislators later met with the about 200 attendees.
Kansas-area Bishop of the United Methodist Church Scott Jones, of Wichita, said lawmakers were under a lot of pressure, but he hoped the event would provide them a moral compass on the issues of poverty and education.
“The government should be funding high quality education and ensuring equal access for all of its citizens,” Jones said.
The Legislature faces an April 12 deadline from the Kansas Supreme Court to increase school funding and distribute the finances more equitably.
On health care, Jones said the system was in “crisis” and needed more funding from the government.
