"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly"

This is a guest post by one of our District Leaders, Rev. Amy Jo Bur, a Methodist pastor at Good Samaritan UMC in St. Peter Minnesota. This is an op-ed piece she wrote regarding proposed cuts to state health and human services funding and why this is a concern for United Methodists.

On the day that Minnesota’s state House of Representatives released the Department of Human Services budget, I was standing outside of the House chambers, holding a sign that read “God cares about the poor, and so do we!” The  Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) coordinated the presence of many interfaith social justice witnesses. I spoke directly with my legislator regarding my support for governmental programs and policies to alleviate poverty and provide adequate care for the physical and mental health of all people.

We received the following news on the first House budget: 1) no cuts to funding for General Assistance (GA) (a program that provides cash assistance to the poorest of Minnesotans.) Because of the factors that are related to poverty, the persons who participate in this program include persons who are homeless and some of our veterans. 2) a cut of $9.5 million for Minnesota Families Investment Program (MFIP). MFIP is a program that provides cash assistance to the poorest of Minnesota’s families with children. Because of the factors that are related to poverty, program participants include some parents with significant disabilities. The social justice witness next to me was seated in her wheel chair, holding a sign asking for “no cuts to GA or MFIP.” 3) multiple cuts in mental health services, totaling $46.8 million in cuts, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The cuts included total elimination of funding for some childhood mental health programs. The size of the mental health services cuts stunned me.

I am inspired by the United Methodist social principle on the rights to healthcare, including “Health is a condition of physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being. John 10:10b says ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ . . . We believe it is a governmental responsibility to provide all citizens with health care” (2008 Book of the Discipline par.162V). I believe that drastic cuts in Minnesota’s mental health programs would work in clear opposition to this social principle.

Care for the poor and most vulnerable persons among us is the shared responsibility of the faith community and government. The United Methodist social principle on political responsibility reads: “The strength of a political system depends upon the full and willing participation of its citizens. The church should continually exert a strong ethical influence upon the state, supporting policies and programs deemed to be just and opposing policies and programs that are unjust.” (2008 Book of the Discipline of the United Methodist Church par. 164B.) A statement on shared responsibility of faith community and government also occurs in a central JRLC document, “A Common Foundation.” “We believe government is neither solely responsible for alleviating poverty, nor removed from this responsibility. . . . We believe society is well served when people of faith bring their values into the public arena.” Bishop Sally Dyck is a signatory on this document.

As I write today, we are in the last days of Minnesota’s legislative session. Our legislators are working diligently to weigh the many important needs of our state and determine the most effective use of governmental funding. The proposed budget numbers are changing daily. I encourage all United Methodists in Minnesota to have continuing conversations with their legislative representatives regarding the importance of governmental programs and policies to alleviate poverty and provide adequate care for the physical and mental health of all people. When we continue to hold these issues before our legislators, we act as witnesses to God’s love, and specifically for John 10:10b “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”