The Acts of Convention

Whereas, the Scriptures declare God's unswerving commitment to the poor and the outcast, and God's summons to the Church of Jesus Christ to seek justice and to make no peace with oppression; and

Whereas, that summons is heard today in the midst of the persisting problems of poverty, deprivation and need among those who inhabit the cities of the world and of our own nation; and

Whereas, the persistence of these problems finds its cause in the present incapacity and even insensitivity of the institutions of urban society, including the Church, to achieve a social order in which the needs of all persons are met and their rights are affirmed; and

Whereas, the problems and needs of the poor in the cities, large and small, are a sign of a disease which is impinging upon the welfare and survival of all persons, both in the cities and in the whole of this urbanized society; and

Whereas, the Church can claim obedience to its Lord who came as One who preached good news to the poor, deliverance to the oppressed, and freedom to the captive, only as it continues His ministry in the world; therefore be it

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 66th General Convention of the Episcopal Church declare and recognize response to the plight of the cities and their people through urban mission and evangelism to be none other than God's call to obedience and fidelity in this age; and be it further

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That this Convention urge the people of the Church to seek to understand more fully those forces operative in urbanized society which cause the accelerating deterioration of the cities and the anguish of their poor, to understand involvement of those institutions, including the Church, which control the present and future of the cities and affect their impoverishment, and to devote themselves, through action by individuals, Parishes, Dioceses and other agencies of the Church, to the creation of a just, humane and sustainable urban society.