MICAH (Milwaukee Innercity Congregrations Allied for Hope): A

St. Matthew’s to host one-on-one/core team training
This MICAH event will be held Monday, Aug. 29, 6:00-8:30 p.m. The purpose of training is to support forming, strengthening and expanding core teams and justice teams and to mount a MICAH “Listening Campaign” in September/October to give feedback to MICAH Issue Task Forces; and to prepare congregational teams to do intentional one-on-ones to build relationships and determine people’s concerns. Speak to Pr. Gary if you are interested in participating in this MICAH event.

 

MICAH News
St. Matthew’s is a MICAH congregation, Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope. We have some additional MICAH board representatives with St. Matthew’s members Linda Moore and Kevin Ede. We are pleased that they continue working with the board along with Karolyn Anderson and Karen VanBrunt Kramer. Pastor Gary will also be a board representative.

MICAH continues to follow its Vision and Values Statement:

Vision and Values Statement
for MICAH’s Religious Leaders’ Caucus:
We are MICAH’s Religious Leaders’ Caucus. We come together to live out values of trust, passion, wisdom and radical inclu­sion as a community striving for justice by building power and developing leaders. We claim a visionary role within MICAH as we pray, reflect, act and break bread together. MICAH’s Religious Leaders’ Caucus is grounded in elements of:

• Connecting our passion for justice to how we live and lead;
• Acting publicly together;
• Leading our congregations, synagogues and mosques in the work of organizing;
• Sharing a joint spiritual journey and
• Enhancing the quality and depth of our diversity.

Grounded in faith and connected by intertwined destinies, the relationships we build ally us for hope as we “do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8).

 

Micah Social and Economic Justice Actions

St. Matthew’s is a MICAH congregation. Through the strategy of congregation-based organizing, MICAH has recently won many improvements for the residents of Milwaukee and continues to build to create a community that reflects the values of faith, justice, and equality.

MICAH, Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope, has accomplished much. We are a MICAH congregation. Some of the Social and Economic Justice Actions accomplished by MICAH are:

• Forged the Banking Campaign of MICAH, which involved 17 financial institutions in an aggregate commitment of $500 million of central city lending over a five year period. In cooperation with MICAH, lenders developed new marketing strategies, hired more minority loan officers, and changed their way of viewing credit history and debt ratio. By the end of five years, more than $700 million in central city lending had been actualized.

• Established a drug hot-line, which resulted in the closure of more than 350 drug houses in Milwaukee in MICAH’s “Acceptable Year of the Lord” Campaign.

• Entered into a partnership with Badger Mutual Insurance Company, which offered members of MICAH congregations a 10 % discount on auto insurance. This auto insurance campaign created consumer awareness resulting in hundreds of dollars in savings annually for some central city residents.

• Coordinated the neighborhood and community efforts with Jewel Osco management leading to building the supermarket at 35th and North Avenue. MICAH committees provided neighborhood awareness of jobs and conducted pre-screening for the 350 new jobs created.

• Established the Ezekiel Corporation to build affordable single family homes in the central city and link them to owners. By the end of 2007, a total of 22 homes had been completed.

 

MICAH recent successes

The following are some additional recent Micah achievements:

Jobs and Economic Development
In partnership with the Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods Coalition, unions and others, won passage of the MORE ordinance (Milw. Opportunities for Restoring Employment) which strengthens the Residency Preference Program, requires prevailing wage for publicly contracted construction projects in which the city provides more than $1 million, and gives preference to local business enterprises.

Immigration
Organized powerful Family Unity Day hearing before the U.S. Representatives. Gwen Moore and Louis Guitierrez, will present the case for immigration reform. Assembly included over 1000 people, one bishop, over 50 religious leaders of Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions and 2 state Assembly members.

AODA (Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse)
Secured $300,000 for TAD (Treatment and Diversion) program, which provides assistance to individuals struggling with AODA issues to get treatment for their disease instead of being incarcerated.

Fought to secure $14 million in Access-to-Recovery funds for the Wiser Choice Program. These funds will be used to provide resources for community-based treatment centers that provide aid to low-income residents in greater Milwaukee.

Education
Proposed and worked for passage of a state budget initiative to hire 24 school nurses for 36 high-poverty Milw. public schools. This measure creatively employed Badger Care Plus monies to reach this target population in a way that recognizes the educational benefits of providing needed health care to students.

Launched an Alternative Teacher Certification project in cooperation with area colleges and the Dorothy Danforth Compton Fellowship Program. Scores of African-Americans and Latino citizens, mostly second career, were trained through this consortium to become teachers in the Milw. Public Schools system.

Other Social and Economic Justice Actions
Forged the Banking Campaign of MICAH, which involved 17 financial institutions in an aggregate commitment of $500 million of central city lending over a five year period. In cooperation with MICAH, lenders developed new marketing strategies, hired more minority loan officers, and changed their way of viewing credit history and debt ratio. By the end of five years, more than $700 million in central city lending had been actualized.

Contact: Conor Williams (414-443-0735)

MICAH wWebsite:www.micahempowers.org

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