FAITH BASED SERVICES HURTED BY GOVERMENT CUTBACKS IN UNITED STATES

Faith-based charities, which provide an enormous array of private social services to the nation's sick, elderly and poor, are facing unprecedented cutbacks from one of their biggest funders: the government.

The nation's economic woes have led local and state government agencies across the country to reduce contracts and grants or delay payments to the groups, which have been forced to eliminate programs, lay off staff or try to borrow money in a tight lending market. In the Washington region, where the Maryland, Virginia and District budgets are being developed, faith-based charities from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington to the Salvation Army's National Capital Area Command are freezing job vacancies, postponing initiatives and rallying their religious congregations to dig deeper into their pockets.
Government leaders are also urging the organizations to increase their fundraising, but political leaders and the groups say that the economy is causing deep cuts in private giving. Ken Kozloff, chief executive of the Jewish Social Service Agency, with offices in Montgomery and Fairfax counties, has seen its private donations fall almost 10 percent, but its client roster has grown 35 percent. It gets half of its revenue from federal, state and local governments.

Without government funding, "where are the resources going to come from?" asked Kozloff. "How do we serve people? How do we keep people's lives whole?"
Faith groups elsewhere in the country are feeling the strain. California is soon expected to make its payments to faith groups, and other organizations, as IOUs instead of cash. In Illinois, a local Lutheran social services agency is owed $4 million. A Lutheran social services agency in Minnesota closed four residential facilities for troubled adolescents after the state slashed its funding. And in Newark, New Jersey cut a $1 million contract to the local Catholic Charities, which provided job training and other assistance to 400 mentally ill welfare recipients, forcing it to shut down the program and lay off about a dozen people.
"It's only going to continue to get worse," warned Larry Snyder, chief executive of Catholic Charities USA, one of the country's largest nonprofit organizations, which gets about 65 percent of its revenue from government contracts. "Our folks out in the field are feeling a little overwhelmed because they can't see the end, and all they see are more and more people coming and fewer resources coming their way. And yet we don't have the luxury to say, 'You know what? We're going to close our doors for a while.' "
Faith-based charities' services run the gamut of social programs: They own hospitals and nursing homes, run substance-abuse and foster-care programs, operate homeless shelters and mental health clinics, build affordable housing and distribute food to the needy.
Researchers say it is impossible to calculate what percentage of total social service assistance comes from faith-based organizations, although they agree it is large. One San Jose State University study estimates the value of the social services provided by faith-based charities and other religious organizations across the country at $50 billion a year.
In the Washington area, at least one-third of faith-based charities and congregations get government money, according to a survey by Scott W. Allard, a professor in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Allard said that estimate is probably low because it misses many smaller congregations and social service organizations that also receive contracts.
But across the country, caring for the poor is growing more and more difficult, faith organization leaders said. The passage of the economic stimulus package is expected to do little to reverse the trend. In Virginia, for example, even with the funds expected from the stimulus package, the budget shortfall is anticipated to be at least $2.7 billion, with cuts for faith-based services all but certain.
In a survey of 50 Catholic Charities affiliates nationwide, about half have experienced cutbacks or unpaid state contracts. The problem appears slightly better locally, but not by much, because state and local governments are finalizing budgets. A survey by the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations found that at least one-third of its members experienced a reduction in state funding or anticipate a reduction.
Not long ago, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) met with local nonprofit social service agencies, including a number of faith-based organizations, to warn them to expect significant cuts. "Government's ability and the ability of nonprofits [to respond] becomes more challenging when there is a greater need," Leggett said. "And that's the real irony of what we face."
In normal times, nonprofits can tap into bank credit lines to cover lags in payment. But faced with swelling late payments, many organizations have hit their maximum or struggling banks have cut their lines of credit.
Independent Sector, a coalition of charitable groups that represents nonprofits, estimates that at least $15 billion -- 18 percent of all government funding to nonprofit human service providers -- is delayed or will be delayed if the problem is not addressed.
Nonprofits unsuccessfully lobbied for a $15 billion bridge loan package for human services nonprofits, administered by the federal government, to be included in the fiscal stimulus package.
The charities say the cutbacks will only boomerang on the states. When California slashed more than $300,000 from a contract with Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, it had to cut 70 slots from a program that kept poor elderly people out of nursing homes by providing them with services in their homes.
"Unless their families had some alternative," said Chief Executive Paul Castro, "they undoubtedly ended up in a nursing home," potentially costing California taxpayers even more money.

A CHRISTIAN CANDIDATE FEARS FOR HIS LIFE PRIOR ELECTION: PRAY AND MAKE DIFFERENCE......

Istifo says already lined up replacement in case he is killed before voting, as two Sunni candidates were assassinated.

HAMDANIYAH, Iraq - Sami Habib Istifo, a Christian candidate in Iraq's provincial elections, has already lined up a replacement in case he is killed before voting day tomorrow, as two Sunni candidates were murdered in Mosul and Baghdad.
The 49-year-old member of one of the war-torn country's many minority groups is standing in the town of Hamdaniyah, in the northern province of Nineveh.
"I do not rule out the possibility that I may be killed before the election, so a person has been chosen to take my place," said Istifo, a wry smile on his lips.
Istifo has kept a very low profile in campaigning for the election, addressing only three public meetings and too afraid to venture across to the nearby city of Mosul to pick up his election posters.
As a result, only the posters of Sunni Arab and Kurdish candidates have been plastered on walls across the town.
Instead he is relying on the support of "influential" Chaldeans, Assyrians and Syriacs to secure him a seat on the Nineveh provincial council.
He is one of three Christian candidates for the seat and, according to his campaign manager Jamal Daoud, "stands a good chance of winning."
Istifo said he had been reluctant to throw his hat into the electoral ring.
"My friends insisted I stand and eventually they persuaded me," said the small-framed Istifo, adjusting his tie that disappeared into a V-necked pullover.
"I would have preferred not to stand but I had no other choice. One doesn't say no to one's friends," said Istifo, a professor at a technical university in Mosul.
Countrywide, more than 200 Christians have been killed since the US invasion in 2003. Reports suggest that over one million Iraqis (mainly Sunnis and Shiites) were killed during the same period of time.
Christians make up around three percent of Iraq's 29 million overwhelmingly Muslim population.
Around 800,000 Christians lived in Iraq in 2003, but the number has since shrunk as many members of the various communities have fled the country after the US-led invasion, according to Christian leaders.
Meanwhile, two Sunni candidates were assassinated in Mosul and Baghdad.
The first murder occurred in Baghdad, where armed men opened fire on Omar Faruq al-Ani, a candidate for the Iraqi Concord Front, the main Sunni group in the country's parliament, police and army officials said.
The second victim, Hazim Salim Ahmed, a Sunni standing for the Iraqi National Unity list, was shot dead outside his home in the northern city of Mosul.

KINDNESS OF A CHRISTIAN FOOTBALL COACH HAS BEEN REWARDED

Grapevine Faith Christian football coach Kris Hogan did something unusual in November by asking his team's fans to cheer for an opposing team. The coach's kindness resulted in something else unusual: an invitation from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to attend the Super Bowl.
Hogan was scheduled to leave today for Tampa, Fla., where he will meet with Goodell and attend Sunday's game. He will also spend time later today at the Super Bowl's "radio row," where radio stations want to talk to him about Grapevine Faith's Nov. 7 game against Gainesville State School, a juvenile correctional facility.
Before the game, Hogan e-mailed parents of his players and asked some of them to sit in the stands on Gainesville State's side of the field and cheer for Grapevine Faith's opponent. He also asked the parents to create a spirit line for the opposing players, who normally have no fans to cheer for them, to run through before the game. Hogan even had copies of the Gainesville State roster distributed to fans so they could cheer for the players by name.
The story attracted national attention, which Hogan said surprised him.
"We never intended for this to go outside our fences," he said Tuesday. "It kind of saddens me that it got so much attention. We should all be used to people taking advantage of an opportunity to help another human life."

FAITH MIXES WITH FOOTBALL FOR THE BIG GAME

TAMPA, — Arizona running back Tim Hightower had just finished a thoughtful explanation of his religious beliefs when one of the media types who found their way into the Super Bowl stadium Tuesday decided he needed more proof.
"Can you pray right now?" he asked.
"I can pray that whatever is going on in your life right now that you find God," Hightower said.
Hightower handled the question with the same ease he handled would-be tacklers to score the winning touchdown that got his team into the Super Bowl, which by itself was somewhat surprising since he is a rookie on the biggest stage of his young life.
Even more surprising at this Super Bowl, though, is how so many players on both teams aren't hesitating to invoke the name of God as they prepare to play a violent game where there will be no mercy shown on either side.
Usually that has writers setting down their pens and cameramen hitting the pause button until talk returns to the game itself.
But the depth of convictions from evangelical Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner to the Steelers who will do their best to plant him face-first into the ground on Sunday has put religion squarely in play this week. All of a sudden the G-word is in vogue.
"You just have to embrace it, whatever God does in your life and wherever he puts you," Warner said in one of his many religious references since landing in Tampa. "If it means being a role model in this game, I'm happy to do that. You are excited about that opportunity because you get the chance to speak to millions of people and, hopefully, we'll get an opportunity to impact some lives this week."
Warner is the most vocal — and visible — Christian on the Cardinals, proclaiming his faith at every opportunity and underscoring it by carrying a Bible with him almost everywhere he goes. He had it with him at the postgame press conference after Arizona upset Philadelphia to reach the Super Bowl, and took time to credit his faith in God for the win before answering any other questions.
The 37-year-old Warner's public display of faith has left an impression on his younger teammates, about 20 of whom join him in Bible studies after practice every Wednesday during the season.
"Our quarterback is a definite leader and devout Christian," cornerback Roderick Hood said. "I think that has spearheaded our growth. Also, guys see the peace we have on the field and want to find that themselves."
Hood says he prays before every game, after every game and during the game itself. Lest Pittsburgh fans get the wrong idea, though, he says he prays for everyone to be safe and not for any particular team to win.
The Steelers aren't as public about their religious beliefs, but many consider themselves devout Christians and can sometimes be seen in locker rooms or on airplanes reading their Bibles. Safety Troy Polamalu brings teammates to services at his Eastern Orthodox Christian church, while running back Willie Parker leaned on his faith to come back from injuries this season, praying that he would be 100 percent physically and able to produce.
Defensive lineman Aaron Smith found comfort in his beliefs when his young son was diagnosed with leukemia.
"It's really through the Lord's strength that I've been able to cope with this," Smith said.
Compared to that, crediting God for helping on the field seems almost trite, though that doesn't stop athletes from doing it all the time. Football players tend to do it more often than others, perhaps because they could be permanently injured on almost any play. But there are baseball players who point to the sky every time they touch home plate and golfers who believe that God gave them the peace within to win major championships.
A poll last summer by the Pew Research Center Forum on Religion and Public Life revealed that 92 percent of Americans believe in some form of God, while 78 percent identify themselves as Christians. And while they express some concern about the mixing of politics and religion, there has never been much outcry about players from both teams gathering after a football game to kneel together in prayer.
Expect plenty of those prayers before and after Sunday's game from plenty of different players. Expect to see Warner with a Bible in hand as soon as he's done throwing a football with it.
And don't expect to hear him shout right away that he's going to Disneyland if the Cardinals win.
Because he's going to thank God first.

IS OBAMA ADMINISTRATION THREAT TO FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS?

USA ― The implications of a change in administration in the United States could be potentially harmful to some faith-based organizations.
U.S. leadership has supported faith-based groups for the most part in the past and has especially recognized the importance of their service within the last eight to ten years, according to Ben Homan of Food for the Hungry.
Although all major presidential candidates in the recent election spoke in favor of faith-based organizations at some point in their campaigns, the Obama campaign also made movements in another direction. Within his campaign, suggestions were made about creating a nondiscrimination policy within faith-based organizations, therefore barring these ministries from hiring people based on their religion.
As this idea began to reappear, Food for the Hungry, along with World Vision and other major faith-based organizations, began to dialogue with Obama administrators to plead their case against such a decision. Since conversations began, the policy seems to have subsided, and Homan is hopeful that this will remain the case as relationships continue to be built.
"A change in leadership and the burden, the responsibility, that comes with that actually gives the church and faith-based organizations an opportunity to step up and to walk with a new leader," says Homan. "I think one of the callings that we have as followers of Christ is to walk in relationship with leaders and to stay in conversation, to stay in relationship, to stay engaged."
Homan has more reason to hope as both Biden and Obama have expressed the desire to raise the priority of foreign assistance -- a notion supported by other government branches as well. Homan says the new administration seems to have serious interest in helping to stop the growing HIV AIDS pandemic and in dealing with the global food crisis. A more than noticeable amount of the work being done to help solve these issues comes from faith-based organizations.
Regardless of whether new leadership makes alterations or not, Homan says Christians have a responsibility to continue dialoguing with the administration and to continue concern for world affairs. "The important thing in moving our civil society forward, and the important thing in moving the Gospel forward, is to stay in conversation and in relationship with leaders; and we're not always going to agree," says Homan. "I think this is a time for God's people to step up and make a difference."