"Hear My Story, Know My Name"
The Maine Council of Churches has sponsored more than 40 performances of
the "Hear Our Stories, Know Our Names," drama about people
living in poverty, who have experienced homelessness. This drama has been
seen by thousands from the New England area from Caribou, Maine to
Portsmouth, NH., Northeast Harbor to Moultonboro, NH.
Why? We believe that the average churchgoer does not know what a life of poverty is like, not do they know any poor people. More and more people live in communities with people just like them –economically, socially, etc – not in the mixed communities of 40 or 50 years ago when bankers lived next to janitors; teachers lived next to CEOs.
If the average person in the pew can "make a connection with the
reality of poverty" then hopefully it will enable them to better help
those around them who are struggling with poverty. Shane Claiborne said it
best in Downward Mobility in an Upscale World: "The great tragedy of
the church is not that Christians do not care about the poor, but that
they do not know the poor."
Our Biblical tradition, from the Old Testament Prophets through the teachings of Jesus tells us to care for the less fortunate. We are told to "feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless and care for those who are ill." We need to know what is happening to " the least among us" in order to work on their behalf and to provide help that is needed more and more these days.
The Maine Council of Churches is now collaborating with Add Verb, an
organization that awakens
community-based action and understanding of social issues through theatre,
creative expression and dialogue to produce the drama. MCC has received
grants to carry on this project: The Haymarket Grant made it possible to
launch this drama, two grants from the Catholic Campaign for Human
Development have enabled us to continue producing and presenting the drama
beyond the first season in 2005. In addition, this funding, it has made it
possible for the drama to appear in parts of Maine not able to afford the
cost associated with the play: overnight, transportation, meals, etc. It
remains our commitment to reimburse the cast for sharing their stories.
Consequently most of money received supports their needs making it
possible for them to continue to perform.
If you are interested in helping with this project, contact Dolores
Vail 772-1918 or by email at dvail@mainecouncilof
churches.org. Volunteers can help with technical assistance,
promotional activities, donations of goods, services, or money. Lobbying
on behalf of the poor: locally for affordable housing, on the state level
for affordable healthcare, and nationally for adequate food stamps,
housing vouchers, and affordable health insurance for all.
Because of the drama, a homeless Texan in the cast has been reunited with his family. His mother had not seen him for 50 years but never gave up her search. To read the full account click on Billy’s Story.
To see the schedule of upcoming performances, click on this link for the Calendar Page of our web site.