UCC shows up for “Pentecost Witness for a Moral Budget” rally on Capitol Hill

On Tuesday, June 10, hundreds of clergy, faith leaders and congregants representing millions of Christians and people of faith across traditions gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. to urge senators to protect Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs that most impact the lives of those Jesus called “the least of these.”

As Congress drafts the reconciliation bill, there is widespread concern over the provisions that redirect funding for Medicaid, which provides healthcare to low-income people and families, and SNAP, which provides food assistance to low-income people and families, to immigration enforcement and tax cuts for the rich. The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” is currently under consideration by the U.S. Senate after the House passed the bill in May.

“I traveled almost 700 miles from rural Maine to Washington, D.C. to take part in the Pentecost Witness for a Moral Budget because families in my church and all over Maine will suffer if Trump’s budget passes,” said Allison Smith, a pastor from the UCC Congregational Church in Cumberland. “We know 345,000 Maine residents get health coverage through Medicaid. This budget literally takes food off the plates of our kids and gives money to the wealthy. It was so powerful to be a part of the movement of the Spirit at the Capitol—knowing that people all across our country are also lifting their voices and crying out for compassion, love, and justice!”

“I drove 1,000 miles roundtrip from my home in Asheville, North Carolina, sparked by my outrage at the proposed decimation of our social safety net and other critically-important funding for our communities,” said Ethan Vesely-Flad, member of Land of the Sky UCC in Asheville, North Carolina. “It was a privilege to join an interfaith beloved community representing the values of my Appalachian congregation, Land of the Sky UCC, and the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, a national organization I’ve been a member of for 35 years, in calling on our senators to reject the bill that would enforce these devastating cuts.”

The day started with a vigil across the street from the Capitol where faith leaders read scripture and proclaimed how the current reconciliation bill directly contradicts our shared faith values. Clergy and leaders in robes, collars and religious vestments offered prayers, sang hymns, read scripture, and testified to the Gospel, providing a moral reckoning at this critical moment in history.

The Rev. Shari Prestemon, Acting Associate General Minister and Co-Executive of Global Ministries for the UCC, lifted up a reading from Amos 5, declaring “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”

Attendees joined in song and prayer all while holding signs that reflect their tradition’s commitment to caring for the poor, the sick, and the marginalized. Advocates then walked to the Senate steps, where they were joined by Senators Cory Booker, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Amy Klobuchar, Raphael Warnock, Chuck Schumer, and Chris Coons.

Many of the attendees went on to meet with their senators that afternoon to advocate against the current reconciliation bill from a faith perspective. Rev. Shari Prestemon, alongside a group of UCC members and partners, met with senators from Ohio to raise concerns about how the proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits will affect vulnerable communities.

“It was so special welcoming UCCers from across the nation for a time of moral action against this one big evil bill,” said Abigail Cipparone, domestic policy advocate for the UCC Office of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington D.C. “Our UCC Faith leaders met with key Republican Senators whose states would be most adversely impacted and shared how those impacts would uniquely threaten religious communities. As they prayed with congressional staff, they spoke to how this bill stands in violation of our Christian values of feeding the hungry and caring for the sick. At a time when so many communities are struggling, UCCers are meeting the moment and putting their faith to work for the common good.”

Rev. Michael Neuroth, Director of the UCC Office of Public Policy & Advocacy, said “The rally was filled with a Pentecost Spirit that I haven’t seen before in D.C. as Christian leaders and advocates from across traditions all spoke in one voice and with fiery conviction against the Budget Reconciliation Bill. This immoral bill would devastate our communities and push as many as 16 million off health care and cut $300 billion from food stamps – literally taking food out of the mouths of the most needy. If we as the UCC are called to build a ‘Just World for All’, now is the time when we must stand together with other people of faith and speak out in opposition to this bill with all the Spirit, moral clarity, and fiery opposition we can stoke in our pulpits and congregations.”

The vigil, procession, and rally were livestreamed, and the recording can be watched here.

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