Help B.R.E.A.D. Rise!

As members of the group Building Responsibility, Equality, and Dignity (a/k/a B.R.E.A.D.) are fond of saying, "B.R.E.A.D. ... Rises!" And as B.R.E.A.D. prepares for its biggest action of the year, as it speaks with one voice (using the voices of many, many people) to tell local legislators about what issues are important to our Columbus community, we're hoping you can come help and support us.

Will you rise to the challenge?

Here's the deal: Next Monday, May 7, at 7 p.m. (with registration starting at 6:15 p.m., and the meeting itself lasting an hour and a half), B.R.E.A.D. will be holding its annual Nehemiah Action Meeting at Temple Israel on East Broad Street. The sole point of this meeting is to get as many people as possible assembled representing all of the B.R.E.A.D. congregations to show the legislators that attend the meeting how much people-power and strength there is behind the message and issues B.R.E.A.D. is lobbying for. The goal for each congregation is to get their average Sunday (or other main worship day) attendance to attend this meeting.

For those who don't know much about the B.R.E.A.D. organization, it is an interfaith, multi-denominational group of 50 Jewish, Christian, and Unitarian congregations based in Central Ohio, which seeks to address core public issues pertaining to crime, safety, jobs, poverty, and education. George is currently one of the co-presidents of B.R.E.A.D.

Each year B.R.E.A.D. decides which issues it wants to pursue for that year to make a positive change in the lives of Central Ohioans. At this year's annual assembly meeting which took place last December, the congregations chose to work on an issue relating to poverty and the working poor. (Last year's issue focused on truancy in the Columbus Public Schools; the year before that on affordable health care.) At the Expanded Board Meeting in March, the congregations voted to focus on two specific issues relating to poverty and the working poor: 1) the regulation/limitation of payday lenders and 2) the promotion of IDA (individual development account) programs.

1) Payday lending often arise in poorer cities and towns as a means for the poor to get quick cash loans by signing over their next paycheck. The problem with payday lenders is that some charge an over 390% interest rate on these loans, and at this rate it can take an individual a long time to pay off the original loan, often needing to sign over future paychecks to pay off the interest from the first lending (such that an original $500 loan can only be retired by a payment of $3000). B.R.E.A.D. is hoping to work with legislators to create legislation to greatly limit the interest rate that payday lenders can charge (to something more reasonable that won't exceed 36%) and create regulations that would bring payday lending institutions into line with accepted banking and lending rules. In many ways these predatory payday lenders are modern-day usurers or legal loan sharks. Unfortunately, because they charge so much money, they make a lot of money and have many more resources at their disposal to discourage legislators from changing the status quo. So we really need to do our part to convince legislators to make a change.

2) IDAs, or individual development accounts, are special savings accounts designed to assist low income individuals on their path toward asset ownership through matched savings and financial education. Similar to an employer match for 401(k) contributions, organizations that operate IDA programs match an individual's savings through a variety of government and private sector sources. In addition, these organizations often incorporate financial literacy education, training to purchase assets, and case management. In this way, an individual using an IDA not only is able to save money toward an asset but also better able to manage their savings and the purchasing/managing of their asset.

If you would like more information on the specifics of what B.R.E.A.D. is lobbying legislators to do regarding these two issues, please feel free to talk with me, Pam, or George.

If you are interested in these issues and in helping B.R.E.A.D. gather en masse to lobby the current legislature to limit/regulate payday lenders and promote IDAs, I encourage you to join us for the B.R.E.A.D. Nehemiah Action Meeting on Monday. I will be organizing carpooling for those who would like to come but have no way to get to/from the meeting. We will be meeting at St. Stephen's at 5:30 p.m. on Monday night to carpool to Temple Israel (we should get back to St. Stephen's by 9 p.m.). I am sure that it will be an amazing meeting and provide a very tangible way to experience the lobbying process and be a part of the legislative process of our representative democracy. And it will also be a way to live out the charge of Micah 6:8 which reminds us to "Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God."