CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Free, fair elections, including the right of every citizen to cast a ballot that is duly counted, form the bedrock of American democracy. Voting rights are referred to as “the right preservative of all others,” since only through voting can the people of a community peaceably remove leaders who seek to oppress them. The world’s faith traditions collectively affirm voting as a responsibility both civic and spiritual: through voting, we express our preferences for the circumstances our neighbors will live in.
INDIVIDUAL ACTION
Individual civic participation is the primary building block of our democracy, like cells are the primary building blocks of our bodies. Individual actions—like voting and speaking out on issues—may seem small or insignificant, but collectively they drive our policies and our future.
COLLECTIVE ACTION
Congregations and other faith groups can help their members fulfill their civic engagement responsibilities. They also can serve the wider community by opening doors to civic participation.
ADVOCACY 101
Advocacy means using your voice to advance something you care about. In public policy, advocacy means expressing your views in a way that influences policymakers.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Events
NEWS + UPDATES
Take Action Now: Say NO to Vouchers
Since the first week of October, Texas Impact has collected nearly 4,000 letters signed by people of faith from across Texas telling their representatives they oppose a private...
Getting Souls to the Polls – Houston’s Faith Communities Contribute to Early Voting
The November 2023 general election is underway, and Houston congregations are mobilizing their members to use their voice in the voting booth. As of close of business on October...
Membership Matters: The Role of Faith Communities in Democracy
Voting is a matter of faith, citizenship, and democracy, and I am thankful for the opportunity to support faith communities across Greater Houston and Texas as they lift up the...
WELLSPRING UNITED METHODIST COMMUNITY OF FAITH TAKES ACTION
This past Sunday, Wellspring UMC kicked-off October with a letter writing project as part of their “World Communion Sunday" celebration with the theme, “The World at Our...
How would a federal government shutdown affect Texas?
In a webinar with White House staff this week, officials from the Biden administration presented an overview of what programs will be affected in the event the federal...
Whistleblowers Warn of Systemic Failures
Recently, there has been a lot of reference in the media to state employees who are “whistleblowers.” The Texas Whistleblower Act protects public employees who make good faith...