Citizen participation in government decision making is vital to our democracy and to good public policy. As people of faith, we know that Jesus taught us that we must knock on the door, seeking and knocking. Even the unjust judge in the parable found in Luke 18 decided he had to listen to the widow who relentlessly came seeking justice. You are invited to join the public policy team of the West Virginia Council of Churches to knock on the State Capitol’s Door:

You can join us in two ways:

Offer an exhibit that demonstrates an outreach ministry or actual public policy concern related to your church. It is important that we inform the legislative community what services the church offers. The Council of Churches will have an exhibit of our Care-Net: Caring Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program as we inform the legislature about what the faith community is doing to support our military families, before, during and after deployment. To sign up for a display contact Cheryl Ingraham at cheryli@wvcc.org.

Visit with Senator and Delegates sharing your concerns and listening to theirs. Practice the art of lobbying which in the best of the political world is educating the decision makers on the needs of their constituency. Join in training sessions on the issues at hand presented by people who have been working throughout the legislative session. Including updates on the Public Policy Issue Priorities for 2008 adopted by the Council of Churches Board of Directors in December. Find them on the web at www.wvcc.org.

Tentative Schedule:

9:00 a.m.	Exhibits Open (Second Floor, Senate Side)
9:00 a.m.	Training Session 1 – Governor’s Conference Room (152, Behind the Secretary of State’s Office First Floor)
10:00 a.m.	Visiting Legislature and Attending Committee Meetings
11:00 a.m.	Training Session 2, Attending Legislature in Session.
12:00 noon to 2:00	Attend Legislative Reception, Room 152.
1:00 p.m.	Visit Legislators and Attend Committee Meetings.
3:00 p.m.	Remove Displays
3:30 p.m.	Debriefing in Room 152
4:00 p.m.	Depart