During the Event

WHAT TO DO THAT DAY

Pray, learn, advocate.

Remember, the goal of the Show of Hands campaign is three-fold: to pray together for an end to global poverty, to educate members of the church about the MDGs and SOH, and to collect as many handprints and/or letters as possible to bring or send to government representatives in support of the MDGs and more and better aid. However you incorporate those things into your event is fine!

Use these simple instructions to hold a basic Show of Hands event at your church. If you want to do more, we have lots of  additional resources for worship, education, and advocacy at http://www.crcna.org/pages/mdg_resources.cfm.

Some churches will hold their SOH event during their Sunday morning service.  Other churches may set aside time during a Sunday school class, or GEMS, Cadets or youth group meetings, to learn about the MDGs and then work on the handprints and letters as a way to apply their new knowledge to action. Still other churches may set up a special fellowship event following a Sunday morning service to engage people in the SOH event. Feel free to do whatever fits your congregation best.

RESOURCES ON THE WEBSITE:

• FAQs.  Why the MDGs? Why advocacy? Why do this in church? A few helpful Q&A's for situations you may encounter.
• Sample sermon.  Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with our God. Sermon starters for an introduction to social justice and faith.
• MDG info.  More information about each of the individual goals, with stories of transformation within the CRC.
• Advocacy backgrounders for the US and Canada
• Videos.  An easy way to catch attention and teach people about the MDGs.
• MDG stations.  An interactive, educational experience for your church to journey through.  Setting this up would be a great way to get a youth group involved!
• Speakers.  The OSJ would be glad to send a presenter to your church to talk more about the MDGs, global poverty, and why justice matters to people of faith. Just contact osjha@crcna.org.
• Worship resources.  A litany, songs, prayers, and a children’s sermon, to help integrate justice into our practices of worship as a communal body.
• Bulletin insert.  An easy and noticeable way to spread the word about the MDGs and the upcoming SOH event.

After the Event

Deliver the handprints

There are a few ways to deliver your handprints. You can present them directly to your legislators with a cover letter from your church (don't worry, we can help!), or you can send them to the OSJ and we'll pass them on to Parliament or Congress for you.

For detailed instructions on each option, Canada or United States

Give us feedback

Your feedback is really important to us so that we can continue to assist and empower churches to learn about justice and engage in advocacy.  Please fill out this short survey.  

Also, please consider whether you would be willing to be a congregational organizer for the Show of Hands campaign again next year, and/or if you have seen other people in your congregation or community who would be interested in organizing.

Enabling the CRC to have a strong and committed voice for social justice starts with every church learning how to do justice and love mercy as a body, led by people like you--so thank you!