Occupy Movement Empowered by Church Groups Nationwide
Churches are stepping up their efforts to help Occupy protestors in their time of need, particularly now that winter is coming and temperatures are dropping.
The relationship between local churches serving the poor and the anti-corruption protestors, who demand that the top 1 percent of rich people in the country do more to help the economy, has been present since the first days of the movement in October.
New York, Washington and Oakland are three major Occupy centers that have enjoyed a great deal of support from religious communities, according to The Washington Post. Activists set up camp at Zuccotti Park in New York but were evicted Nov. 15 and found support from the nearby Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. The church offered shelter and a place for the removed protestors to gather.
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Rev. Michael Ellick shared with The Washington Post how the relationship grew.
“The eviction ... really shifts what happens here, and it really boomed the movement, because immediately there was this network in place that we'd developed of communities throughout New York that were willing to open up their doors and house the movement,” said Ellick.
The pastor also revealed that it was not just a few churches getting involved. He claimed that a large part of the religious community in New York was on board with Occupy’s ideals and wanted to support the movement. He also revealed that more than 1,400 leaders from various churches nationwide had signed a pledge in support of Occupy, and that the police evictions are only making this solidarity grow stronger.
It is not exclusively Christian groups landing a hand to the Occupy movement – a new coalition that brings together Christians, Muslims and Jews, called “Occupy Faith DC” has been established to help activists in the nation’ capital.
This past week they set up tables and served a free Thanksgiving meal to hungry people taking part in the protests.
