By Verity A. Jones, DisciplesWorld editor and publisher

WASHINGTON (8/20/09) — Before President Barack Obama joined the call, Disciples’ General Minister and President Sharon E. Waktins told more than 140,000 people who dialed in or logged on yesterday to launch the “40 Days for Health Reform” campaign, “This is the moment of a generation. The moral vision is there, the policy expertise is in place. It’s the political will that needs our support.”

“The success of health care reform will have direct consequences on our families, our loved ones and our nation,” she said, urging listeners to take action.

Watkins joined other religious leaders on the conference call and live webcast hosted by dozens of religious organizations, including the Disciples Justice Action Network (DJAN), and organized by Faith in Public Life.

Jim Wallis of Sojourners, one of the speakers on the call, explained the purpose: “We are in danger of losing the moral core of this debate … that people are hurting from a broken healthcare system.”   He urged “a steady moral drumbeat from the faith community in the weeks to come” that might redirect the debate on health care reform from invective to finding constructive ways to help people in need.  

Joel Hunter of Northland Church in Florida, noted that although the leaders and listeners on the call were from very different religious backgrounds, “Our differences [are] unified in a higher purpose … to secure affordable health care for all American families.”

President Obama accepted an invitation from the religious groups to speak directly to the callers and listeners, the first time a president of the United States has ever done so, according to Ken Brooker Langston, executive director of DJAN. 

Obama thanked the listeners and organizers, saying, “One thing we share is a moral conviction; it goes to the heart of who we are as a people.”  After stating his ongoing support for a public option in health care reform, and urging civil discourse in the debate, Obama said, “We have a core, ethical, moral obligation —  that we look out for one another.  I am my brother’s keeper.  I am my sister’s keeper.”

“We should make sure we’re on the side of promoting the well-being and security of all Americans,” Obama said.

Cynthia Hale, pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia also participated.  Hale opened the call with prayer: “We want to see your will be done as perfectly on earth as it is in heaven, Lord.  We believe it is your will to see that every man, woman, and child received affordable quality health care in America.”

Watkins and Hale have both spoken out before in support of health care reform.  In a recent press release about yesterday’s call, Watkins said, “While we sometimes differ about the approach, I think it is important that we all stay engaged in the conversation so that we can get a better deal for all.”

Disciples pastor Linda Hanna Walling, director of Faithful Reform in Health Care, wrote in her blog how overwhelmed the organizers of the event were by the number of people who participated. “We were expecting tens of thousands, not over 100,000!  Our friends at Faith in Public Life, who coordinated the call, said that the tech consultants were floored, having never experienced something of this magnitude.”

Walling added, “Our response today is a powerful witness to the fact that people of faith do care, and that we will do whatever it takes to raise our voices with a moral vision for our health care future.”

For an audio recording of the call and more information, go to http://www.faithforhealth.org/ or www.faithfulreform.org.