The United Church of Christ (UCC), a community of faith founded in 1957 and based in Cleveland, Ohio, has taken on Wal-Mart’s corporate behavior. In a message this month to its members, the UCC sent the following note: “This fall, we hope you will join over 1,000 churches and faith-based organizations to help launch a Wal-Mart week of action November 13-18. Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, has 600,000 employees with no healthcare benefits, and the company is leading a race to the bottom in our economy that is devastating our communities. This campaign begins with faith communities across the U.S. giving sermons on Wal-Mart and scheduling premier screenings on Sunday November 13 of noted filmmaker Robert Greenwald’s new film, WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price. Unlike would-be blockbusters, the only way this film will get out is with your help and support. The UCC is joined in this effort by Sojourners, National Organization of Women, Move On, Sierra Club, Interfaith Worker Justice, African American Ministers in Action and many others. A shortened version of the film (20 minutes) is being planned to show at your after-church hour and the full version of the film will be available at a low cost for members of the congregation to take home and share with others. For years the UCC has raised issues of dignity in the workplace and corporate citizenship with Wal-Mart. To learn more about past UCC actions on Wal-Mart and to get sermon tips and resources on low-wage work that can be incorporated into a sermon on Wal-Mart on November 13, send an email to raselle@ucc.org. For more information on current Wal-Mart campaigns to go: www.ucctakeaction.org/ctt.asp?u=727&l=100899.
Any congregation wishing to sign up to host a screening of Greenwald’s film, and to lift up a moral appeal to Wal-Mart in your sermon or after-church program on Sunday, November 13th find: http://www.ucctakeaction.org/ctt.asp?u=727&l=100898. Make sure you fill in your church affiliation in the sign up form so the UCC staff can follow up with you this fall and help make your program a success.
