DC-Based Ministry Facing Loss of Strategic Home Base
by Lou Kalinowski
November 3, 2005
(AgapePress) - - After ten years of being right across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court, a national Christian outreach ministry is faced with losing its center of operations.Faith and Action is a Christian outreach whose mission is to reintroduce the Word of God into the public debate surrounding legislation and policy matters. Through news conferences, symposia, panel discussions, literature distribution, the Internet, and face-to-face conversations with key Washington leaders, Faith and Action gently confronts these critical public policy makers with the powerful claims of the gospel, as well as reminders of the prominent role that the Word of God played in the creation of America and its laws.
Founded by twin brothers and fellow ministers, the Reverends Paul and Rob Schenck, the premise for Faith and Action is evangelism in word and deed.
"Our greatest physical asset is our building," Rev. Rob Schenck comments. "It is the staging ground for everything we do here. It gives us visibility and permanency, which are both vitally important to successful ministry here."
How critical is the building to the ministry? "You can't afford to appear as a fly-by-night operation here in Washington," Schenck adds. "A building gives you stability, which is critical to our credibility."
The ministry center also houses Faith and Action's offices for team members, placing them within a one-minute walk to the Supreme Court, a three-minute walk to the U.S. Capitol, and a ten-minute cab ride to the White House. It is also a highly visible "billboard" for the colorful gospel banners that hang within view of just about anyone who works on Capitol Hill.
"Even the president has stopped his motorcade to read our banner," says Schenck. "We call it our 'two-story gospel tract'!"
But now the ministry is facing the prospect of perhaps losing its longtime home. "The ministry center is strategic to these next years of Christian witness on Capitol Hill," Schenck says. "If Faith and Action loses its base of operations, the ability to effectively instill godly morals on Capitol Hill and in the Supreme Court will be greatly diminished."
The ministry leader notes that over the last several decades the capitol of the United States has become a center for liberal think tanks, political action committees, and grassroots organizations. The Christian presence, he says, has been squeezed out of the DC area in an effort to have only the liberal voices heard in the capital.
"It is clear that any loss of a Christian ministry presence in Washington is a loss to those who wish to change the face of this country back to its godly heritage," Schenck says.
"We have made paying off the ministry center debt a top priority -- but time is running out. We are praying that God would lay it on the hearts of people around this nation to graciously give the funds needed for Faith and Action to continue."
Over the years Faith and Action has aggressively promoted and protested a variety of issues on Capitol Hill and at the Supreme Court. Within just the last two years it has been involved in filing an amicus brief in the Pledge of Allegiance case, promoting the Marriage Protection Amendment, supporting Terri Schaivo, and prominently voicing support for the public display of the Ten Commandments.
Lou Kalinowski resides in Gladwin, Michigan, and serves on the board of directors for the Michigan Conservative Union.
