Vigil seeks support for reform

By Carla Hinton Comments 0
Published: November 7, 2009

Garrett Johnston has seen numerous people show up each Saturday at a free medical clinic at his Oklahoma City church.

More Info

Prayer vigil

→When: 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday

→Where: Epworth United Methodist Church, 1901 N Douglas Ave.

→Information: 948-7073

It’s for these indigent and working poor that Johnston and other members of the Epworth United Methodist Church social justice study group are holding an interfaith candlelight prayer vigil Tuesday.

Johnston said they hope to show the state’s congressional leaders that the faith community is concerned about health care reform because there are many people who have no health insurance.

"The United Methodist Social Principle states that we believe it’s the right of every human being to have health care,” said Johnston, Epworth’s staff musician.

The prayer vigil is being called "One Year Out” because it is a year after the 2008 congressional elections and a year before the 2010 elections.

Johnston said state congressional leaders who held town hall meetings on health care reform proposals heard mostly from middle- and upper-class people who have health insurance.

"There are legislators who are screaming ‘no public option.’ We as the faith community are saying there’s something better out there, and you need to hear other voices that are screaming,” he said.

"We want legislators to understand that next year is an election year, and things could change.”

Johnston said the prayer vigil will include one speaker each from the faith, medical and political arenas.

One of the guests will be Dr. Boyd Shook, a physician who started the Manos Juntos clinic at Epworth. Johnston said Shook created the free clinic run by volunteer doctors, nurses and pharmacists in 1996 to fill a need for people without health insurance.

Johnston aid he wonders what’s wrong with America that "we don’t take care of people in our lowest economic group?”

"We need to look at Matthew 25, where Jesus said, ‘When you have done it unto the least of these, My brothers and sisters, you were doing it unto Me.’”

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