Spring! Seasonally, a time when signs of new life grow green before us. Throughout the nation, stirrings and struggles indicate to us that many yearn for new life, for the kind of freeing, and atmosphere to grow in that spring’s newness makes us ponder.

The first week in April will be a week devoted to focusing national attention on the growing plight of poor people as many services and programs have been cut back or obliterated altogether. The following is a listing of events meriting our attention, concern and response:

Poor Peoples Spring Offensive

In light of these federal cutbacks, Atlanta is to be the site for a national response April 1-4.

Meat Boycott

A nationwide drive to lower meat prices is underway. If demand decreases, supply will increase and prices will fall. Meat prices have reached a level that is burdensome to all consumers, especially to the poor and those on fixed incomes. There seems to be a fair bit of enthusiasm generated for this nationwide boycott which is suggesting that we don’t buy meat and fowl on Tuesdays and Thursdays and plan two meatless days a week. Boycott meat and fowl during the entire week of April 1 through 7.

Homes for Americans Day

The national Ad Hoc Housing Coalition has been developing plans for a “Homes for Americans Day” to focus attention on the unmet housing needs in this country. “Homes for Americans Day” will be held Monday through Wednesday, April 2-4 in Washington, DC.

These days have been selected so as to coincide with hearings on the impact of the moratorium on local housing efforts to be held by the subcommittee on Housing and Urban Affairs of the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency.

Local coalitions will go to Washington to meet with their congressional leaders. You might write your Georgia senators and congressmen expressing your concern over the need for governmental response to these pressing problems.

I think all of these events merit our concern and some serious Christian response. The meat boycott might be suggested as an apt Lenten expression.

The events, more pointedly, are desperately trying to say something to us – our fellow man longs to be free from oppression. We can’t ignore his cry – his cause is ours too! We were all born free, to be free!