Census Bureau seeks faith partners
The U.S. Census Bureau has prepared a packet of materials that can be used to reach out to educate congregations and the community, available for download at http://2010.census.gov/partners/toolkits/toolkits-faithbased.php. The Council has prepared bulletin inserts for download, available using the links below.
The U.S. Census Bureau is looking to the faith community to be a partner as they prepare to collect data for the 2010 decennial census. The Pennsylvania Council of Churches is working as a partner with the Bureau to encourage education on the importance of participating in the census within congregations.
The census, mandated by the U.S. Constitution, is a count of all persons living in the United States—citizens and noncitizens. The data that results will have an impact on everyone—it will determine congressional districts and boundaries for the next 10 years and will impact funding levels and distribution for critical social services and community programs.
This census is particularly important for Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania will potentially lose at least one seat in the House of Representatives due to the redistribution of population in the U.S. It is important that we do the best job possible in counting every Pennsylvanian. We in the faith community have an opportunity to help in this effort by stressing the importance of participation in the census in our congregations and with the people we serve.
One piece in the packet that should be highlighted is the leader messages that focus on key elements of the 2010 Census. They can be used in the lead up to Census Day on April 1—incorporated into announcements or at other appropriate points in worship or other places in a congregation’s activities. This piece can be downloaded at http://2010.census.gov/partners/doc/FaithBased_LeaderMsg.doc.
Drop-in announcements, or short messages that mirror the themes in the leader messages, have been incorporated into bulletin inserts in Word format that you can download for use. The messages can also be copied and included in bulletin announcements and/or newsletters. They are available for download:
Share the links: Download in color <http://pachurchesadvocacy.org/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/census-2010-bulletin-inserts-w-color.doc> or grayscale <http://pachurchesadvocacy.org/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/census-2010-bulletin-inserts-grayscale.doc> .
