The Rev. Janet Newman, a Presbyterian minister, writes from Syracuse, New York:

Thank you for the Katrina Pledge. As someone who works for peace and justice in my presbytery, I have felt the need to bring the issue of poverty in America into the forefront. Therefore when I called my resource team together and tried to draft a document for our presbytery, I brought this pledge forward and it will now be circulated in the 45 Presbyterian Church (USA) churches in the presbytery. We have also taken up the cause of eliminating poverty in America, which was so tragically placed before all of our eyes in the wake of Katrina, as one of our main objectives. Many of us have worked on this issue for some time, but now we pray that we will be joined by the voices of others across this presbytery and the country.

You too may find this a helpful way to let people articulate and focus their concerns, and commit to acting out of those concerns.

The Katrina Pledge: A commitment to build a new America

Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute (Proverbs 31:8).

The waters of Hurricane Katrina have revealed fault lines of race and class in our nation, washing away our national denial about the large number of Americans who live in poverty and about its disproportionate impact on people of color. We have now seen, and so has the rest of the world, the effects of public policies that sacrifice the common good to private interests and misguided priorities.

In the aftermath of the storm's destruction, a new America must be born in which compassion and conscience reshape our society's priorities at all levels. Together we can transform our country into one where economic security for all is an essential part of our national security.

As a person of faith, I believe that the poverty we have witnessed on the rooftops of New Orleans and the devastated communities of the Gulf Coast is morally unacceptable. Therefore, I join my fellow Americans across the barriers of race, religion, class, and politics in the following commitments:

1. I pledge to be personally involved in helping those whose lives have been affected by this natural disaster - by praying for the victims and their families and by offering my time, talents, and resources to relief and recovery ministries that are meeting their needs.

2. I pledge to work for sweeping change of our nation's priorities. I will press my elected representatives to protect the common good - especially the needs of our poorest families and children - rather than supporting the twin social disasters of tax cuts for the rich and budget cuts that hurt the poor.