Monday September 17, 2007: 1:15pm                       TO SET UP INTERVIEWS CONTACT:

Laura Everett, office: (617)523-2771 cell: (617) 285-7558

MEDIA AVAILABILITY FOR GAMBLING OPPONENTS                                                   

Church Leaders respond to Governor’s pro-gambling announcement

Boston, Lawrence, New Bedford, Middleborough- Church leaders from across the Commonwealth voice their opposition to Governor Patrick’s plan to expand gambling in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Council of Churches will work with secular and religious partners to organize opposition to the legislative proposal.  For further comments or interviews from the following church leaders, contact Mass. Council of Churches Associate Director, Laura Everett at (617)523-2271office or (617) 285-7558 cell.

Boston: The Rev. Jack Johnson is the executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, the state ecumenical body of 17 Orthodox and Protestant denominations, with more than 1700 local congregations and parishes across the Commonwealth.  Rev. Johnson is a United Methodist minister who served in New Jersey during the battles to expand gambling. Rev. Johnson states, “About 4% or nearly 250,000 Massachusetts residents had a gambling problem within the past year.”[1] 250,000 people amounts to the entire population of the towns of Middleborough, Raynham, Taunton, Plainville, Palmer, Revere, and New Bedford combined.[2]  And now our Governor is proposing to increase that number with the addition of three new casinos. The National Gambling Impact Study, created and funded by our Congress, stated that gambling addiction rates double within fifty miles of a casino. Our state government will be creating a new population of addicted gamblers, affecting their spouses, children, dependents, employers and wider community.”

Lawrence: Bishop Peter Weaver is the bishop of the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church. The New England Conference includes 550 congregations in Eastern Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island - and one in Vermont. Bishop Weaver commented, “The United Methodist Church has a long history of opposing gambling. Our national Book of Discipline states ‘gambling is a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic, and spiritual life, and destructive of good government.’ I pray that Massachusetts avoids heading down this path that lessens the quality of life for all our citizens.”

New Bedford: The Rev. David Lima is the executive minister of the Inter-Church Council of Greater New Bedford.  The Inter-Church Council is an ecumenical organization of 43 congregations around New Bedford. Rev. Lima has spoken of the harm that gambling will bring to his community, saying “If expanded gambling is allowed, we believe that the gambling industry will be the big winner and the soul of our Southcoast communities will suffer greatly Once slots and casinos are established, they will continue to multiply and it will be next to impossible to be rid of them. A casino culture will define our community.  A predatory industry will exploit our people and change our way of life forever.”

Middleborough: The Rev. David Milam is the rector of Church of Our Savior Episcopal in Middleborough, MA. Rev. Milam said, “Clergy see the people who don’t make the front page of the newspapers. We already see too many people who are struggling to pay their bills, struggling to keep their marriage together, struggling to keep their job. We don’t need to create more problem and addicted gamblers struggling in this region by bringing a casino to our town. “

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