Jacqui Gerenz of Custer signed the "Forty Days for Health Reform" pledge, part of a faith-based petition drive in support of health care reform.

Now, she's praying that others will, too.

"I believe that all people of faith have to recognize how poorly we are meeting the needs of U.S. citizens at incredible costs and that we do have a moral responsibility to provide health care to all citizens," Gerenz said.

The retired schoolteacher is a member of the Black Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. She supports health care reform, and the campaign announced last week by the leaders of more than 25 religious denominations and groups, including evangelical Christian spokesman Jim Wallis of Sojourners.

The group launched a national television spot on Aug. 11 to promote health care reform and announced that President Obama will participate in a nationwide call-in and Webcast with people of faith on Wednesday, Aug. 19. During the next 40 days, they plan rallies, meetings and prayer vigils aimed at 100 crucial members of Congress, as well as a "sermon weekend" on Aug. 28-30, when it hopes clergy will take to the pulpit with a social justice message of health reform.

At Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Spearfish, the Rev. Kent Stillson believes the U.S. health care system is broken, but he won't use the pulpit to address specific legislation, he said.

He is convinced, however, that the need for universal health coverage is rooted in Scripture, which is why his congregation decided to open a free health clinic one night a week at the church for the uninsured. The Good Shepherd Clinic has treated about 200 people since it opened in February with a staff of volunteer doctors, nurses and others. The clinic, which sees from three to 20 patients per night, speaks louder than anything he could say from the pulpit about the need for meaningful health reform, Stillson said.

"At some point, I decided I needed to stop talking and start doing," he said.

Stillson would like to see an American health care system where free church-run clinics like theirs are unnecessary, but he's not willing to tell his congregation what to think on the topic of health care reform.

"There are really good people on both sides of the issue," he said. "What I'm bothered by is the disrespect and the fact that they're not talking or listening. There's no civil debate, just shouting."

Stillson would encourage his congregation to get involved in the campaign, including Wednesday's conversation with Obama.

"I'd tell them to start talking and listening civilly," he said. "Yelling doesn't help with that change. We need to hear people's fears and people's dreams."

His personal fear is that political decisions are being made too quickly, but he also worries that Americans are getting lost in fears about reform.

"What I fear is that we're losing sight of what we're trying to do, which is to fix the health care system without breaking the bank," he said.

Many conservative Christians, including Keith Rhudy of Rapid City, are opposed to the Democrat-proposed legislation that awaits action when Congress returns from its August recess. Rhudy is working to defeat H.R. Bill 3200, Americas Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.

"Being a Christian is a matter of the heart," said Rhudy. "Some Christians unfortunately don't have any brains."

Gerenz believes opponents of health reform are spreading misinformation and half-truths.

"People are shouting down health reform. But I think listening is very important," she said. "We're hearing so many lies."

She sees health reform as a profoundly moral issue and something her religious beliefs call her to work towards.

"For me, it is absolutely essential as a Unitarian Universalist … that I act on those beliefs," she said.

That's why she signed the campaign's pledge, which states: "As a person of faith, I support health care reform, and I'm tired of special interests hijacking the debate. Over the next 40 days, I commit to doing my part as a person of faith to promote health care reform. I commit to taking actions like writing my representatives, attending events, and telling my friends about our efforts to make the faith community a positive force for health care reform."

But Gerenz, a Democratic activist and unsuccessful state legislative candidate, said health reform touches on both politics and religion, two topics that are considered off-limits in polite conversation for some people.

"I woke up in the middle of the night wondering, how do I approach my caring, compassionate Christian friends here in Custer on this issue - most of who are moderates in their political beliefs?" she said.

She decided she'll ask them to say a prayer that adequate health care is provided for everybody in the U.S.

And she hopes that more clergy members will call for health reform, too.

"I would so much like to see that," she said. "But often they are very reluctant to step up and talk about it because they see it as divisive and political. I wish there were more ministers like him (Jim Wallis) willing to speak out about it."

Bishop Blase Cupich of the Catholic Diocese of Rapid City said the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has a long-standing record in support of universal health care.

"The bishops encourage legislators to pass laws that guarantee health care for all and maintain restrictions on government funding of abortion, ensure that there are no mandates for insurance to cover abortion and secure a freedom of conscience clause for health care providers. In sum, the bishops urge that universal health care be abortion neutral," Cupich said.

Last week, Cardinal Justin Rigali of the USCCB's Committee on Pro-life Activities, criticized Obama's health reform efforts as "seriously deficient" because the public option insurance plan would give the Secretary of Health and Human Services "the power to make unlimited abortion a mandated benefit in the 'public health insurance plan' the government will manage nationwide." He called this a "radical change" since federal law excludes most abortions from federal employees' health benefits, and no federal health program mandates coverage of elective abortions.

Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance are co-sponsors of the Forty Days for Health Reform campaign. Other groups on the list include mainline Protestants, evangelical Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists.

Talking health reform

* President Barack Obama and national religious leaders will answer questions on health reform during the live call-in: "Forty Minutes for Health Reform," that will be audio streamed at the Web site www.FaithforHealth.org. The call is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. Questions may be submitted in advance on the Web site.

* On Aug. 26, the group Organizing for America, created by the Democratic National Committee out of the 2008 presidential campaign, will host a health reform forum for the community from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Rapid City Public Library.