Praying for Relief for Homeowners

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2008— -- A cold, windy day couldn't stop Gloria Cooper from coming to Washington on behalf of her neighbors who are in danger of losing their homes to the country's foreclosure crisis.

"We believe in a God that makes miracles out of nothing," said Cooper, a minister at Faith Chapel Church of God in Christ in San Diego.

She was one of nearly 200 faith leaders who gathered in front of the Treasury Department today to pray for more government action to help struggling homeowners, urging Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to take broader action to stem the tide of foreclosures affecting thousands of Americans.

"We want them to feel us, not just see us, because we are the everyday people," said Minister Marvin Webb of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Richmond, Calif.

The leaders brought with them more than prayers, they brought a plan they hope the Bush administration will enact.

"Our prayer is embedded in action," said Pastor Lucy Kolin of Reservation Lutheran Church in Oakland, Calif.

"We hope we can hold officials accountable," she added, dismissing the government's efforts thus far as "piecemeal" and "not enough" to solve the problem.

The group, PICO National Network, instead wants the government to force banks to renegotiate mortgages whose payments have ballooned beyond what the borrowers are able to pay.

In a letter signed by more than 500 clergy from across the country, the group calls on the Bush administration to force all lenders to reconfigure troubled loans so that monthly payments do not exceed 34 percent of a family's monthly income.

PICO's plan also calls on the administration to use the bailout legislation "to fully guarantee loans that are modified, in order to create an economic incentive for investors to agree to new loan terms."

The group says they attempted to arrange a meeting with Paulson to present him with the letter, but were turned down. They instead were scheduled to meet today with some of his staff.

So far, the Treasury Department has been reluctant to use funds from a $700 billion economic bailout package authorized by Congress to rescue troubled mortgages. Instead, Paulson's team has used the money to prop up failing banks and financial institutions, saying that will have a more immediate impact in averting a financial collapse.