Leaders of religious communities across the country are no longer content leaving health care reform to politicians.

Through a call-in event with President Obama, television advertisements, prayer rallies, meetings with members of Congress and sermons, a coalition of faith-based organizations hopes to show that health care reform is a "profoundly moral issue," said Katie Paris, spokeswoman for the group.

As protestors have expressed their opposition at health care town hall meetings, the faith community wants to redirect the debate to focus on the need to provide affordable care for all Americans.

"Every so often there is an issue that is so clear and compelling that it really does galvanize the faith community," said Rev. Jim Wallis, president of Christian organization Sojourners. "There are people in the country who want to stop an honest, fair, moral discussion about health care. We can't let that happen."

Historically, members of local communities who cannot afford basic necessities - like food, housing or health care - have relied on faith-based organizations for help. And now, those organizations want to see the government do more to provide health care for all.

"A lot of people are sick, and our institutions are often taking care of sick people," Wallis said. "We clean up the mess. I see exclusion. I see people being left out."

Representatives of the coalition say that Americans should see health care as an ethical matter, rather than a political one.

"We come to this precisely because it is a human rights issue that supersedes any politically ideology and any partisan ideology," said Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. "There's a powerful religious voice that needs to be heard.

The coalition will hold a call-in event with Obama next week, which will be broadcast through their Web site.

The coalition is organized by PICO National Network, Faith in Public Life, Faithful America, Sojourners and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.

CongressDailyPM reports on this event as well.