Join us for Advocacy Training Weekend
Advocacy Training Weekend
April 21-24, 2017 in Washington, DC
Confronting Chaos, Forging Community – Racism, Militarism, and Materialism
When Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. posed the question, “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?” in his book of the same title 50 years ago, no one could have imagined that we would still be wrestling with this question today. Over the past year, our nation has experienced a divisive election in which racism, xenophobia, and religious bigotry were a constant. We still find racism an open wound in our nation, resulting in the disproportionate killing of black and brown bodies and stunting their lives through unjust economic and social structures. The militarization of our police is a reflection not only of broken communal values, but also a lopsided foreign policy that spends drastically more on defense than diplomacy or development. Militarism continues to be the United States’ overriding approach to resolving conflict, despite studies that show the effectiveness of peacebuilding and the power of non-violence. Extreme materialism threatens our souls and our very planet, as prosperity narratives and unchecked capitalism spreads despite overwhelming scientific evidence that our current path is unsustainable. As in Dr. King’s time, we teeter precariously between chaos and community.
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Join us April 21 for Compassion Peace and Justice Training Day at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington DC. Gather with your fellow Presbyterians as we look at how our church and our partners are confronting racism, materialism, and militarism in our country and abroad. In plenaries and workshops we will analyze our current context and offer concrete tools for members and their congregations to address these urgent issues. We will learn how we can “forge community” amidst the current chaos in our country.
After Compassion Peace and Justice Training Day join the ecumenical community for Ecumenical Advocacy Days April 21-24. Almost one thousand Christian advocates join us every year for a weekend of workshops, lectures, and concrete actions addressing the ills of our nation. The weekend culminates in a lobby day on Monday, April 24th when we raise our voices in the halls of power for a more just society.
For more information and links to registration for both events click here or contact Catherine Gordon at catherine.gordon@pcusa.org.
