Orange Day: Say NO to Violence Against Women

The 25^th of every month is Orange Day.* Today, join with others around the world in saying NO to violence against women!  Email yourmembers of Congress to ask, “what are you doing to end violence against women?”

Last week, Sept. 18, we celebrated the 18th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act being signed into law.  Many who worked to make VAWA a reality in 1994 will remember the ceremony on a warm September day in the White House Rose Garden and the sense of relief that followed: we finally had the tools to address the epidemic of domestic violence.

Since that day, VAWA has expanded its protections to victims of dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.  Since that day, VAWA has saved thousands of lives and brought safety to thousands of homes.  VAWA’s programs have trained law enforcement, prosecution and court personnel to better understand the dynamics that make these four crimes such a burden on U.S. communities.  Over the years, VAWA has created historic protections for immigrant victims and victims on tribal lands.  VAWA has raised awareness about and improved responses to sexual assault and stalking.  VAWA programs have disseminated prevention programs in middle schools and high schools.  The homicide rate for victims of these crimes has dropped significantly.

Yet any child born on that bright day in September 1994, now turning 18 years old, still faces the specter of victimization, because there are so many areas VAWA did not cover in the 18 years since its passage.  So in 2012 the Senate developed a new improved version of VAWA, a reauthorization that fills in so many of those gaps that pose dangers to youth who have never lived in a world without VAWA.  Without the new version of VAWA, an 18 year old victim of sexual assault will not be able to secure safe housing.  Without the new version of VAWA, an 18 year old victim of dating violence will find it difficult to obtain justice on campus.  Without the new version of VAWA, many underserved communities, including the LGBT community, immigrant victims, and Native women, will have no place to go for help.

VAWA has done a stellar job of helping millions of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking over 18 years.  Let’s celebrate VAWA’s birthday on this Orange Day by making sure all victims of violence can access help and justice.  Congress can best say “Happy Birthday, VAWA!” by completing an inclusive bill and getting it to the President to be signed, as it once was on a bright September day.

Click here to send a message toyour members of Congress – Complete a Violence Against Women reauthorization this year!

* On September 25 – and the 25th of each month – join people around the world in observing an Orange Day to work for an end to violence against women and girls. SayNO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women is a social mobilization platform on ending violence against women and girls related to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s campaign, UNiTE to End Violence against Women. The campaign invites us to wear orange and take action on the 25th of each month to end violence against women and girls. Learn more and find ideas for action.

** Many thanks to the National Task Force to End Domestic Violence for the content of this action alert.

The Office of Public Witness joins with 123 organization calling for humanitarian access in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions of Sudan.

SUDAN: Letter to UN Security Council Members from 123 Organizations Regarding Humanitarian Access

September 21, 2012

Dear Ambassador:

We are deeply alarmed by the ongoing lack of full and unhindered access for international humanitarian aid agencies to all areas within the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, as well as Darfur. Despite a United Nations Security Council Resolution calling on the government of Sudan to immediately allow for such access in the Two areas – and a memorandum of understanding concluded between the UN, the African Union, and the League of Arab States – the so-called "Tripartite Partners" – and the Sudanese government providing for humanitarian aid delivery, one million people continue to suffer from food insecurity as well as the continued threat of indiscriminate bombings and attacks on civilians.

It has been over four months since the UN Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, called on the government of Sudan to immediately accept the Tripartite Partner’s proposal to permit humanitarian access throughout the two states. The resolution followed months of delay on the part of the Sudanese government over the review of a proposal that the Tripartite Partners submitted concerning aid delivery. On August 5, 2012, Khartoum finally signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tripartite Partners that sets out deadlines related to the planning for and distribution of international humanitarian assistance. To date, the government has ignored the deadlines laid out in the memorandum and exhibited no indication that it intends to allow the full and unhindered delivery of aid throughout South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The UN Security Council committed in Resolution 2046 to hold all parties who fail to comply with the Resolution’s terms fully accountable through the imposition of measures under Article 41 of the Charter. It is imperative that it do so. Those parties who fail to meet their obligations should face strong consequences including the imposition of sanctions. In its upcoming review of the compliance of the parties with Resolution 2046, the Government of Sudan’s failure to abide by the provisions related to humanitarian assistance and to comply with the agreement which it signed should be considered a key factor in determining what actions the Council takes. For many in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, this is a matter of life and death.

For over a year, the government of Sudan has refused to allow aid into these two states, resulting in emergency levels of food insecurity (one level below famine) for 150,000-200,000 people in Southern Kordofan and crisis levels for hundreds of thousands of others in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. Continued aerial bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces and fighting with rebel groups has displaced or severely affected an estimated 665,000 people inside Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and led 205,000 refugees to flee to South Sudan and Ethiopia, where they continue to face desperate conditions.

We welcomed the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding between the government of Sudan and the Tripartite Partners, but are distressed that the government of Sudan once again continues to delay in its implementation of a key agreement. Similarly, we appreciate the actions of the UN Security Council to secure the delivery of humanitarian aid and to support the initiation of a political dialogue between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-N. However, such
actions will be of little consequence to civilians on the ground if the Council does not make efforts to ensure that the government of Sudan complies with the Council’s approach.
If Sudan continues to ignore its obligations to allow humanitarian access to the people of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, we urge that the UN Security Council move swiftly to impose consequences for this failure and to consider alternative means for delivering aid.

Signed by:
1. Act for Sudan
2. Aegis Trust
3. African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS)
4. African Soul, American Heart
5. Afro-Canadian Evangelical mission
6. Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan
7. American Friends Service Committee US West Region
8. American Islamic Congress
9. American Islamic Forum for Democracy
10. American Jewish World Service
11. Americans Against the Darfur Genocide
12. Armenian National Committee of America
13. Arry Organization for Human Rights & Development
14. Beja Organization for Human Rights and Development
15. Blue Nile Association
16. Bnai Darfur Organization
17. Brooklyn Coalition for Darfur & Marginalized Sudan
18. Center for Peace, Justice and Reconciliation
19. Change the world. It just takes cents.
20. Christian Lifeline International Aid
21. Collectif Urgence Darfour
22. Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action
23. Combat Genocide Association
24. Common Cause
25. Community Empowerment for Progress Organization-CEPO
26. Congregation of St. Joseph
27. Connecticut Coalition to Save Darfur
28. Darfur Action Group of South Carolina
29. Darfur and Beyond
30. Darfur Interfaith Network
31. Darfur Leaders Network
32. Darfur People's Association of New York
33. Darfur People's Association of New York Brooklyn
34. Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Inc.
35. Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre
36. Darfur Solidarity In USA
37. Darfur Union, UK & Ireland
38. Dear Sudan, Love Marin
39. Doctors to the World
40. Enough Project
41. Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi
42. Foreign Policy In Focus
43. Genocide No More - Save Darfur
44. Genocide Watch
45. Georgia Coalition to Prevent Genocide
46. GlobalSolutions.org
47. Help Nuba
48. Holocaust Museum Houston
49. Hope With (South) Sudan
50. Human Rights & Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND)
51. Human Rights Org.
52. Human Rights Team - Community of Christ
53. Human Rights Watch
54. Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART)
55. Humanity Is Us
56. Humanity United
57. Investors against Genocide
58. Iowa Center for Genocide Prevention
59. Italians for Darfur
60. Jewish World Watch
61. Jews Against Genocide
62. Joining Our Voices
SUDAN: Letter to UN Security Council Members from 123 Organizations Regarding Humanitarian Access 63. Kamma Organization for Development Initiatives (South Sudan)
64. Keokuk for Global Awareness & Aid
65. Leadership Conference of Women Religious
66. Live Well South Sudan
67. Long Island Darfur Action Group
68. Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur
69. Moro Association of the United States.
70. My Sister's Keeper
71. NAACP
72. National Association of Evangelicals
73. National Council of the Churches of Christ
74. Never Again Coalition
75. New York City Genocide Prevention Coalition
76. New York Coalition for Darfur and All Sudan
77. New York Darfur Vigil Group
78. Nuba Christian Family Mission
79. Nuba Mountain Peace Coalition
80. Nuba Mountains Advocacy Group
81. Nuba Mountains International Association
82. Nuba Relief, Rehabilitation and Development Organization
83. Nuba Vision Coalition, Inc
84. Nubia Project
85. One Million Bones
86. Operation Broken Silence
87. Peace Action
88. Persecution Project Foundation
89. Physicians for Human Rights
90. Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition
91. Presbyterian Church, (USA), Office of Public Witness
92. Rabbinical Assembly
93. San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition
94. Save Darfur North Shore
95. Save Darfur Washington State
96. Shine A Ray of Hope
97. Society for Threatened Peoples
98. South Sudan Institute for Women's Education & Leadership 99. South Sudan Women Christian Mission for Peace
100. Stop Genocide Now
101. Strategic Centre for Social Studies in Blue Nile
102. Sudan Advocacy Action Forum
103. Sudan Democracy First Group
104. Sudan Human Rights Network
105. Sudan Rowan, Inc.
106. Sudan Unlimited
107. Sudanese Australian Human Rights Association
108. Sudanese Front for Change
109. Sudanese Marginalized Forum
110. Temple Ahavat Achim Darfur Social Action Committee
111. The Africa Institute of American Jewish Committee
112. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
113. The Institute on Religion and Democracy
114. TransAfrica
115. Triangles of Truth
116. Ubuntu Women Institute USA Inc.
117. Unitarian Universalist Association
118. Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
119. United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
120. United to End Genocide
121. Use Your Voice to Stop Genocide RI
122. Voices for Sudan
123. Waging Peace

Rev. Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), issued the following statement today in response to the recent violence in Libya.

September 12, 2012

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is deeply grieved by the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that resulted in the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other staff members. Government leaders of both Libya and the United States have appropriately condemned the attack.

 We join people of different faiths and people of good will in recognizing that such violence goes against the historic teachings of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, which are based on God’s love and a peaceful regard for all God’s people. We join the calls for all people to turn from violence.

We join people of different faiths and people of good will in rejecting messages of hatred, bigotry, and division based on faith. Such messages, as exemplified by an online video recently circulated by anti-Muslim hate groups, do not represent the best of the United States and of faith communities. We join the calls for all people to respect one another’s faith commitments.

Our hearts and prayers go out for the families and loved ones of Mr. Stevens and the other victims of the attack. Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Libya who were affected by the attack.

Our faith affirms that God is a God not of violence but of grace, love, and peace. We stand with people of all faiths and good will to express our sincere opposition to all acts of violence, to witness to the love that binds all things together, and to reaffirm our intention to work for peace for all people. 

Rev. Gradye Parsons

Stated Clerk of the General Assembly

Response to the Census Bureau's Poverty Data

Evidence of Continuing Income Inequality:
A Response to the Census Bureau’s Poverty Data

By J. Herbert Nelson, Director, PC(USA) Office of Public Witness
Sept. 12, 2012

This morning, the U.S. Census Bureau released Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011, the annual report sometimes referred to as the “poverty data.”  In this report, we learn that median household income declined by 1.5 percent, and that poverty in the U.S. remains statistically unchanged between 2010 and 2011, but still unacceptably high at 15 percent. Child poverty also remains unchanged, but to our shame, a little more than one in five children under the age of 18 continue to live in poverty.  Most startling, however, is evidence showing that the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen.  According to the Census Bureau’s data, while the second, middle, and fourth quintiles of the income scale lost between 1.6 and 1.9 percent of its share of the income growth, the top five percent of earners saw its share of income growth increase by 5.3 percent.  In a time of growing inequality and injustice in the workforce, these numbers are very troubling.

 As we reflect on the evidence of injustice before our eyes, we are reminded of a God that draws in those facing persecution, those who are marginalized, and those who are oppressed simply because of their demographic or racial identity. This same God empowers us with a call to public witness. The overwhelming proclamation of Isaiah 61 is that God has called us to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. As Presbyterians, as Christians, we must be aware of our context in which we are proclaiming God's advancing reign on earth.

Right now, we are living in a highly privileged United States of America where an overwhelming percentage of our population ironically has no access to that sense of privilege. As our nation grows in GDP, the gap between the rich and poor also continues to inflate.  The recovery from the Great Recession, while sluggish and tepid, also fails to distribute its modest gains across all segments of the economy, but rather benefits those who already have much, while neglecting those who have too little. Those living at or below the poverty line remain there, while those whose tithes alone amount to greater than the poverty line have ever increasing incomes.

This new data shows that in 2011, 46.2 million people were living in poverty, 15 percent of our population -- almost exactly the same as the year before.[i]  Likewise, 21.9 percent of children are living in poverty, also unchanged from the previous year.  While we rejoice that the rate of growth seems to have been halted this year, the number of people living in poverty has steadily increased since 2007.  This leaves too many people living in poverty in the wealthiest nation in the world.

Recent research into the causes of rising poverty reflects declines in Unemployment Insurance (UI) and a significant reduction in public sector jobs.[ii]  The expiration of the Recovery Act of 2009, coupled with exhausted UI benefits for long-time job seekers, are wind in the sails of systemic poverty, even as we know that the root causes of poverty include systemic racism, sexism, individualism, and greed.

And yet in the short term, data released this morning shows that an effective and targeted safety net can reduce hardship.  The Census Bureau data shows that without Unemployment Insurance, 2.3 million more people would have fallen below the poverty line. And new research, based on an updated and more comprehensive poverty measure, shows that SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) is so valuable, that 3.9 million people would not be considered poor if the benefit’s value were included in income measures. Likewise, the Earned Income Tax Credit provides the same support to 5.7 million people.

As Christians, we are called to respond to the tragedy of economic injustice, in which we are complicit. We cannot sit idly as poor people remain oppressed by systemic poverty and injustice. Children across the nation are living in poverty, without access to health coverage, in need of our soup kitchens and homeless shelters, and receiving SNAP, TANF, and other safety net benefits. While these programs, both private and public, exist for the common good, they are meant to be a safety net, not a long-term solution to growing and persistent inequality and injustice. This morning’s poverty data shows just how much work we have yet to do. Poverty is a pernicious disease that infects the very fabric of our nation.  We must attack it at its root, transforming the system that traps people in cycles of generational poverty, and ensure that every person has access to the opportunities of health and wholeness that God wishes for us all. With a spirit of prayerfulness and mindfulness, we prepare our hearts for the ways in which God is calling all of us to respond to this situation.

------

[i] Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011, US Census Bureau, accessed Sept. 12, 2012, http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p60-243.pdf.
[ii] “Declines in Unemployment Benefits and Government Employment Shaped Poverty Trends in 2011, Preliminary Data Suggest,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, accessed Sept. 12, 2012, http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3828.

Yesterday, the Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment released the following statement on the Trans Pacific Partnership and the onerous investment state provisions.

INTERFAITH WORKING GROUP

ON TRADE AND INVESTMENT

AWASHINGTON-BASED WORKING GROUP WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM A RANGE OF FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTED TO

ASSERTING A STRONGER PRESENCE OF COMMUNITIES OF FAITH IN PUBLIC POLICY DISCUSSIONS ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT.

Contact: Catherine Gordon(Chair, IWG on Trade and Investment)

(202) 543-1126 catherine.gordon@pcusa.org

As religious institutions and faith-based organizations with extensive global relationships, we have deep concerns about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement currently being negotiated.  Specifically, we are very troubled by the investor-state provisions that will harm public health, access to essential services, and the environment.

The leaked TPP investment chapter reveals a radical redefinition of foreign investor rights that would allow multinational corporations to sue governments for millions of dollars in compensation for environmental or public health safeguards by claiming that such protections constitute an infringement of their newfound “rights.”    Foreign investors could target and undermine policies ranging from bans on toxins to natural resource protections, just as they have done under the similar investment provisions of NAFTA and CAFTA.  Nearly $365 million has already been awarded to foreign corporations under NAFTA and CAFTA, to be paid by taxpayers, while over $13 billion remains pending in such investor-state cases.  Recent years have brought a proliferation of these extra-judicial suits—the investor-state caseload of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes has leapt 460% over the last 13 years.  

We see the effects that these investor-state provisions have on our partners around the world.  The indigenous people in the Ecuadorian Amazon suffering from the massive toxic water dumping of an international corporation, the children of La Oroya, Peru enduring extreme lead poisoning from a US investor-owned metallic smelter, and other victims of public health catastrophes have tried to seek justice by suing the corporations responsible.  Remarkably, those corporations have turned around and used the investor-state provisions enshrined in trade rules to evade justice and even to seek “compensation.”

We believe the principle of human dignity, so fundamental to our faith traditions, demands that international trade and investment respect the rights and needs of people above market principles. Moreover, it is our common conviction that if we are to respect the integrity of God’s creation, then the natural world, with all its richness and diversity, must not be sacrificed to shortsighted profit motivations.   Unfortunately, the investor-state provisions under negotiation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership undermine the very principles of human dignity and respect for the integrity of God’s creation which we support. 

In order for trade and investment practices to enhance the well being of people, private enterprise should advance distributive justice, sustainable human development, environmental protection, and poverty alleviation. Trade and investment should assist societies to meet social needs, such as secure livelihoods, health and education.  To this end, all governments engaged in the TPP negotiation process should reject the agreement’s dangerous investor-state provisions. 

The following members of the Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment have endorsed this statement:

Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach

Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM)

Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Medical Mission Sisters, Alliance for Justice

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate – Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Office

NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Office of Public Witness

United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society

Witness for Peace

Tell Congress to Stop Perpetuating Inequality

Congress has been debating cutting one poverty assistance program or another. Yet, there has been little conversation about changing the systems that create and perpetuate poverty.

Together with our ecumenical partners at the National Council of Churches and our interfaith colleagues in the Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs, we invite clergy and religious leaders' to sign this letter asking Congress to consider faithful alternatives to the budget and tax systems we currently have in place.

The letter is based on a statement, in part authored by PC(USA) Office of Public Witness staff, in collaboration with other Christian, Jewish, and Muslim organizations.

Tax and budget systems that privilege the wealthiest people while taking from the poorest feed a cycle of inequality that hurts all of us. Click here to sign and/or share the clergy and religious leaders' letter.

Together, let's send an important message to Congress:

The need is great, and the resources are abundant. For those to whom much has been given, much will be required.

-- Luke 12:48

Join us for Second Tuesday - Sept. 11

Please join us for the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness Second Tuesday Briefing on September 11, 2012.  

  

Location:             Office of Public Witness, PC(USA)

                             100 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 410

                             Washington DC  20002

Date:                    Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Time:                    10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon, lunch to follow

Topics:

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.          “The Next Free Trade Agreement: The Trans-Pacific Partnership”

Speaker:         Jessa Boehner

                        International Program Associate,

                        Global Trade Watch,

                                                Public Citizen

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon        “What gain have the workers from their toil?

                                                 Labor Issues, Denominational and Congregational Life”

                         Speaker:        Michael E. Livingston

National Director of Public Policy,

                                                                Director of the Washington Office,

Interfaith Worker Justice

                                                                                               

 Please RSVP to ga_washington_office [@] pcusa.org so that we can have an accurate count for space and lunch.   All are welcome, and we look forward to your joining us for lunch afterwards.  Thank you for your faithful witness.

Partnering for education and vocational discernment

TO:                  Educational Institutions: colleges, universities, seminaries, and theological schools

FROM:            J. Herbert Nelson, Director for Public Witness

                        Leslie Woods, Representative for Domestic Poverty & Environmental Issues

RE:                  On Becoming Partners in Training Servant Leaders

DATE:             August 23, 2012

We celebrate with you as you begin a new academic year of education and vocational discernment. We join with you in faith and eagerness to prepare new servant leaders and ministers for the church and broader society.  Because of this commitment to formation and vocational discernment, we would like to introduce to you our Internship and Summer Fellowship for Public Witness programs.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness in Washington, DC, believes that the formation of servant leaders and advocates is essential to our ministry.  Having maintained a presence in our nation’s capital since 1946, this office serves as the prophetic social witness and advocacy office of the PC(USA), representing the General Assembly’s statements on social justice and peace to national decision-makers and to Presbyterians across the country. In 2010, we revamped our internship program to provide more opportunities for young adults (and the young in spirit) to experience a broad range of experiential, professional, and vocational learning, and to study and engage in the ecumenical and interfaith political advocacy community in Washington, DC.

Our commitment to ecumenical and interfaith political advocacy is the cornerstone of our work. Members of our staff, together with other faith partners, advocate for legislation that achieves, or at least moves us toward economic justice and poverty alleviation; comprehensive immigration reform; an end to gun violence; Middle East peace; greater support and access for persons with disabilities; a torture-free world; fair (not free) trade policies; just and sustainable food and farm policies; environmental justice, and a host of other issues.

Further, we engage the PC(USA) in this work, empowering Presbyterians at all levels of the church to exercise their rights and responsibilities as Christian citizens of a wealthy and diverse nation.  We believe that this is an excellent training ground for persons desiring to learn more about social justice work in the twenty-first century.

As you prepare your students to be responsible citizens and leaders in society and/or the church, whether ordained or lay, we hope you will consider us as a partner in your task to educate, equip, inform, and transform the minds and lives of the theological students in your care.  Our Internship and Fellowship for Public Witness programs are excellent opportunities for your students to gain new experience and new knowledge, and we are happy to comply with institutional requirements, including field education/supervised ministry requirements, so that students may receive academic credit for their service with us.

Please invite your students to visit our website or to contact our Internships coordinator, Leslie Woods at leslie [dot] woods [@] pcusa.org, by email or by phone at (202) 543-1126.  Please distribute this information to interested students and encourage them to apply.  We look forwarding to partnering with you in the education and formation of your students.

AIDS Ministry Conference - Scholarships available!

Greetings!

I’m writing to invite you to attend an exciting event later this fall – “Creating AIDS Competent Churches and Church Leaders: Remembrance, Repentance, Responsibility” at Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, Nov. 29 – Dec. 1, 2012. 

At the direction of the 219^th General Assembly (2010), the Office of Public Witness (OPW) is partnering with the Presbyterian AIDS Network (PAN) to promote “Becoming an HIV and AIDS Competent Church: Prophetic Witness and Compassionate Action” policy.  We learned earlier this year that Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary (JCSTS - the PC(USA) constituent seminary in ITC in Atlanta) is launching a new academic certificate program on “Creating AIDS Competent Churches and Church Leaders.”  They are launching the introduction of this new certificate program at this conference Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2012, in Atlanta.

  

In the OPW, we were so excited about this that we reached out to partner with JCSTS. In addition to contributing to part of the program, we have decided to offer partial scholarships to the general public, with a particular focus on seminary students and folks already engaged in HIV/AIDS ministry.

Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Director for Public Witness, and I will join Margaret Aymer Oget, Randall Bailey, Mark Lomax, Guy Pujol, Beverly Wallace, Teresa Fry-Brown, Laurie Robins, and Troy Sanders as speakers at the conference. The Office of Public Witness is proud to join with Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian AIDS Network in promoting this exciting new movement in the life of the church.

If you are already engaged in this ministry, come to share best practices and fellowship with your colleagues in ministry. If you are new to this kind of outreach, come to learn from the veterans in the field.  If you are considering enrolling in the new academic certificate program, you’ve got to be there! Our partial scholarships will cover conference registration and hotel accommodation.  If you would like to apply for a scholarship, please fill out the application. Applications from the general public will be considered based on interest, need, and merit.  If you would like to register directly, you can register online.

I am asking you to do two things:

1.       Attend the conference! Make plans to be there. 

2.       Share the word about this conference and our partial scholarships with others who might be interested in brushing off old skills or building new ones around HIV/AIDS ministry.  A sample Facebook post is included below.

Important links:

Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary – look under “Featured News”

Conference brochure

OPW Save-the-Date flyer

Scholarship application

I hope to see you in Atlanta in November!

Blessings,

Leslie Woods

Representative for Domestic Poverty & Environmental Issues

PC(USA) Office of Public Witness

Sample Facebook post:

What does it meant to be a “HIV/AIDS Competent Church”?  Join others as we explore “Creating AIDS Competent Churches and Church Leaders”.  Johnson C. Smith Seminary is holding a conference on just that – Nov. 29 – Dec. 1, 2012, in Atlanta, GA.  The PC(USA) Office of Public Witness is offering partial scholarships, so visit OPW’s blog for conference links, a scholarship flyer, and the scholarship application. http://officeofpublicwitness.blogspot.com/2012/08/want-to-learn-more-about-hivaids.html

Save the Date - April 5-8, 2013 - Advocacy Training Weekend

Save the Dates! Registration Opening Soon!

This dynamic weekend in Washington, D.C., incorporates two events:

Compassion, Peace, and Justice Training Day on Friday, April 5,

and Ecumenical Advocacy Days, April 5-8.
The ministries of Compassion, Peace and Justice are coming together for the 3rd Annual CPJ Training Day to educate Presbyterians on the work of the PC (USA) in the face of the injustices in global food systems.  Following CPJ Training Day, the ecumenical community will gather during Ecumenical Advocacy Days to seek the abundance and equality that we find reflected in the biblical image of God’s great banquet table.  Inspiring speakers will offer a faith-based vision for fair and humane food policies and practices, along with grassroots advocacy training.  All culminating with Monday’s Lobby Day on Capitol Hill.  For more information on both events contact Catherine Gordon at catherine [dot] gordon [@] pcusa.org.

Want to Learn More About HIV/AIDS Ministry?

The 219th General Assembly (2010) adopted the resolution, “Becoming an HIV and AIDS Competent Church: Prophetic Witness and Compassionate Action,” in exercise of its responsibility to help the whole church address matters of “social righteousness.” The Assembly's action "challenge[d] the PC(USA) to become an HIV and AIDS competent denomination at all levels of the church and in all its ministries, combining emphasis on compassionate care with action to dismantle the social inequalities that create marginalized populations at great risk."

In response to this challenge, Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, the PC(USA) constituent seminary of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, has developed an educational conference on "Creating AIDS Competent Churches and Church Leaders: Remembrance, Repentance, and Responsibility."  The conference, to be held November 29 - December 1, will include workshops on biblical and theological foundations, education, pastoral care, preaching, asset mapping, and advocacy. Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson and Leslie Woods from the Office of Public Witness will join Margaret Aymer Oget, Randall Bailey, Mark Lomax, Guy Pujol, Beverly Wallace, Teresa Fry-Brown, Laurie Robins, and Troy Sanders as speakers at the conference. The Office of Public Witness is proud to join with Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian AIDS Network in promoting this exciting new movement in the life of the church.

A limited number of partial scholarships are available from the Office of Public Witness. The application can be accessed here and should be returned by September 30 to ga_washington_office@pcusa.org. Download a save the date flier to share with your friends and congregation here.

The Human Cost of Sequestration

The Sequester will enact $1.2 trillion in across the board spending cuts - half of which will come from defense spending and half from non-defense - and is set to go into effect this January, 2013. If the Sequester goes ahead unchecked, the massive spending cuts will seriously compromise programs that serve those who most need the services of our nation's safety net.

While the exact consequences of sequestration for safety net programs is not yet known, it is clear that they will be severe for those who need those programs the most. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that sequestration will result in 100,000 fewer children receiving Head Start and Early Head Start services and 80,000 fewer children receiving child care assistance. An estimated 12,000 fewer veterans will be served through the Jobs for Veterans program. Hundreds of thousands of people will lose nutritional benefits through the WIC program. The HHS Health Care for the Homeless program will be able to serve nearly 12,000 fewer people and nearly 187,000 people will lose Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance.

Our approach to upcoming sequestration needs to be rooted in our values – a balanced approach that addresses the deficit crisis with justice and compassion. On the one hand, we need to be good stewards of the resources we already have, making judicious cuts to defense, earmarks, and other wasteful spending, while preserving that which is most important for the good of all. On the other hand, we must increase revenue, in order to ensure that this nation can meet our need to operate a fair and just economy, which serves all of our human community. The nation’s deficit crisis cannot be solved through spending cuts alone – new revenues must be part of the solution. The need is great and the resources are abundant. The budget choices we make must reflect this reality.

As churches across the country observe Homelessness and Affordable Housing Sunday on August 5, the Office of Public Witness invites you tell you Member of Congress that we need faithful alternatives to the Sequester.  Members of Congress head home for August recess this weekend, so check your members’ websites to find out where they will have town halls and campaign events.  Tell them: if the Sequester goes into effect, hundreds of thousands of our sisters and brothers will lose the services our nation's safety net provides.

The Presbyterian Network to End Homelessness has released a new resource for Homelessness and Affordable Housing Sunday.  Visit http://justiceunbound.org/action-alerts/homelessness-affordable-housing-sunday/ for the PNTEH packet and many other helpful resources.

Advocacy Training Needed

Presbyterians Know Mission but Little About Advocacy

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. (John 14:26)

"Justice-centered advocacy work calls nations,
powers, and principalities to account on behalf of
God’s people for the sake of God in the world."

I am grateful for the privilege to have served the PC(USA) as the Director of the OPW for the past two years. The greatest aspect of my work is meeting Presbyterians who are both passionate and committed to the work of justice. My travels have taken me to 44 presbyteries and numerous congregations to preach, train, organize, and introduce persons to the work of advocacy. Oftentimes, Presbyterians will raise the question “why should the Church have an office in Washington, DC?” Or, “Why is the church involved in politics?” I discover upon further inquiry that many Presbyterians are not familiar with the term advocate or the work of advocacy as an aspect of our Christian calling to serve Jesus Christ.

In John 14:26, the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible uses the word “advocate” to describe the Holy Spirit.[i] The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) indicates that the word “advocate” comes from two Latin words “ad” and “vocare” meaning “called or summoned to another.” More specifically, the OED continues, “advocate” means, “called or summoned to plead another’s cause in court.” In this text, Jesus reminds us that God sent us an Advocate, One called to plead our case in the court of judgment. The Spirit is an Advocate. Therefore, we, who are filled with the Spirit, are called to a similar task as we work for the coming Kingdom of God. In our discipleship, we stand between humanity’s brokenness and the need for redemption through the lives we lead for Jesus Christ in the world. It must be noted that we do not serve as redemptive voices because of our righteousness. Instead, we serve by God’s grace.

The writer of I John writes “my little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (I John 2:1b). The word advocate in this passage comes from the Greek word paraklηoς (paraklētŏs – par-ak-lay-tos), meaning an intercessor or consoler. The writer reminds us of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, which relieves us of our sin, in order to assist us in living in the light. He reminds us of the importance of earnestly confessing our sins, which causes God’s justice to prevail (I John 1:9). In short, justice is sought through speaking truth to power in love.

Justice-centered advocacy work calls nations, powers, and principalities to account on behalf of God’s people for the sake of God in the world. This prophetic work is often misunderstood, but is linked to the work of faith as a preventative measure against unjust powers that deal out human pain. These powers include, but are not limited to political, church, governmental, and corporate entities. On the other hand, mission is our response to the consequence of human pain. Through mission, food is provided for the hungry; clothing for the naked; and visitations are made to the sick and imprisoned. As we, in the OPW, act in the tradition of the prophets, we encourage you to learn more about the work of advocacy that your denomination is doing with Presbyterians, as well as ecumenical and interfaith advocates.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of the Washington Report to Presbyterians. To download the entire newsletter, click here.

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[i] In previous Revised Standard translations, the word was translated “Counselor.”

Stand With Presbyterian Women: Take Action for Peace and Justice

The Office of Public Witness continues to provide immediate advocacy opportunities in the interactive PW Live exhibit at the Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women in Orlando, FL.

As the members of Presbyterian Women learn about and take action on important issues of peace and justice, we invite you to add your voice to theirs by taking action now on these important issues:

• Take Action to Prevent Violence Against Women: On April 26, the Senate passed a bill (S. 1925) to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) with bipartisan support. This bill strengthened protections for all victims, including immigrant women, Native women, and gay and lesbian victims. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives passed a version of this bill that turns back the clock on VAWA. The House bill lacks several of the protections included by the Senate - in fact, some of the differences in the House bill would actually increase the risk faced by some women. Congress needs to send to the President for his signature a real VAWA, with all of the provisions in S. 1925, that serves all victims and contains no rollbacks to the current VAWA. As more and more legislation is stalled due to Congressional gridlock, we need Congressional leaders to hear our strong and united message once and for all: your work on VAWA is not over. Ask your members of Congress today to solve any procedural challenges and pass an inclusive VAWA.
• It's Time for Just and Comprehensive Immigration Reform: The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Office of Public Witness was heartened by the announcement last month that President Obama signed Executive Order halting deportations of undocumented youth in the U.S. who would qualify for the DREAM Act, as it was passed by the House in 2011. DHS will begin a process for granting "deferred action" to these youth. Eligible individuals – including but not limited to those who are currently in deportation proceedings – will be allowed to remain and work in the U.S. The Administration’s action last month is an encouraging step forward toward needed reform, but it is not enough. DREAMers, who are our coworkers and neighbors, need stability, safety, and a permanent path to citizenship, which only Congress can provide. Tell Congress to follow the President’s lead, to pass the DREAM Act, and to take this important step towards just and comprehensive immigration reform.

The Office of Public Witness invites you to stand with Presbyterian Women as they advocate for these important peace and justice issues by taking action today, and to join us in praying for the participants and leaders at the Churchwide Gathering.