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From FaithfulAmerica |
 Faithful
America’s February E-zine announces many opportunities for learning and
action
"Friends in High Places"
[2-15-06]
When Moses bowed before Yahweh on Mount Sinai, humbled by the monumental
commission he had just received from the Lord, Moses actually tried to get
out of the job... "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?" he pleaded. "O my
Lord, please send someone else." But in five words Yaweh delivered a promise
which emboldened Moses and rings in our ears today. The Lord said, "I will
be with you."
The story is worth reading (Exodus 3-4) - and so is this month's ezine.
It is full of challenges and opportunities for putting your faith into
action. You may read it and say, "Who am I? or even "Lord, please send
someone else," but you, like Moses, can find strength in those ancient and
powerful words: "I will be with you."
Let me share another bit of wisdom popularized by a modern motivational
speaker, Anthony Robbins. He says "never leave the site of a decision
without taking some action toward its attainment." Today, as you think about
all there is to be done in areas of peace, poverty, planet earth, and
people's rights, take heart - and then, take ACTION.
Here's what you can do today:
Move M ountains
– join in Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, DC
Help End Poverty
– use a new study guide from the National Council of Churches
Help Stop the Genocide
– join a million others demanding a stronger US response to the genocide in
Darfur
Help Cool Global Warming
– with the 86 evangelical Christian leaders who have joined together to
launch an "Evangelical Climate Initiative"
Save Our National Parks
– speak out against National Park Service moves to ease protections of the
parks
Step Aboard the Seoul Train
– get a free copy of Seoul Train, an extraordinary film that
exposes North Korea’s human rights abuses
From the Hill
to the Mountaintop: Ecumenical Advocacy Days
Are you ready to move some mountains? Time is running out to register for
the 3 ½ day faith-building, community-sharing, skill-mastering experience in
democracy and advocacy:
Ecumenical Advocacy Days
This is the progressive faith community’s largest event of its kind. Join
us March 10-13 in Washington, DC as we:
 | Learn about the key issues of faith and public life – 8 unique tracks
to choose from |
| Discover the resources needed to stay informed – used by lawmakers,
leaders, and life-changers |
| Forge relationships with other persons of faith to support each
other’s efforts (there IS strength in numbers!) |
| Engage with members of Congress ON Capitol Hill during Lobby Day |
FaithfulAmerica is one of many proud sponsors of this annual event.
Go HERE to learn more!
( link:
http://www.advocacydays.org)
End Poverty?
Yes We Can!
If the poor will always be with us, why should we eradicate extreme
poverty?
Because we can, experts say. Humanity has the means to end worldwide
poverty in our lifetime. The real question is, will we do it?
A new study guide released by the National Council of Churches USA,
Eradicating Poverty: A
Christian Study Guide on the Millennium Development Goals,
tackles these and other pressing issues.
You can learn more and order this resource here.
(link:
http://www.ncccusa.org/news/060201eradicatingpoverty.html
)
A Million Voices
for Darfur
FaithfulAmericans have responded over and over
to calls to help end the genocide in Darfur. Let us pledge that, with your
continued vigilance, we will not stop until the killing in Darfur stops.
The Save Darfur Coalition, in cooperation with over 150 faith-based,
advocacy, and humanitarian aid organizations (including FaithfulAmerica), is
proud to announce the launching of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign,
an unprecedented effort to raise awareness of the genocide taking place in
Darfur and promote the actions necessary to end it.
The goal of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign is to generate one
million hand-written and electronic postcards from Americans demanding a
stronger and more effective U.S. response. Specifically, the campaign calls
on the United States government to support a stronger multinational force to
protect the civilians of Darfur.
Go here to visit the
Million Voices site and learn more >>
To learn more about the Darfur genocide, check out
FaithfulAmerica’s Briefing room here >>
(information appears courtesy of
SaveDarfur.org)
Evangelicals Join NCC, Others to Fight Global Warming
86 evangelical Christian leaders have joined together to launch an
"Evangelical Climate
Initiative" and called for federal legislation to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions via a cap-and-trade market system.
This move comes after 22 evangelical leaders -- including Bush-friendly
political heavyweights James Dobson and Charles Colson -- warned the
National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) against issuing just such a
statement earlier this month. The NAE didn't sign on to the new statement,
but its president Ted Haggard says he's personally convinced global warming
is real and dangerous, and NAE Vice President Richard Cizik helped persuade
other leaders -- including best-selling author and megachurch leader Rick
Warren -- to get on board.
These evangelical leaders join other religious leaders and faith
organizations such as the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, the
National Council of Churches and its member communions, and the U.S.
Catholic Conference of Bishops in the fight against climate destruction. For
more information on the climate change initiatives by the faith community,
visit
www.nccecojustice.org/climate.htm or
www.protectingcreation.org .
Wild and
Wonderful – Or Noisy Off-road Nightmare?
Psalm 19:1 declares that "the heavens are telling the glory of God and
the firmament proclaims his handiwork." For many, our National Parks offer
some of the best escapes for prayer, spiritual discernment, undisrupted
family time, and reconnecting with the Creator.
But the National Park Service is in the process of changing the rules
governing the parks, and the new changes could mean increased
commercialization as well as more air pollution, haze, noise, and damage
from off-road vehicles and livestock.
If you have not already taken action, It is NOT too late. The National
Park Service is receiving comments from citizens now through February 18.
Go here to learn more and
take action. We have included a
sample letter for you to use as you help preserve God’s greatest gift to
God’s children. Here’s the link:
http://ga3.org/campaign/protectourparks
Seoul Train –
A MUST SEE film for your faith community
The human rights story of the people of North Korea is rarely told. Some
experts say that in the last decade more than 10% of North Korea's
population has starved to death, and hundreds of thousands more still wallow
in forced labor camps as political prisoners. This must stop.
Our friends at Ironweed, the progressive socially-minded monthly DVD film
club, are setting out to make the plight of North Koreans known. You may
sign up now to receive a free copy of Seoul Train, an
extraordinary film that exposes North Korea’s human rights abuses and
profiles the modern-day Underground Railroad helping to lead North Korean
refugees from China into safety in South Korea. We encourage you to show
this powerful film to your family, friends, neighbors, and faith community.
Go HERE to learn more.
Link:
http://www.ironweedfilms.com/how_it_works/faithfulamerica?viapc=EM14CFA
(Note – you may get this DVD for free through Ironweed, but it does
involve a signup for a monthly fee. FaithfulAmerica is a partner, and we
think it’s worth it, but you should know up front)
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A Word to the
Overwhelmed...
October-November, 2005
If you are feeling a sense of overwhelm at the earthquake
in Pakistan, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, the ongoing cost of the
war, and so many other issues, take courage. It means your heart is still
beating and opens to the needs of others. That is a very good place
to be.
We can ’t do it all, but we
can respond in ways that are helpful, nourishing, and right for us at
this time in our lives. Besides, some VERY good things are happening as a
result of your efforts. Here are just two:
Fair Wages Restored in Gulf
Region You and your fellow FaithfulAmericans
flooded Washington with some 40,000 letters to the President and lawmakers
urging the President to reverse his decision cutting wages for workers in
the devastated Gulf region. The President HEARD you and has decided to
re-instate the prevailing wage law. YOU helped make that happen!
Nuke Bunker Buster Stopped!
By your voice through FaithfulAmerica (more than 31,000 letters strong) YOU
helped to reverse the President’s
call for a nuclear bunker buster. That is a MAJOR step forward in the call
for no nukes.
These would not have happened without you. Yet there is so much more to do.
And yes, we all have limited energies and resources, but as people of faith,
we know that our true power is the power of love.
So do what you can do. Do not worry about what you cannot do. Please
take time now to glance over the ways below you can put your faith into
action. As you do, know how grateful we are for your abiding compassion, and
your thoughtful witness for good in the world.
Ways You Can Make A Difference Today:
DARFUR NEEDS US STILL
- The Senate is expected to vote on
the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act as early as next week. This is a
major step forward in helping stem the genocide in Sudan, so watch for an
alert early next week. Your letter will make a difference!
Rx FOR CHILD SURVIVAL :
FaithfulAmerica is proud to be a partner in the upcoming PBS special,
Rx For Child Survival,
addressing the fight to help children around the world survive the scourge
of hunger and preventable disease. Tune in to your local PBS station on Nov.
1-3 at 9PM for "Rx
for Child Survival: A Global Health Challenge"
and watch FaithfulAmerica messages for more!
Read more here on our website.
EVERYONE DESERVES A LIVING WAGE :
Sign up to be part of Living Wage Days
– to help end one of the systemic causes of
poverty in the U.S. This is part of the Let Justice Roll campaign’s
ongoing fight for a living wage. (URL:
http://www.letjusticeroll.org)
HELP SURVIVORS OF WILMA AND THE PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE.
Give to help Church World Service aid earthquake victims in Pakistan.
Some 79,000 people were killed in the Oct. 8 earthquake and more than 2.5
million people are homeless because of the calamity. (URL:
http://www.churchworldservice.org/)
DEMAND MORAL REBUILDING :
WATCH the "Higher
Ground Promise"
AD and
help us get it on the web and radio. It’s all
about urging Congress to adopt moral standards in the rebuilding of the Gulf
Coast. It’s something we can ALL do that will help
in both the short and long term as our nation recovers from Katrina. Learn
more at the
Higher Ground Promise Website
(http:www.highergroundpromise.org)
HELP STOP TORTURE:
Write to Congress urging support of the McCain
Anti-Torture amendment, calling for clear
and humane guidelines for the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody. Many
of you have already sent your letters. Thank you! Let’s
keep the pressure on to support this important measure.
Read the complete article
at the FaithfulAmerica Website.
REMEMBRANCE WEEKEND: It's not too
late to sign up your faith community to participate in Remembrance Weekend
(which starts TODAY) - it's a time marking the 2000th death of a U.S.
soldier in Iraq, remembering ALL those who have perished in the Iraq war.
For more information, go to our
Remembrance Page where you can sign up AND
download a variety of resources from many different faith traditions. (http://www.faithfulamerica.org/soldiers.html)
PRAY:
Offer your prayers for others to read on our
Faithful America
Prayer site.(URL:
http://www.faithfulamerica.org/create_prayer.php)
In the end, love is all we really have. Each of us is
capable of giving and receiving love, and each of us knows our own capacity
for giving. But whatever your response, one thing is certain
– the compassion you feel for others -
even when it begins to overwhelm you –
is your connection with those who need your love right now.
Blessings to you as always,
Vince Isner and your FaithfulAmerica Team
Faithful America.org
110 Maryland Avenue NE, Suite 108;
Washington, DC 20002
tel: 202.544.2350;fax: 202.543.1297
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Visit
our lively
new website! |
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GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
General Assembly have now been acted upon by the presbyteries,
confirming most of them as amendments to the PC(USA) Book of Order.
We provided resources to help inform the
reflection and debate, along with updates on the voting.
Our three areas of primary interest have been:
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Amendment 10-A,
which removes the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers.
Approved! |
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Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. Disapproved, because as an amendment
to the Book of Confessions it needed a 2/3 vote, and did not
receive that. |
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Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
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If you like what
you find here,
we hope you'll help us keep Voices for Justice going ... and
growing!
Please consider making a special
contribution -- large or small -- to help us continue and improve
this service.
Click here to send a
gift online, using your credit card, through PayPal.
Or send your check, made
out to "Presbyterian Voices for Justice" and marked "web site," to
our PVJ Treasurer:
Darcy Hawk
4007 Gibsonia Road
Gibsonia, PA 15044-8312 |
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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