PC(USA) - Presbyterian Peacemaking Program - 2008 Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference


	2008 Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference Sowing Mustard Seeds: Working for God’s Justice — Confronting Poverty July 15-19, 2008 Chapman University Orange, California This conference is intended to deconstruct the multiple issues that connect and entwine to sustain poverty in our communities and the world. It is designed for participants who want an introduction and participants who seek in-depth understanding and skill building. People of all ages who work toward peace and justice will join in fellowship, learn, play and worship together during this time for re-energizing and re-connecting under the warm California sun! Register online for the conference, or download a conference registration form and brochure. Theological Student Workers (Application Deadline Extended) Conference scholarships (Application Deadline Extended) Flying and shuttle information Joining Hands against Hunger Network and Hunger Action Enablers Communal Discernment Pre-Conference Event Conference leadership Conference highlights Conference theme statement Apply to be a Theological Student Worker Theological Student Workers (TSWs) are current theological students who are interested in working behind the scenes of the conference and assist with worship leadership, spiritual nurture, office tasks and other duties. In exchange, the TSWs community gathers for theological reflection with the conference speakers, General Assembly Staff and other leaders from around the country. TSW applications must be received by May 12, 2008. Apply for a scholarship Limited funds are available for scholarships towards registration costs for racial-ethnic persons, first-time participants in a Peacemaking Program event and young adult participants. Scholarship applications must be received by May 12, 2008. Flying and shuttle information If you’re flying, Chapman University is 11 miles from Orange County/John Wayne International Airport (SNA) and 40 miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Shuttle service is available via Prime Time Shuttle. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (800) 733-8267 or online. Please refer to profile #305606 to receive a discounted rate. Fares range in price from $10-$40 per person, depending on the number of participants per vehicle. Consider purchasing a carbon offset for the greenhouse gas emissions generated by traveling to the conference. Visit Native Energy for more information. The 217th General Assembly (2006) passed a resolution encouraging all Presbyterians to live “carbon-neutral” lives. Register for the Joining Hands Against Hunger networks and Hunger Action Enablers pre-conference event Joining Hands Against Hunger is a program that builds bridges of solidarity between coalitions of churches in the United States and networks overseas churches, grassroots groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). During the “Living the Story” segment, conference participants will hear stories from some of the international partners of Joining Hands on what and where they are seeing change and how conference participants can engage in positive change. Members of the Joining Hands Against Hunger (JHAH) networks and Hunger Action Enablers (HAE) will participate in a pre-conference event. Register online for the JHAH/HAE pre-conference event. Ms. Discernment Meets Mr. Roberts: Register for the communal discernment pre-conference event July 13–15, 2008 (starts with dinner on July 13 and ends at noon on July 15) Discernment involves approaching a decision or seeking clarity for direction through a consensus-building process grounded in the spiritual practices of prayer, listening, surrender and reflection. It strengthens relationships and understanding while seeking guidance from God. The pre-conference event will engage participants in experiencing the steps of a discernment process and reflecting on our experience. The discernment steps can be used by various types and sizes of groups, from small committees to large assemblies. Case studies of how Presbyterians have used a discernment process will be shared, as well as a newly published booklet on “Guidelines for Communal Discernment.” Facilitators are Gradye Parsons and Vicky Curtiss, who have led workshops on discernment processes at every level of the church. Contact Vicky Curtiss for more information about the content of the event. Register online for the communal discernment pre-conference event. Meet your conference leaders Keynote Speakers Anuradha Mittal, executive director of The Oakland Institute and a native of India, is an internationally renowned expert on trade, development, human rights and agriculture. Roberto Jordan, president of the Reformed Church in Argentina, is a member of the executive committee of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and one of the drafters of the Accra Confession. Lisa Schirch is professor of peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University and program director of the 3D Security Initiative, which promotes conflict prevention and peacebuilding in U.S. security policymaking. Theological Reflection/ Preacher Mark Lomax chartered the First African Presbyterian Church, the first unapologetically African-centered Christian witness in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He is interim dean at Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary and chair of the homiletics department at the Interdenominational Theological Seminary. Music Patrick Evans is an associate professor of the practice of sacred music in the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale Divinity School. A recent trip to Africa provided an exchange of learning with church musicians and pastors from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan. Community Cindy Edwards is the radio host for a folk music show, a guide for mountain biking and hiking tours and an avid backpacker. Cindy calls the planet Earth home, but her photo albums and journals live on Baranof Island in Sitka, Alaska. Concert Artists Creative Planet School of the Arts is a charter school for children in kindergarten through 8th grade. This group will “amaze and inspire.” They are based in Baldwin Park in Pasadena, California. Conference highlights A sampling of workshop topics: Fair Food Trafficking Peacemaking Water Privatization Child Soldiers Living Wage and Minimum Wage Fair Trade Immigration Racism Caring for Creation Sudan Enough for Everyone Iraq Nonviolent Social Change Extractives Industry Investments Conference theme statement Today globalization creates new forms of poverty with more extreme disparities between the rich and the poor. The annual income of the richest 1 percent is equal to that of the poorest 57 percent, and 24,000 people die each day from poverty and malnutrition. The majority of those in poverty are women and children. The number of people living in absolute poverty on less than one dollar per day continues to increase (Accra Confession. World Alliance of Reformed Churches, 2004). In 2006, as many as 36.5 million people in the United States lived in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau). Jesus calls us to be aware of the systems that impoverish people and, through the parable of the mustard seed, teaches us of the power of small acts of peaceful resistance to crack those systems open. Gathering in Southern California as an intergenerational group, participants in the conference will: deepen our awareness of the causes and effects of poverty explore the effects of empire — the convergence of economic, political, cultural and military systems that force and facilitate the flow of wealth and power from vulnerable persons, communities and countries to the more powerful be equipped to live as disciples of Jesus who work to ensure that all of God’s children are cared for and have places at the table through organizing advocating joining existing campaigns and movements educating networking cultivating peaceful resistance to empire


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