Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day
April 5, 2013 │ 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
New York Avenue Presbyterian Church │ Washington, D.C.
'Presbyterians for Food Justice'
In a world where close to 1 billion people cannot meet their basic food needs but there is enough food produced for all to eat well, what is the role of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in working towards a world where all of God’s children can be fed? The ministries of Compassion, Peace and Justice of the PC(USA) are coming together for the 3rd Annual CPJ Training Day in Washington, D.C., to educate Presbyterians on the role that the PC(USA) is playing in addressing the injustices in the current global food system.
Come and learn how we as individual Christians can work for food justice and explore the causes of hunger and malnutrition in the global food system. Experts from within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) along with our partners will lead workshops on the current food justice issues along with skill training sessions on advocacy and community organizing.
CPJ Training Day is hosted by the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness; Presbyterian Hunger Program; the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program; Self-Development of People; Presbyterian Disaster Assistance; the Presbyterian Ministry at the U.N.; Mission Responsibility through Investment; Environmental Ministries; Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association and Child Advocacy.
The 3rd Annual Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day Program Booklet is available! Download the event’s schedule, workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and much more!
Looking for a snapshot view of the schedule at the 3rd annual Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day, find it here!
Contact Catherine Gordon for more information.
Registration information
Location
New York Avenue Presbyterian Church
1313 New York Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20005
Training Day Fees
$60 – Full Day, not attending EAD
$40 – Full Day, also attending EAD
$20 – Full Day, student and youth (under 30)
Accommodations and Travel
We are partnering with Ecumenical Advocacy Days, which will take place at the Doubletree Crystal City. Click here to make reservations through the conference website.
Click here for travel information.
Speakers
Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Visit the CIW website
Bishop Don diXon Williams
Associate for African American Church Relationships
Bread for the World
Noelle Damico
Fair Food Concerns
Presbyterian Hunger Program
Cynthia White
Coordinator
Self Development of People
Workshop topics and leaders
Shedding Light: Bringing the Church’s Voice to the Public Debate
Secrecy is what fuels so many of the issues that contribute to global hunger: Corruption tied to the extractive industries that keeps government officials rich and the population devastatingly poor. Trade deals that give corporations sweeping powers, but little public input. Even the food that we eat is grown with seeds that are often genetically modified, but the package doesn’t say so. Land deals that push subsistence farmers off land and lease it to corporations to grow crops for export, while the locals go hungry.
Lead by: Alexa Smith - Joining Hands against Hunger, and Valery Nodem - International Hunger Concerns
Food justice, earth community, and eucharist
What does it mean to restore right relationships between people, God, and the earth in order to live out the justice and grace present in the Sacrament of Holy Communion? How could the church change lives if we lived out all our food relationships as an extension of the Table? Explore together what it might mean to care for creation, for all people, and to nurture our relationship with the Triune God as an act of eucharist (giving thanks) throughout God's earth.
Lead by: Rebecca Barnes-Davies, Environmental Ministries
Practicing a theology of enough with food – for ourselves, for our communities, for our land
What does Michael Pollan's famous quote: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants" mean to you? This interactive workshop will be a chance to share practices on choosing responsibly sourced food, choosing healthy food, choosing enough food and spiritual practices around food and stewardship (our bodies, land and time).
Lead by: Melanie Hardison - Enough for Everyone
One Body, Many Parts: Collaborating for a Just Food System
The Apostle Paul’s describes the church as a body with many members who need one another to function well; all members are important and necessary. The same might be said of a just food system. In this workshop we will explore criteria of a just food system, how our current food system measures up and successful, collaborative models among corporations, suppliers, workers and consumers, that are ensuring human rights and sustainability in the US and around the world.
Lead by: Andrew Kang Bartlett – National Hunger Concerns, and Noelle Damico – Fair Food Concerns
Public-Private Partnership: working together to reduce hunger
Jesus’ parable of the talents inspires us to invest or leverage our gifts for the kingdom of God. Learn about our faith community's criteria in evaluating and using such partnerships to ensure human rights and more economic stability for those living in poverty. We will look at experiences in Haiti and Baltimore with the goal that you are able to evaluate and influence Public-Private Partnership where you do mission and in your own city or state.
Lead by: Ruth Farrell – Coordinator, Hunger Program and Noelle Damico – Fair Food Concerns
West Africa Initiative: sustainable agricultural that builds rural communities
One Great Hour of Sharing ministry started in Liberia and Sierre Leone during the civil wars and from disaster recovery moved to long-term development and rebuilding of civil society. This sustainable agricultural work which strengthens the capacity of rural communities to develop self-reliant and independent organizations that improve food security and the economic and social well-being of their members was awarded the prestigious Equator Initiative Award from the United Nations Development Program this year. Discussion will focus on what makes agricultural projects most likely to succeed and contribute to building of civil society.
Lead by: Cynthia White – Coordinator, Self-Development of People, Luke Asikoye – Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Valery Nodem – International Hunger Concerns
Seeds: what is the big deal
From the Bible to science to politics and business, seeds and the food that results from it are discussed. Learn more about the issues tied to seeds through footage from overseas partners and others.
Lead by: Andrew Kang Bartlett – National Hunger Concerns, Rebecca Barnes-Davies – Environmental Ministries, and Ruth Farrell – Director, Hunger Program
Mabuhay- Long Live
From mangos to minerals, the Philippines are rich in natural resources. Nearly 100 million people live in the Philippines and 1/3 of them are poor and live in rural areas which are devastated by more than 20 significant weather events a year. More than 7 million documented Filipino migrant workers live and work in 168 countries and send some of their earning back to their families in the Philippines, which make up a significant part of the national economy. The Peacemaking Program will share information and stories from the recent travel study seminar to the Philippines.
Lead by: Nancy Eng MacNeill – Presbyterian Peacemaking Program
Following Jesus onto the Public Square
Some people say that religion and politics are two topics of conversation to be avoided—and certainly never mixed. However as followers of Jesus in the Reformed tradition, we recognize that our faith calls us to engage on the public square– to take part in the political processes that create public policies for our community, nation, and the global neighborhood. What are the theological imperatives that call people and communities of faith to engagement in the public square? How are people and communities of faith involved in the public square? How does our faith guide and sustain us as we engage in the public arena?
Lead by: Mark Koenig – Director, Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations
Oasis in the Desert
More and more people in the United States are finding themselves living in food deserts - communities without adequate access to food. In this workshop, you'll hear from residents in such areas who have organized themselves to address this issue. You will also learn what the Presbyterian Church (USA) is doing to assist some of these communities through the Self-Development of People ministry, and how you can become involved, thus living out the call to discipleship we have in Christ Jesus.
Lead by: Cynthia White – Coordinator, Self-Development of People
Raising Taxes and Raising Crops: A Report from the Tax Reform Study Team
Starting with a look at tax subsidies and expenditures in agriculture, the team will report on the strange logic of the tax code, primarily as it applies to Federal taxation. One week before tax deadline, the session will look at who bears the primary burdens of taxation and which incentives have the most impact. How can moral criteria be applied to this complex entity? What are the prospects for actual reform? The tax reform study was authorized by the 2012 General Assembly as part of its larger report on economic reconstruction in the United States.
Led by: Chris Iosso - Coordinator of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy
Discerning Peace and the Federal Budget
The 2010 Assembly affirmed a discernment process to reopen consideration of peace concerns, after 10 years of war I Afghanistan and Iraq, and 30 years after Peacemaking: The Believers' Calling. This process lifts up the example and teaching of a nonviolent Christ in relation to both "just war" and "just peacemaking" criteria, and also looks at the complicating matter of structural violence. With this framework, how do we evaluate the worth of our enormous military expenditure? What are the 'missions' for which its main areas are designated, and what are the contours of the less known, 'black' parts of the budget?
Led by Mark Davidson, Chair of the Peace Discernment Steering Team, Roger Powers, Consultant, and Jessica Hawkinson, M.Div, former Presbyterian Ministry at the UN Office.
Harvesting a Healthy Farm Bill: What's at stake?
The U.S. Farm Bill not only affects our nation’s farms, but rather is the single most important piece of legislation pertaining to food. The decisions we make and the policies we promote in the Farm Bill affect every level of the food system, from conservation and crop choices on farms, to energy production and use, to Food Stamps, to international food aid, to poverty alleviation and rural development. Last year, Congress allowed the Farm Bill to expire, sending our nation’s farm policy back to the 1930s. We still have much to do to update and reform the Farm Bill so that it promotes a healthy, just food system that ensures enough for everyone.
Led by Nelson Cowan - Office of Public Witness
Want Peace ? Work for Justice ! A Practical Workshop Leading to Advocacy
Advocacy on human rights and social justice issues may seem a daunting challenge, but there are certain tools that can help pave the way for a successful campaign. In this workshop we will go through the advocacy cycle and discuss how to organize and achieve our goals for a peaceful and just community – here in our own country as well as internationally. Strategies and tools will be provided to assist you in organizing in your own community. We will discuss:
- How to best analyze the issue
- Keys to setting goals and objectives
- Tips for crafting messages and asks
- Identifying targets and tactics
- Building strategic campaigns
- Tools in the Advocates Tool Box
Led by Leslie Woods - Representative for Domestic Poverty and the Environment and Catherine Gordon - Representative for International Issues, Office of Public Witness
Global Discipleship, Food and Hunger
Presbyterians have been involved in the UN system since its inception. Learn how the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations works to equip and inspire Presbyterians to engage in global discipleship and advocate for development, peace and justice issues based on the policy of Presbyterian General Assemblies especially on issues such as food security, climate change, nutrition, and land tenure. What strategies is the PC(USA) using to address food and hunger issues within the UN system? Where can you, your friends and your congregation make a difference?
Lead by: Ryan Smith, Presbyterian Representative to the United Nations
