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Advocacy & Social Justice

‘Out of Fear and into Freedom’

PC(USA) Seminaries are crucibles of faith formation for our future ministers and they have joined a chorus of those responding to the threats and acts of violence over the last week.

Korean Unification Day looks toward peaceful reconciliation of Korean Peninsula

This week the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) recognizes a significant date along with other Korean partners of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) including the Presbyterian Church of Korea and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea. August 15th marks 72 years since Korea was liberated from Japanese occupation at the end of World War II.

SDOP disburses nearly $90,000 for self-help projects

The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) approved grants totaling $89,800 to fund five self-help projects in the United States and one in Belize. The national committee met recently to approve funding made possible through the One Great Hour of Sharing offering.

Office of Public Witness calls on Presbyterians to participate in fall event in Washington

The Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Office of Public Witness is calling on Presbyterians across the denomination to come to Washington D.C. this fall to speak out on the proposed federal budget. Church members, presbyteries and synods are being asked to gather on September 12 for a budget briefing, press conference and a visit to congressional offices.

Advocates gather around threats to family farmers and other Iowans

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) hosts its annual convention tomorrow and expects nearly 1,000 people from across the state to share concerns facing family farms. CCI was organized in 1975 when a handful of clergy began working on housing, crime and safety, and other urban concerns. When the 1980s Farm Crisis hit, they expanded the work throughout rural Iowa to support farmers by helping them obtain nearly $37 million in desperately needed credit. The Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP) supported that work financially for a number of years.

Big Tent Plenary addresses Ferguson three years later

The shooting death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri nearly three years ago, continues to impact the communities of St. Louis and the nation. That’s the assessment of a panel discussion titled “Grounding Big Tent in the St. Louis Context” held at Big Tent on Thursday.

Interfaith leaders hold 23-hour vigil on Capitol Hill

For 23 hours, a group of interfaith leaders from a variety of denominations, gathered on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol building on Thursday to pray, sing and speak out against the Senate and House versions of a new health care bill. The group described the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) as “a greatly flawed bill” that was being rushed to approval before there is a thorough examination of its contents.

Washington nonprofit shows strength in empowering low-income housing residents

Low income residents and immigrant communities in the Washington, D.C. area are getting help from a local non-profit, supported in part by the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People. ONE DC is working to improve social and economic equity by organizing, training and educating housing residents in Shaw and the District.