JPANet January 2020 Newsletter

January Newsletter

Getting to the Root of It

January is Human Trafficking Awareness month. With this in mind, we asked Global Ministries’ Associate for Global Advocacy and Education Rebekah Choate to speak to the complexities of human trafficking at home and abroad.

A Different Story

January is recognized in the United States as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and the 2009 UCC Synod Resolution against human trafficking urges congregations to recognize January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Human trafficking, also known as modern slavery, affected and estimated 40.3 million people in 2016, including 24.9 million people in forced labor and 15.4 million in forced marriage, and is the third most profitable form of transnational crime. (Read more).

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Justice Events

Human Trafficking Awareness Day – January 11

The 2009 UCC Synod Resolution against human trafficking urges congregations to recognize January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Use the Sunday closest to the date to learn about trafficking in persons and discuss how to become advocates for those victimized by such human rights abuses. Find resources from Global Ministries here:https://www.globalministries.org/human_trafficking_awareness_day_january_11

Save the Date for Ecumenical Advocacy Days – April 24-27

Around the world, the marginalized communities are experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis most profoundly. Women and children in these communities suffer the most along with all those who are disproportionately affected by hunger, poverty, and the structural history of colonialism and racism. EAD 2020 will focus on this intersection between climate change and economic injustice as together we gather to “Imagine, God’s Earth and People Restored!”  Join us at EAD 2020 and plan to join a UCC pre-event on Friday April 24th. 

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Justice in Action

Webinar: Activist Theology with Robyn Henderson-Espinoza

Intellectual activist and theologian Robyn Henderson-Espinoza has been named one of 10 Faith Leaders to Watch by the Center for American Progress. With a new book entitled “Activist Theology,” Henderson-Espinoza will help us connect the struggle for creation justice to the kind of theological reflection needed to build a movement. Even if you can’t make the webinar’s scheduled time, still sign-up, and we will send a recording. Register today!

A Call for an All-Out Mobilization of Churches to Address Climate and Inequality

In recognition of the urgent need to address the intertwined crisis of climate and inequality, the UCC Council for Climate Justice has issued a call for an all-out mobilization of churches over the next ten years. For the next ten weeks, the council will offer a weekly suggested action for churches. Read about the call to mobilize and then read the first suggested action.

New Our Whole Lives Level Available!

The UCC and Unitarian Universalist Association are proud to announce the publication of Our Whole Lives for Older Adults. Written by Melanie Davis, Ph.D., this curriculum is comprehensive, progressive, and addresses sexuality with sensitivity and respect for older adults’ wisdom and life experience. The Sexuality and Our Faith for Older Adults companion manual will be available soon! Order today at owl.uccresources.com!

Use your Voice: Our Faith Our Vote in 2020

A pivotal election year is right around the corner. The challenges before our communities, our nation and our world are as urgent as ever, and require our prayerful and faithful engagement. The UCC Our Faith, Our Vote, Our Voice campaign offers resources to help congregations engage the electoral process in a meaningful, nonpartisan way, through voter education, issue education and voter empowerment and mobilization: www.ourfaithourvote.org.  

We are looking forward to a strong and robust Our Faith Our Vote campaign in 2020, expanding our resource offerings and offering opportunities for engagement and action on many levels. To keep to up to date with the 2020 Our Faith Our Vote campaign, sign up for the UCC 2020 Our Faith Our Vote listserv to receive updates on new resources, webinars and ways to engage your congregation and community in this challenging election year.

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Justice Resources

The Pollinator

The Pollinator is a digital platform of the UCC for the sharing of ideas and inspiration. Its focus is the building of a faith-filled and faith-rooted movement for the care of creation

Witness for Justice
Looking for up-to-date social justice commentary? Check out Witness for Justice, a weekly editorial opinion column written by the staff of Justice and Witness Ministries.

Featured topics:

Confessions of a First Time Voter | Breaking the Silence | Jesus was a Migrant | Our Words and Actions are Incongruent