JPANet December 2019 Newsletter

December Newsletter

Getting to the Root of It

In honor of Human Rights Day on December 10 we’ve asked human rights worker Michael Joseph to share his experience in Colombia. Read Michael’s story and hear why this day is so important.

Working for Human Rights in Colombia

It has been my honor to serve the United Church of Christ (as well as the Disciples of Christ) through Global Ministries in Colombia, as a human rights worker, for the past twelve years. I am not sure there could have been a more meaningful or interesting country in which to work for human rights over this time period. (Read more).

 

 

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Justice Events

Save the Date for Ecumenical Advocacy Days – April 24-27, 2020

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

Together in Hope: An Advent Action Calendar

During Advent, we anticipate and prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ. We can use this time of waiting and anticipation to take action around issues that are of concern to our global partners, particularly those in Southern Asia. The calendar is available here. 

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!

The Torture report

The Torture Report movie starring Adam Driver and Annette Bening is now available to stream on Amazon Prime. The film depicts the CIA’s torture program and the effort to bring this dark chapter in our nation’s history to light. The United Church of Christ and other faith communities have been outspoken in our opposition to torture in all its forms. Consider organizing a congregational screening of this movie using the toolkit provided by our partner organization, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture – possibly even as a way to mark Human Rights Day on December 10th.

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. Our vote is our voice, – it is an important way to participate in the common good and to help shape the way we approach the policy challenges before us. Faith voices are an essential and unique voice in the electoral process. 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:

The Witness of Water | Road Work Ahead | What if Your Dreams were Ripped Away? | Truth-Seeking Leads to Truth-Telling