You are currently subscribed to the PCUSANEWS listserv of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
========================================
This story online at: http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2007/07158.htm
07158
March 19, 2007
New GAC committee calls for more time to discuss justice and peace
Appeal backed up with actions on Iran, sex trafficking
by Toya Richards Hill
LOUISVILLE * Creating a block of time when General Assembly Council (GAC) members can openly discuss justice issues and world concerns is needed in a newly restructured GAC, said members of the GAC's new Justice and Compassion goal area committee.
Discussions of how the restructured GAC might best achieve its goals was part of the overall work of four new committees that met for the first time during the March 13-16 GAC meeting here.
The four committees, rather than reflecting the GAC's staff structure, are built around the four priority goal areas of the council's 2007-2008 Mission Work Plan (MWP).
In addition to justice and compassion, those goal areas are evangelism and witness; spirituality and discipleship; and leadership and vocation.
Previous experience has been that the GAC agenda has been so heavy that the council's work has been reduced to sound bites, said GAC member Manley Olson, vice-chair of the Justice and Compassion committee.
The council is good at listing what it does, but not so much why, and "how we expect that this is going to make a difference," he said. "We need to block out time" to deal with an issue, he added, which might then produce "a council that has better understanding of what we are as a council."
"It's modeling for the church as well, that the GAC takes seriously looking at the gospel and looking at the issues of the world," said the Rev. B. Gordon Edwards, also a Justice and Compassion committee member.
The justice and compassion goal: "*to address wrongs in every aspect of life and the whole of creation, intentionally working with and on behalf of the poor, oppressed and disadvantaged people as did Jesus Christ, even at the risk to our own corporate and personal lives."
The committee, chaired by Andrea Stokes of Little Rock, AR, heard information on the work currently being done related to the justice and compassion priority goal area, with less emphasis placed on specific programs and more focus on programmatic "cross-pollination" to achieve the goals.
"We intentionally shaped this presentation to blur the boundaries that we have instituted by naming programs," said Sara Lisherness, director of the PC(USA)'s Peace and Justice program area. "We really do want to break down those silos (between program offices) * and begin working as a collaborative agency."
Committee members affirmed the MWP goals and objectives for justice and compassion, which focus on poverty and peace, and suggested that the GAC itself needed to take a more vocal stand as a body on justice and compassion issues.
"I would hope we would claim our voice and say GAC has a voice ... in the Christian dialogue," Edwards said. If there is a world issue in the forefront, "we need to be able to say something."
Following that tack, the GAC on Friday, March 16, authorized its Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee (MRTI) to continue working to persuade Hilton Hotels to adopt a corporate code addressing child prostitution and sex trafficking.
The hotel chain, one of several being approached by religious groups, has so far refused to dialogue about adopting a corporate code of conduct designed to its witting or unwitting participation in the growing international sex tourism industry.
The council encouraged MRTI to inform Presbyterians about the situation with Hilton Hotels, and to enlist their participation in communicating to the company about the need for positive action to address child prostitution and trafficking.
The council also voted to back the peacemaking efforts of the Evangelical Church of Iran (ECI).
The council "acknowledged with gratitude" the U. S. administration's willingness to consider participation in dialogue that would include Iran and Syria, and pledged the PC(USA)'s prayerful support.
The GAC also urged congregations and church members to encourage U.S. political leaders "to make serious efforts to enter into and persist in direct diplomatic dialogue with leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, so that by all means, a military confrontation would be avoided" and invited Presbyterian military chaplains in Iraq "to engage with the church in prayers for God's peace and wellbeing of all peoples in the region,"
Resources for prayer and advocacy for peace in Iraq, Iran and the entire Middle East are available on the church's Web site, [http://www.pcusa.org/worldwide/weekofprayer/resources.htm] programmatic officials said.
========================================
You are currently subscribed to the PCUSANEWS listserv of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to
mailto:PCUSANEWS-unsubscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org.
To update your email address, send your old email address and your new one to mailto:PCUSANEWS-owner@halak.pcusa.org.
For questions or comments, send an email to mailto:PCUSANEWS-owner@halak.pcusa.org.
To learn more, visit http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 100 Witherspoon Street Louisville, KY 40202 (888) 728-7228