Conversation Spaces
Sunday, June 10, 11:15- 12:15
These sessions will emphasize stories, learning, and best practices, getting participants engaged in sharing their experiences and asking questions of one another.
Talking Justice in the Pews: Preparing for the Tough Questions
As congregations begin to deepen their commitment to hungry people and add advocacy and action to compassion and mercy, pastors and lay leaders face challenges. They must grapple with questions of theology and power, conflict and praxis. Local church leaders will share effective strategies, stories and useful resources in navigating churches through these often turbulent moments.
Urban-Rural Connections: Cultivating a Heart for Hungry People
Organizations like Foods Resource Bank and Together For Hope have forged lasting partnerships among farmers and rural community leaders, churches and mission teams from large metropolitan areas, and national religious bodies. In working together on successful strategies to end hunger, all who participate learn. All are fed—hungry people literally, churches spiritually.
Spiritual Resources That Sustain —Growing the Anti-Hunger Movement in Your Heart
From local soup kitchens and food pantries to national or international ministries and movements, people are heeding God's call to feed people in need and advocate for hungry and poor people. Pastors, teachers and spiritual guides have created prayers, practices and other invitations to ground these actions. They will share what inspires and sustains them.
Justice Walking: U.S. and Overseas Communities
In communities and churches around the globe, local church leaders answer the call of Scripture to build practical strategies for community and human development. They build organizations that link people to each other and inspire them to act on their faith. Although they may take place in dramatically different settings, the stories of these movements of spirit and action have a lot in common.
Campaigns That Matter: Micah Challenge, ONE, Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty, Save Darfur.
National campaign organizers, church and campus leaders share successes and challenges in galvanizing social movements that respond to hunger, poverty, genocide and disease. These campaigns show justice-minded leaders on college campuses and in local churches how to take concrete action and multiply their faith like the mustard seed of Scripture.
Lessons of Katrina: Rebuilding and Reframing the Debate
How quickly the faces of poverty revealed by Hurricane Katrina have faded from public consciousness. This in spite of the thousands of faith-based mission teams that have been deployed to the Gulf Coast and organizational efforts that roused a public response to millions of our fellow Americans marginalized by hunger and poverty. How can we learn from these lessons? What will it take to remember the faces of Katrina and poverty in America?
Advocacy: The Grassroots Edition
Each year individuals and churches, campus and seminary leaders decide to venture into advocacy for the first time. Longtime activists and those freshly energized to raise their voices against hunger, poverty and disease share their stories, and organizers share tips for new advocates.
Advocacy: The Inside Edition
Capitol Hill staffers—people on the receiving end of our advocacy efforts—have a unique vantage point. They can offer encouragement, advice and even criticism of our efforts to move specific legislation forward and influence the policies and funding which govern hunger and poverty programs. Hear their stories of how elected leaders make the critical decisions to advance or stymie our efforts.
The Front Lines of the Anti-Hunger/Poverty Movement
While Washington, DC-based advocacy is critical to achieve policy change, the movement to reduce hunger and poverty is built on the day-to-day presence and work of leaders, organizers and churches, especially those in low-income communities. Hear from leaders "on the ground" who change lives, build communities s and develop the immediate responses where people are hurting but structures and policies are not helping.
Beyond the Mission Trip: A Dialogue
In recent decades, more and more volunteers from campuses and churches have traveled to the developing world to respond to poverty. What can we learn from each other when we are coming from different economic and ethnic backgrounds yet share a desire for transformation? This session will promote dialogue between the developed world and the developing world on how we can work together to create lasting change.
HIV/AIDS: Saving Lives through Compassion and Advocacy
Celebrities, churches and faith-based organizations have responded to the devastation of the AIDS pandemic. Advocacy has garnered impressive commitments from the United States and, other governments, and the private sector -- addressing prevention, education and all levels of care for victims, orphans and entire communities. Is it enough?
Weaving Justice into Worship
Great preachers and liturgists, talented musicians and worship leaders can sustain, inspire and challenge people of faith. Worship can give a strong backbone to movements for justice. Meet some of the seasoned and new talent in this domain. Hear and experience their evolving work.
Generation Change – Opening the Door for Young Leaders and New Energy
New energy among campus, seminary and young professional leaders has fueled organizations from the Hip-Hop Caucus to the ONE Campaign. Yet relationships with seasoned mentors, activists and organizers are key for sustained success. What are the challenges and tensions in making room for – and nurturing the potential of – talented new leaders?
Trade Justice
Churches are serving fair trade coffee and ordering eco-friendly palm fronds. Campus campaigns around sweatshop-free sportswear have drawn new attention to lifestyle choices and using economic power. People of faith in the pews are joining trade justice campaigners in grappling with the many ways that trade is a touchstone for ending hunger and poverty. Where can you start and how can you take effective action on such a complicated issue?
Backyard Harvest: Healthy Local Solutions
Urban churches, farmers, low-income neighborhood groups and communities of women religious are finding ways to produce and distribute food close to home. Motivated by the need for food security, biblical imperatives, and ecological concerns, they are developing creative solutions that save the land, involve leaders in high-poverty areas, and leave everyone healthier.
Blogging for a Just Cause
What is the role of technology in building an advocacy movement? It is undeniable that there is growing use of blogs, YouTube, Facebook and MySpace to raise awareness and create connections among those dedicated to a cause. What are the success stories? How can we use these new vehicles in our movement? This session will help you create a strategic plan to use technology for advocacy.
Faces of Hunger and Poverty: Photographs from Around the World and Right Next Door
Photographs that tell a story about hunger and poverty are often unforgettable. But what makes a great photographer is one who sees beyond pain and suffering and captures the dignity and common humanity of all. Come see some incredible images on display and hear renowned photographers discuss their work and the challenges of getting just the right image to convey a just message.
Emerging Latino Communities
Description coming soon.
