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The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II is calling on Christian denominations to stand firm on social justice issues and get involved. The Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) gave the Sunday morning message to the nearly 1,000 attendees in Washington, D.C.
Every spring, you can count on two things happening in Washington, D.C., the blooming of cherry blossoms and the gathering of denominations for Ecumenical Advocacy Weekend. More than 200 members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) joined other denominations for a weekend of worship, workshops and activism, a few short blocks from the Pentagon.
Fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech that provided the foundation for this year’s theme at Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day. Speaking at the Riverside Church in New York, King provided a connection between the war in Vietnam with the civil rights movement.
An estimated crowd of more than 260 Presbyterians have gathered today at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. for CPJ Training Day, the annual kickoff to Ecumenical Advocacy Weekend. Planners say the record turnout, a 38 percent increase over last year, can be attributed to this year’s topic, “Confronting Chaos, Forging Community — and Battling Racism, Materialism and Militarism.”
Every year, an average of 200 Presbyterians gather in Washington, D.C. for Advocacy Training Weekend as an opportunity to worship, attend workshops and fellowship with other Presbyterians and Christian denominations. But this year’s attendance for Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day is hitting record levels and people are still signing up with less than two weeks to go.
For the Rev. Kevin Johnson, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the aftermath that surrounded his death, became a pivotal turning point in his life. Raised in Washington, D.C., Johnson climbed the stairwell of a high rise under construction after the shooting and witnessed a city in anger as riots broke out in the nation’s capital.
With an emotionally charged 2016 behind us, Presbyterian leaders are seeking new ways to address many of the issues that took center stage in the previous year. Advocacy Training Weekend, which includes Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day and Ecumenical Advocacy Days, is scheduled for April 21-24, in Washington, D.C.
The best way to disrupt the cradle to prison pipeline is to be an advocate for children in need. That was the message from Marian Wright Edelman to attendees at last weekend’s Ecumenical Advocacy Days gathering in Washington, D.C. The founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund says this country’s priorities about wealth and where those dollars should go are not in line with helping those living in poverty.
The first full day of Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) kicked off Saturday morning with a plenary session titled “Racism, Class & Power.” The two-hour session outlined two key issues that advocates would go to Capitol Hill on Monday to discuss with their state representatives: voting rights, specifically the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act and corporate domination, or opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.