Despite the heat and humidity, as many as 7,000 Central American migrants are still making their way slowly northward from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador into Mexico. The latest reports estimate they are still more than 1,100 miles from the U.S. border.
The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Office of Public Witness, joined faith leaders from major Christian denominations to host a prayer vigil and rally in Lafayette Park in front of the White House on Wednesday. Their call to witness was to demand that the Trump administration stop slashing the refugee program and welcome 75,000 new refugees in 2019. The rally, sponsored by Church World Service, was held prior to the administration’s planned consultation meeting with Congress, which is expected soon, although no firm date has been set.
Faith is not just personal; it’s political. Our leaders pass laws about how we treat one another, laws about money and finances, laws about how our resources are allocated and more. The Bible addresses these issues as well in Scriptures like the Ten Commandments, the parable of the sheep and the goats, Sabbath rules and Jesus’ advice to the rich young ruler to sell his possessions and give to the poor. To say the Bible and Jesus are not political is to deny their influence and relevance to our lives in the 21st century.
The Office of Public Witness (OPW), the public policy information and advocacy office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), recently published an updated version of its community advocacy guide titled Holy Discontentment: Grassroots Advocacy and Organizing in the PC(USA). The resource serves as a blueprint for Presbyterians who wish to engage more fully in community advocacy and organize for just public policy. It can be downloaded here.
The Office of Public Witness (OPW), the public policy information and advocacy office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), recently published an updated version of its community advocacy guide titled “Holy Discontentment: Grassroots Advocacy and Organizing in the PC(USA).”
From New York to Atlanta and cities across the U.S., demonstrators took to the streets last weekend as part of the “Families Belong Together” campaign. The marches were held to protest the separation of nearly 2,000 immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Police in Washington, D.C., took the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins and other faith leaders into custody on Monday afternoon during a demonstration outside the U.S. Supreme Court building. Hawkins, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness, was taking part in the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival.
Working with decision makers looks different depending on where you are. Convincing your toddler to brush her teeth looks different from convincing your teenager to write a college admissions essay, which is different still from convincing the school board to keep funding the arts program you care so deeply about.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness has been on the front lines of advocacy in Washington, D.C., since 1946. Since that time, the office and its partners have worked to ensure the church’s positions on important national and international issues are communicated to those who are elected to lead the nation.
Saying Palestinians have a right to demonstrate peacefully and with dignity in their decades-long conflict with Israel, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has joined 14 other Christian denominations and organizations in a joint statement, calling for an end to violence in the region.
