Methodist Federation for Social Action: eNEWS

Enews Updated 1.12.07
Vol. II #16

In this Issue:
• Remembering Dr. King's call "To Break Silence"
• Christian Witness Against the War: March 16, 2007
• January 30th, Deadline for Voices of Faith
• Dianna Butler Bass to Speak at Voices of Faith
• UFPJ: March on Washington, January 27, 2007

“A Time Comes When Silence is Betrayal”

On Monday, people around the country will give tribute to the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As we do so we must heed once again his call to “beak the silence.” Here is an excerpt from Dr. King’s speech “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” delivered April 4, 1967 at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City. May it continue to stir us to action from complacency, from silence to speaking.

“Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak….Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movement well and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance, for we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us.”

The full text (and audio) can be found by clicking here.

Join thousands in a “Christian Peace Witness for Iraq” on March 16th, 2007

Come to Washington DC on March 16th, 2007, or join in a related local event, to participate in “A Christian Peace Witness” against the War in Iraq.

The national event, an ecumenical public witness on the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq, will include an ecumenical worship service at the Washington National Cathedral, a candlelight procession to the White House, and a peace vigil/action.

The Methodist Federation for Social Action has been involved in the planning of this event along with several other faith-based peace groups, religious orders and Protestant denominations. It is our hope that thousands of Christians will come to make a powerful and public witness.

Our faith compels us to make our voices heard—to repent of our complicity with the invasion and occupation of Iraq and to renew our commitment to peacemaking.

For more information on the national event, as well as related events that will be taking place locally across the country, see: www.christianpeacewitness.org.

Peace Witness Areas of Focus Include:

1. End the U.S. Occupation: We call on the President and Congress to bring our troops home from Iraq, to remove our military bases and to stop threatening Iran and other nations.
2. Support Our Troops:. We call on the President and Congress to provide generous support for veterans and active-duty soldiers and their families as they seek to rebuild their lives.
3. Rebuild Iraq: We call on one another to financially support relief efforts in Iraq through our denominations. We call on the President and Congress to lead the way in funding international reconstruction of Iraq and providing humanitarian aid for shattered Iraqi families, for our experience in other conflicts has taught us that such assistance is the most effective path to real security for all people around the world.
4. Say NO to Torture: We call on one another to learn and practice the discipline of active nonviolence: to resist violence and injustice. We insist that our government treat all enemy combatants humanely and take decisive action to ensure that torture is banned by all agencies of the United States government.
5. Say YES to Justice: We call on the President and Congress to create a federal budget that puts priority on meeting basic human needs instead of on making war.
   

Voices of Faith News

Early registration deadline is fast approaching. January 30th is the deadline to receive an early registration discount. You can register online at www.mfsaweb.org. If you need assistance in registering please contact the National MFSA Office at 202-546-8806 or email mfsa@mfsaweb.org.

Dianna Butler Bass to Speak at Voices of Faith

Dr. Diana Butler Bass has joined the group of dynamic speakers and presenters at Voices of Faith. Dr. Butler Bass is an author, scholar and lecturer in American religion. She is the author of six books on American religious practice including Christianity for the Rest of Us (Harper, 2006). Her best-selling book, The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church (Alban, 2004), has been lauded as one of the most important books on mainline Protestantism in the last two decades. Find out more about Dr. Butler Bass at www.dianabutlerbass.com.

United for Peace and Justice March on Washington, January 27, 2007

United for Peace and Justice has organized groups and individuals across the country to converge on Washington on Saturday, January 27th to convey the following message: End the war in Iraq, Bring all the troops home now! People will assemble on the Mall, between 3rd and 7th Streets, at 11 am. And the march is scheduled to kick off at 1pm. On Monday, January 29th, people will take this message directly to the new Congress during a UPJ lobby day. For more information go to: www.unitedforpeace.org

January Newsletter

The January 2007 edition of the print Christ Church Connections newsletter is available to download (.pdf format) in the Newsletter Archive.

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