2008 Ecumenical Advocacy Days will tread new pathways to security

September 17, 2007

Professor of Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University Lisa Schirch addresses the 2008 Advocacy Days planners at the September 2007 planning retreat. Photo: M. Shupack/CWS

Planning for the March 2008 Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice assembly began on September 6 with an all-day working retreat that included representatives of Church World Service, denominational offices and Catholic agencies and communities.

In March 2008 more than 1000 people of faith from throughout the United States and representing a wide array of Christian communions are expected to gather in Washington, D.C. for worship, fellowship, witness and exploring together how U.S. domestic, military and international policies can be transformed to embrace more just, peaceful and effective policies leading to true human security.

Advocacy Day participants will also receive training in advocacy and will conclude with meetings on Capitol Hill with Congressional representatives or their staff.

Scheduled for March 7-10, the gathering will explore new visions of security in our homes, neighborhoods, nation and world. Its theme will be “2008: Claiming a Vision of True Security,” with reflection on the Scripture text from Psalm 20: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but our trust is in the name of our God.”

Affirming that our trust as Christians in America is not in violence and the technologies of war, but in the unfailing love and faithfulness of our saving God, the 2008 conference will envision new pathways to true human security – paths that seek the transformation of conflicts and the presence of justice.

Church World Service has co-sponsored Ecumenical Advocacy Days since its inception in 2003. As it did for the 2007 conference, CWS’s Education &Advocacy Program will again provide full scholarships for 10 CWS/CROP leaders to participate in the 2008 gathering. As part of its Ecumenical Witness Program, E&A will again bring international partners from Latin America, Africa and Asia as presenters and participants. Martin Shupack, E&A Associate Director for Public Policy, serves on Advocacy Days’ Leadership Team and Executive Committee.

Ecumenical Advocacy Days is a movement of the ecumenical Christian community and its recognized partners and allies. The annual gatherings include plenary sessions and workshops organized into eight tracks: Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the United States, Global Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, and Global Security issues. Its goal, through worship, theological reflection and opportunities for learning and witness, is to strengthen the Christian voice for a more just and peaceful world and to mobilize for advocacy on a wide variety of U.S. domestic and international policy issues.

For more information, visit http://advocacydays.org/2008/