John's Blog: Transforming Globalism (Part 6 of 8)
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Transforming Globalism (Part 6 of 8)
Where Do We Go From Here?
Question: How to bring this issue back to people in our churches
OUR SMALL GROUP SAID:
- What do people see happening around them?
- Getting people to tell stories
- set "Peace Months", such as August (hiroshima, etc.)
- establish forums for local people of differing points of view to discuss
economic issues, church providing training for how to speak, how to listen.
Create "town meeting" atmosphere
- Introductory workshops to these issues, eduction.
- Presentation of events in the church
* Alternatives for Simple Living
COMMENTS
Rasell: Reinforce idea of bringing in local people, laid-off workers or
business owners affected.
Horsley: (1) Phillipians 3:19-21, alternative citizenship, instead of to
"the system" (the new Rome). So we have resources in scripture. (2) Try
starting with action instead of ideas. "Act up!" (3) Despite separation of
church and state, that does not mean that churches are *only* religious
institutions. They are also cultural and *economic* institutions. (5)
Churches is where civil society traditionally comes from. As civil society
disintegrates under power of media, churches need to reclaim it.
Korten: Relationships is what it's really all about in the end. Build
local and global relationships. We need to reach out to diversity racially,
economically, politically. Going back to Thursday night: The MEANING
stories are the foundation of everything. Nature, purpose, meaning of
reality. We have hardly any forums for doing that.
Rasell: In UCC, there is "Just Peace" churches. In process of refreshing
that process.
Question: Once we have a core group, what to do in the external world?
OUR SMALL GROUP SAID:
- Bring same ideas as before to wider audience
- Tax resistance
- Alternative investment, local, community-based
- Education and local research around microloans with indigenous peoples
- Community developent, reaching out to help people in and outside the
church
- Develop leaders in the church around issues, such as where to invest
- Literature around local events
- Inquire about school curriculum, educating students about being involved
in global communities
- Make sure our churches are accessible (physically, culturally) to the
outside community
- Church outreach in general
- Make sure literature is available at other church events where public is
invited
- Add content to the church web site
- Letters or columns to newspaper
- Advocacy to gov't reps (UCC has good resources for this)
- Help to develope regional UCC resources
- Need to bring together diverse groups
- Outreach to secular economic issues, bring in, discuss from point of view of Korten or Horsley.
publicconversations.(com,org?)
ourfaithourvote.org
bread.org (Bread for the World)
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