Faith Works Report to the Council of Faith UCC, November 21, 2013: A Summary of the Four Small-Group Discussions of Economic Justice, October and November, 2013 We are called into community as ones who stand for life! We are called into lives of hope. The voice we hear is the voice of our longing; the cry of our hearts. It is the voice of a God whose name is Love, a God whose will is justice. -Pastor Bob Loffer, Call to Worship, November 3, 2013 - To explore the current wishes and concerns of the congregation regarding an Economic Justice Covenant, Faith Works hosted a series of four small-group discussions during October and November, 2013. Approximately 30 members participated. Pastor Bob Loffer served as recorder for all sessions; Mike Neville and Marilyn Calkins facilitated discussion. While concern was expressed by some individuals in every group that the process of covenanting for economic justice seems daunting and may lead us to overextend ourselves, each group also expressed enthusiasm for the process and a clear will to proceed. This report attempts to reflect opinions stated by a significant number of participants as well as unique statements that seem to complement majority attitudes, in hopes of giving a reasonably balanced impression of the conversations. Each session included a discussion of a scripture passage, Mark 10:17-22. The general response was that the passage is a call to share what we have with others. When asked what the passage says about economic justice, participants responded that God s abundance must be shared. Sharing can be hard, but it is necessary and we should all do it. The following questions were asked by the facilitators at all sessions: Are we satisfied to continue our various social ministries (and possibly expand them) or are we feeling called, in addition, to study the causes of economic inequality and begin asking what it might take to change them? What do YOU think it might mean to be an Economic Justice congregation? What implications might being an Economic Justice congregation have for how we, as a faith community, purchase items, spend our finances, etc. What does it mean for us as faithful individuals to want to be part of an Economic Justice congregation? How might we best live out a covenant to be an economic justice faith community? Should our focus be local, national or global? What is your worst fear/concern about being a covenanted congregation? What is your best hope/dream about being a covenanted congregation?
Page 2 Individual Responses: Responses are organized here according to type, with some deliberate overlap where category lines blur: Value Statements: God s abundance must be shared. Attempting to change the economic system is important work. It is time to examine the causes of economic injustice, but I can t make sense of it alone. We don t need or want to give up any part of our current ministry. We do need to examine how fairly we compensate our own church employees: are we paying them a living wage? The covenant process will make us a stronger community. As a congregation we will be enriched and changed. The process of caring about economic justice will give us more vitality; rather than drain us, it will inspire us. In living out an economic justice covenant, we will become responsible for raising issues that affect us locally, nationally and globally. Assumptions: Covenanting as an economic justice congregation would give us a sense of focus and guide our ministry as efficiently as possible by helping us define why we do our ministry. A covenant is a natural and important next step. A covenant makes a statement to our wider community that we, as a faith community, have a commitment to the issues of economic equality. A covenant will lead us to examine how we use what we use, and where we purchase it. Covenanting for economic justice is a shift in our orientation towards the world; we will experience a gradual shift in our activities and attitudes. Covenanting for economic justice will change EVERYTHING we think about and do. Statements of Direction: We will have to be very public about what we do and why. We will become responsible for raising issues that affect us locally, nationally and globally and for sharing information with the wider community. A covenant may open a door for others to join us in our quest for economic justice. Grass-roots politics is one strategy for change.
Page 3 It follows that we will place more emphasis on environmental issues, which have economic repercussions. In light of climate change as well as an unstable economy, we need to develop a strong community to support everyone s future struggles. We need to learn to talk about how we spend our money, the choices we make. We need to become aware of where we purchase the things we buy. We need more information on corporations, governments, etc. about their practices to determine whether we should purchase from them or support them. I don t want to just learn and think about economic justice; I want us to get behind a project and do something. We should examine our personal and church investment practices and educate ourselves about socially responsible investing. We should begin with a focus on our own community. We should examine how we compensate our church employees; are we paying a living wage? Specific Suggestions: We could try field trips to the ministries we support, to see what some real needs are. Examples: Shelter House, DVIP, Free Lunch, etc. We should consider how we are available to the surrounding community. We might consider reviving the weekly neighborhood spaghetti dinners. We should examine how we compensate our own church employees. Are we paying a living wage? Questions: If we become too focused on economic justice issues, will we lose some of our current unity? Would a covenant lead us into partisan politics? How might our economic justice covenant affect our involvement with the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa (CWJ)? Conclusion and Recommendations: At our Annual Meeting in January, 2013, the congregation of Faith UCC approved a motion to continue and deepen our study of economic justice for one year, to help us discern whether or not we want to become a covenanted Economic Justice Congregation. Bob Loffer s notes from the four group discussions show a preponderance of positive feedback. Among the many enthusiastic comments are: The covenant process will make us a stronger community. As a congregation we will be enriched and changed.
Page 4 The process of caring about economic justice will give us more vitality; rather than drain us, it will inspire us. A covenant is a natural and important next step. In light of the congregation s apparent eagerness to continue, Faith Works believes that this year of study has prepared us to begin the process of writing a Covenant for Economic Justice during 2014. We propose the following process: Faith Works will write a first draft of a covenant, to be presented to the congregation for their examination, discussion and suggestions. The congregation will be asked to discuss the covenant draft and make suggestions for its revision through another series of small-group meetings. In addition, all committees will be encouraged to discuss the covenant draft at their regular meetings, considering the covenant s impact on their specific ministries. All committees should submit suggestions for revision in writing to Faith Works. Faith Works wlll distill the results of the small-group and committee suggestions for revision and submit a report to Council. Faith Works will then write a second draft of the covenant, incorporating suggestions from the congregation. Upon completion of a second draft, Faith Works will host a congregational conversation and receive suggestions for further revisions. Upon completion of a final draft, Faith Works will request that Council call a Congregational Meeting to approve the Covenant. Respectfully submitted by Faith Works: Marilyn Calkins, David Gebhard, Chuck Hauck, Bob Loffer, Mike Neville, Jullianne Pirtle and Ann Zerkel