[Episcopal News Service]
Representatives of the Episcopal Church's peace and justice networks met at a conference center near San Francisco in early January to present overviews of their ministries and forge new partnerships. The meeting was convened by the Rev. Carmen Guerrero, Jubilee officer for the Episcopal Church.
'This gathering was in response to an Executive Council resolution that commended what used to be the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Committee for its contributions,' said Marge Christie of the Diocese of Newark. 'The council recommended occasional gatherings so that it could keep track of the trends, initiatives and ministries in church and society that reflect the church's commitment to issues of peace and justice.' The council sent a 'listening team' to the meeting, also attending by staff members of the Church Center.
Many participants urged better interaction among the peace and justice groups to increase the impact of the church's ministries. For example, they said, since the AIDS pandemic is escalating among ethnic minority youth and heterosexual women, the church's ministry with women and youth should be involved. While the church's resettlement of refugees is very successful, there was dismay over the inability to minister to asylum seekers being held in detention centers because there is neither funding nor a network to address the issue. 'Participants also acknowledged the common thread of racism that runs through every justice,' Christie added.
Participants expressed their appreciation to representatives from Executive Council and the Church Center for their support and there was general agreement that more networks should be represented at the next consultation, with an emphasis on seeking youth involvement.
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