We determined that our heart is in building up the network of progressive Christians and congregations. The purpose would be to help supporters like you be able to better respond to public justice issues on a solid faith-rooted foundation. This meant moving away from 2-3 year issue-based efforts and towards the long-term work of movement building, solidarity organizing, and providing resources for building the base of progressive Christians. The latter would include offering you issue-focused study guides, trainings, workshops, and presentations on how progressive Christians can take action to support communities on the frontlines of oppression.
We have made a lot of progress towards updating our resources and making our website more user-friendly for you. Allow me to walk you through some of these.
We have created a map of self-identified progressive Christian partner congregations who express the following four marks: 1) actively work for social justice, 2) fully affirm LGBTQ participation in church life, 3) respect the wisdom of other religious traditions, and 4) seek to embody Jesus' way of compassion and justice for our world. There's now a welcome page specifically geared towards congregations.
We've updated our three small group resources for use within and between congregations. They are: "We Who Believe in Freedom," focused on mass incarceration; "Climate Change and Faith," to assist with action and reflection on that topic; and "Conversations Around the Table," which is about helping you live out a progressive Christian faith with others in the world. The former two require a one-time training for facilitators, which we are offering roughly on a monthly basis. "CATT" requires no training; we just ask that you tell us you want to use it so we can invite others in your area to join a forming group!
We have created a "Voting as an Act of Faith" event resource, inspired by our recent booklet Deeper Love, and we invite your church to have a stand-alone event or incorporate it into a worship service ahead of primary and general elections. Our first event is set for May 22 in Pasadena, CA, where we will gather to bless the hands that will vote and hear why voting is so critical as people of faith in a democracy.
We've moved past faith reflections on social justice and solidarity onto a blog. You will now be able for the first time to search by topic, making them much easier to navigate. And this is a non-exhaustive list of updates! Visit the website to find additional materials.
PCU is a big-tent organization and we understand that the fullest expression of living out our witness is through partnerships and learning from neighbors and across differences. As such, we've added a page identifying "Friends of PCU," which are those justice organizations, interfaith action groups, and religious networks beyond Christianity that collaborate with us. There are also "Affiliate" groups, which is any progressive Christian organization, forum, group, or collective other than a congregation that self-identifies as part of the broader progressive Christian network and collaborates with PCU. Expect more groups to be added.
We are still developing additional tools to help build up the network, which will be coming online in the near future. As they are ready, we'll be sure to announce them, too.
We strongly believe in the work of solidarity with the oppressed as a spiritual practice. Our goal is to bring you more fully into communication and support with those directly impacted by injustices. This requires reflection, training, humility, and an ongoing commitment to what the Spirit is already doing through campaigns for dignity and equity in our communities and our world.
We're here and ready to offer you and your community training on how to be a positive ally with persons experiencing oppression and on how to bring a faith-rooted lens to your work for justice without being religiously exclusive. There are certain issues, like mass incarceration, racial justice, climate change, and voting as an act of faith, that we've lifted up as particularly important and offered special resources for them. But the way of compassion and justice is also expressed through combating economic inequality, engaging in peacemaking, and supporting immigrants and transgender persons. It is the work of building up a progressive and prophetic movement for social transformation and salvation.
Help us help you and help each other. If your congregation has a social justice action team, tell us! If you have an action planned that others can participate in, tell us and we'll gladly share it with the network. And of course we will continue to encourage you to attend timely justice actions with our friends, affiliates, and partner congregations!
PCU staff and board members are available for presentations upon request on core social justice topics from a progressive faith perspective, as well as workshops on how to get your church organized to stand in solidarity with neighbors experiencing oppression in your area.
Share what you are doing. Tell us how we can help strengthen the work you are called to. Together, we can help one another live out the way of compassion and justice and offer a public witness of what the good news looks like when we support one another.
In hope,
Timothy Murphy
Executive Director