Blog Posts Across CRC Justice Seekers

Canadian "One World Week"

I am working on Canadianizing the Eco-congregation resources and was wondering if anyone knows of a Canadian version of the UK One World Week where global justice is focussed on throughout the country. If there is would you please let me know. The website for OWW is www.oneworldweek.org. Thanks. Cindy Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on July 8, 2008 at 4:16pm — No Comments

Zimbabwe action

Did you know that the CRCNA Synod ‘08 passed a resolution calling for an end to the violence in Zimbabwe and encouraging solidarity with the people and churches there? There is an exciting opportunity approaching for just that kind of solidarity. Please help spread the news of the crisis in Zimbabwe by planning an event which joins thousands in Africa in speaking out! The Pan-African Day of Solidarity for Zimbabwe will take place this Saturday, July 12, 2008. The activity is co-organized by the… Continue

Posted by Kate Kooyman on July 8, 2008 at 3:17pm — No Comments

Arab Writer Travels to Israel and is Surprised by What He Finds...

I hope this might spark a little debate and dialogue as we examine another side of this contentious issue from someone who grew up in the middle-east. Notice that he doesn't excuse Israel of any wrongdoing, simply notes who has done the most to destroy those people's lives.- Exiled Iraqi writer Najem Wali travelled to Israel to uncover some uncomfortable truths about Arab leaders. "When a child is born in Israel or to us in the Arab world, the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict is flowing i… Continue

Posted by Marc Peterson on June 24, 2008 at 11:23am — No Comments

Shameless promotion... for a good cause!

Hi all: I'm excited to announce that the CCG (Committee for Contact with Government, CRC-Canada) launched an e-newsletter yesterday. Check it out! and join CCG in "seeking justice, speaking hope." Shalom! Mike Continue

Posted by Mike Hogeterp on June 17, 2008 at 3:12pm — No Comments

Apology to the First Nations people of Canada

Did anyone watch this/participate in an event this past week. I'd like to hear your comments and thoughts on this. Cindy Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on June 13, 2008 at 1:44pm — 2 Comments

UN Human Rights Council

Further to the long list of government entities and NGOs distracted by ideology within systems lacking accountability: From The Corner: "What's the biggest human rights issue in the world? The establishment of a military junta in Zimbabwe? The callous indifference of the Burmese government to the suffering o… Continue

Posted by Konae on June 13, 2008 at 11:27am — No Comments

A Brazilian perspective on the biofuels controversy... Biofuels: good or bad? - good for who?

The use of biofuels is one of the most controversial issues among the environmentalists nowadays. While most of environmentalist agree that biofuels are a risk for the biodiversity and natural lands, most of the countries are developing National Biofuel Programs in order to reduce their green house gas (GHG) emissions and/or diversify the energy sources. Europe has been promoting the use of Biofuels in order to reach the Kyoto GHG emission reduction goals by 2012. The Bush Administration is star… Continue

Posted by Dick Nagtegaal on June 12, 2008 at 7:01pm — 2 Comments

Food crisis article

Interesting -- and hopeful -- work happening on the food crisis according to the BBC... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7449989.stm Continue

Posted by Kate Kooyman on June 12, 2008 at 3:21pm — 2 Comments

DEEP THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“You should always take the best from the past, leave the worst back there and go forward into the future.” - Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmerman) Continue

Posted by Konae on June 10, 2008 at 3:06am — 2 Comments

HEALTH CARE FOR MICHIGAN!

Michigan activists are currently circulating official petitions to add a Proposal to the November Election ballot. If they collect about 500,000 signatures, then the proposal will be put on the ballot. They are about half-way there. The initiative has a long list of endorsers including a lot of faith based groups in Michigan. The proposal would ask Michigan voters if they would like to ammend the state constitution to require the legislature to have a plan in place that would make affordable, q… Continue

Posted by Charlton Breen on June 9, 2008 at 10:25pm — No Comments

How many use solar power? Wind power? What are your experiences? Are these just idealistic alternatives?

Ontario approves massive solar farm. Last Updated: Thursday, April 26, 2007 The Ontario government has approved a California company's plan to build North America's largest photovoltaic solar farm, the provincial energy ministry announced Thursday. OptiSolar Farms Canada Inc. of Arthur, Ont. — a subsidiary of California-based OptiSolar Inc. — will install more than one million solar panels at four farms outside Sarnia, Ont., providing the province with 40 megawatts of power by 2010. Ontario En… Continue

Posted by Dick Nagtegaal on June 9, 2008 at 6:55pm — No Comments

Creation Stewardship Sunday June 22

I'd like to propose an alternative to Earth Day. I would appreciate your views on establishing 'Creation Stewardship Sunday' on June 22. The reason being is that I have talked with several churches, including my own, and have come across considerable hesitation in celebrating Earth Day because it seems to have several "non-Christian" connotations. Rather than trying to spend a lot of time convincing people that this may not be true.....it seems much more productive to establish a new Sunday that… Continue

Posted by Dick Nagtegaal on June 9, 2008 at 6:46pm — 2 Comments

I am dissapointed with the decision by Canadian government on biofuels

I am dissapointed at the Canadian's government decision to pass the bill about biofuels. I've posted a few videos about the food shortages...I feel so powerless. I wrote to my politician (who also happens to be the Environment critic) about the biofuels bill like KAIROS suggested. I got a very cordial response from my politician but did my voice do any good. I'm new to this "getting political" thing and so far all I've been is dissapointed and frustrated. Does anyone have any comments to help me… Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on June 9, 2008 at 1:29pm — 2 Comments

World's Biggest Coffee Break

On May 10, World Fair Trade Day, 11,656 fair trade-minded people in 150 locations set a record for the Largest World Fair Trade Coffee Break! The purpose was to share in a unified action to take time out to consider the people who make the things we buy. Photos from World Fair Trade Day across U.S. can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/26543564@N05/sets/72157605057656525/ Photos from the Grand Rapids, Michigan, Fair Trade Coffee Break and the Fair Trade Shop Hop are posted on FaceBook… Continue

Posted by Beth DeGraff on June 6, 2008 at 10:29am — 1 Comment

Reality Check

After my self-rightous pontifications of my stewardly living over the last couple days I had to laugh (in embarassment) at my groceries today. So lest anyone falsley had me up on a pedestal I would like to set the records straight (and ask for grace). We are celebrating a birthday in our household and as much as I'd like to be stewardly every day the reality of feeding a large number of people on a small budget competes with my desire to make everything local, fair trade, organic and ethically r… Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on June 5, 2008 at 5:30pm — 1 Comment

BELHAR: Read some recent good writing on the Belhar Confession in the May 08 "PERSPECTIVES"

"Perspecitives" is a journal of Reformed thought that apears on-paper and on-line. The May 2008 issue is all about the Belhar Confession. There are some good pieces in this issue - including an excellent reflection by Calvin Seminary's Ron Feenstra, an informative piece from South African ethics professor Piet J. Naude, and a short essay by myself on the challenge of the Belhar to the CRC: will we become a truly "confessing" church? Here is the URL http://www.rca.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=3… Continue

Posted by Peter Vander Meulen on June 5, 2008 at 3:22pm — No Comments

Walkin' the walk day 2

Day 2 in the life of a stay-at-home-mom attempting stewardship of God's creation: - Arise to the sound of birds...well, O.K. the sound of screaming kids up & down the hall but I can always dream. - Take a 5 minute shower. - Comb my hair through and allow to air dry. - Get breakfast (Homemade granola from organic rolled oats bought in bulk at the local Food Co-op, homemade yogurt - cuts down on plastic containers that we can't recycle here). - While kids are eating check justice seekers webs… Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on June 2, 2008 at 1:17pm — 1 Comment

"Environmental Stewardship is not talk...it is action." Cal DeWitt

A stay-at-home-Mom's way of living stewardship (not perfect but food for thought) Get up and throw in a load of laundry into our energy efficient front loading washer. Run upstairs to cut up carrots and cucumbers for the boys lunches, put them into containers and pack them in a cloth lunch bag. Pull out the ingredients for this week's batch of bread. Bike the boys to school. Come home and start the bread dough. Shape into loaves and leave on counter to rise. Take laundry out and head outside to… Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on June 1, 2008 at 12:00am — 2 Comments

Go To The Store... Spend $5... Prevent a Rape in Darfur...

Hi Friends, I have met a lot of people who used to live in Sudan, and I have met a lot of people who have worked in refugee camps near the Sudan border. Rape is happening outside of these camps RIGHT NOW. Witnesses have told me personal stories about these rapes, which are so brutal, that sometimes the women do not survive their injuries. You may ask, 'So, why are women leaving the relative safety of the camps?' Residents in the camp are responsible for cooking their own food for themselves… Continue

Posted by Charlton Breen on May 31, 2008 at 10:32pm — No Comments

I don't get it

In a recent article in The Banner “Marxism comes to the CRC,” Brian Polet asserts that the Belhar Confession is on theologically shaky ground and could “weaken the foundations on which the CRC has been built, along with alienating its core members.” http://www.thebanner.org/magazine/article.cfm?article_id=1548 Other theologians have taken issue with the book in the Communities First series The Theology of Develom… Continue

Posted by Wendy H. on May 30, 2008 at 1:48pm — 5 Comments

Communicating with Congress

It goes without saying that letter-writing is an important part of advocacy. But which is more effective: 500 identical paragraphs submitted online, or one hand-written letter? Check out this interesting report put out by Capitol Advantage, which takes a closer look at the ways new technology is changing grassroots communication. (It's pretty readable for a report, I promise!) Then,… Continue

Posted by Meghan Kraley on May 29, 2008 at 10:18am — 1 Comment

What is injustice?

1. Isolating yourself against other people's problems. Being Christian is not about being safe. Remember, the mission is not about you. Be involved or be irrelevant. 2. Also remember, actions not just words. 3. Using old thinking just because it worked at another time, or is comfortable. 4. Being unaware of the plight of others, or uncaring. Their problem is your problem. The ostrich with its head in the sand is ridiculed for good reason. 5. Leaving important things unsaid for fear of being… Continue

Posted by Steven Oberg on May 23, 2008 at 6:39am — 1 Comment

Fear

I haven't felt so much righteous indignation in a long time as I feel toward the govt of Myanmar these days. How can they do such a thing? how can they put securtiy ahead of the welfare of hundreds of thousands of people for whom they are responsible? How can they create such a bottleneck for the flow of resources? How can they be so obtuse as to proceed with their political process while uncounted people wander around in shattered lives? Suddenly it occurred to me that they are afraid. They can… Continue

Posted by Karl Westerhof on May 15, 2008 at 4:21pm — 1 Comment

Pontius Puddle

I'm sure this has been passed around plenty, but I came across this old Pontius Puddle comic today on Bread for the World's blog and had to share:

Continue

Posted by Meghan Kraley on May 13, 2008 at 3:00pm — No Comments

a recent visitor from kenya

nyamuhu kabogo's recent newsletter Continue

Posted by Karl Westerhof on May 8, 2008 at 1:52pm — 1 Comment

Games for Change

I haven't personally tried most of these, but here's a great list of online activities which guide the user through situations of poverty and injustice - educational games geared toward changing peoples' worldviews and perceptions. It's cool to see a good variety of approaches, from political to philanthropic, and these would be great for a Sunday school class or small group activity. http://blog.missiontolearn.com/2008/… Continue

Posted by Meghan Kraley on May 2, 2008 at 8:25am — 1 Comment

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, PART II (A challenge to all)

Meghan Kraley's blog about environmental stewardship and her quest to become green is an excellent segue into a challenge to all justice seekers to become green in their workplace [or home]. Please ADD to the list below [since this is certainly not an exhaustive list] and contribute to the cause ! Here is a preliminary list of ways to go green: 1. Drive with a friend to work [or walk or bike if you can] 2. If you drive, use biofuels. 3. Turn off as many lights, computers, electronic gadets as… Continue

Posted by Dick Nagtegaal on April 30, 2008 at 12:46pm — 5 Comments

Take Action for Darfur

Save Darfur Canada, a national advocacy coalition responding to the situation in Darfur, has posted a new advocacy campaign. They are asking people to send a letter and 15 grams of rice, beans or lentils to the Prime Minister in response to the World Food Program announcing a 50% cut in food rations in Darfur. For more information, a sample letter and the whole action, check out Save Darfur Canada. I think this is the kind of action that could work in C… Continue

Posted by Karen Bokma on April 28, 2008 at 9:00am — No Comments

race and justice.

OK, this is a rant. stand clear Yes we've made lots of progress on racial justice. But.... yesterday I was reminded of some of the day to day realities, I guess. I was reminded all over again..... I was summoned for jury duty. Yesterday was selection .... we saw one plea bargain, and three instances of charges being brought and the jury impanelled. So that's a total of four different trial situations..... In every case the defendents were African American, the attorneys (6) were all white, and t… Continue

Posted by Karl Westerhof on April 25, 2008 at 2:57pm — 17 Comments

Environmental Stewardship

In the spirit of Earth Day, Arbor Day, and general stewardship of the earth, several staff members here at the denomination headquarters are meeting today over lunch to discuss how we can make our workplace more environmentally friendly. Some of the initial ideas flying around are small incentives programs where you could be 'caught being green' and entered into a monthly drawing for cool eco-friendly merchandise; prizes for the agencies with the least waste/paper usage/etc; and the occasional… Continue

Posted by Meghan Kraley on April 25, 2008 at 10:29am — 8 Comments

Earth Day 2008 (from www.crcjustice.org)

Our God is the creator God – one who brought into being the beautiful and complex Earth on which we all live. As Christians, we are called to responsible stewardship of this good creation. As Christians committed to social justice, we have a special concern for how we treat the planet, because environmental degradation can be particularly harmful for the world’s poorest people. Poor villages have been destroyed in devastating mudslides, made far worse by mountainside deforestation. Longer period… Continue

Posted by Meghan Kraley on April 22, 2008 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

More new features

It's been a busy week on Justice Seekers! We now have: * A resource forum, where you can post and browse recommended justice materials in several formats * An expanded FAQ/Help section with simple pictoral explanations for using the website * An events calendar, where anyone can advertise upcoming activities. This feature is particularl… Continue

Posted by Meghan Kraley on April 21, 2008 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Shane Claiborne on NPR!

I listened to Speaking of Faith yesterday on NPR - what a great episode! Sometimes I am disturbed by the way "the church" engages in politics, and this discussion between Shane Claiborns, Chuck Colson, and Greg Boyd helped me think through why that is. You can listen here: Speaking of Faith http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/evangelical_politics/transcript.shtml Continue

Posted by Wendy H. on April 21, 2008 at 10:00am — No Comments

Romans: God, Israel and Empire

I’ve needed to strengthen my biblical understanding to sustain justice work. You may feel this need, if so a good opportunity is available. Ask yourself: What would happen if we read the book of Romans as an ancient letter to a community at the heart of the empire? Might it be that this epistle disarms rather than wages war? What would such disarmament look like in the face of our own imperial realities? Study Romans with Sylvia Keesmaat in the course Romans: God, Israel and Empire. “Begi… Continue

Posted by Jenny Krabbe on April 16, 2008 at 11:55am — 1 Comment

"Justice work is hard, there’s no question. Progress is slow, criticisms are many, and more than a f…

"Justice work is hard, there’s no question. Progress is slow, criticisms are many, and more than a few of us get burned out. I’ve been angry with laws; I’ve been angry with God. Sometimes a glossy pamphlet just can’t help with that." So says Meghan K in the newest CRC FYI. She says it well. And I am an agency person responsible for lots of glossy pamphlets. I need to be careful about triumphalism. With my agency hat on it's tempting to sound triumphalist. With my real-world hat on, I remember we… Continue

Posted by Karl Westerhof on April 14, 2008 at 3:28pm — 2 Comments

Healing for a Broken World

Just picked up steve Monsma's new book Healing for a Broken World, Crossway, 2008. Best basic solid biblical stuff I've run across.... very readable. Gives me a handy and articulate review and summary of lots of stuff, includes lots of stories and examples, cases, and consideration of the tough questions. Basic principles or themes in Scripture are explored: specific implications of the creation/fall/ redemption for thinking about justice. Then justice itself, and the bible's approach to the com… Continue

Posted by Karl Westerhof on April 10, 2008 at 7:56am — 1 Comment

New tutorial!

Since I know there are several people on here still trying to figure out how the website works, I thought I'd throw together a little series of tutorials explaining the various features on CRC Justice Seekers. You can watch the first installment, which explains what social networking is and how to create an account for this community, here. Stay tuned for further explanations on how to create groups, upload photos and videos, and… Continue

Posted by Meghan Kraley on April 9, 2008 at 4:07pm — No Comments

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

(cross-posted from the CRWM office blog) When I lived in NYC, a local magazine had a feature that highlighted local folks and their individual fashion style. The set of questions included “how many pairs of shoes do you own?” I was never selected for an interview, but I always had the answer to that question ready, just in case anybody ever asked . . . Megan Ribbens, who along with her husband Mike serves with CRWM in Nigeria, sent along a BBC… Continue

Posted by Lorraine Woodward on April 9, 2008 at 9:00am — 2 Comments

More Day for Darfur Events

For those in Southern Ontario (and even more specifically the Toronto area) Save Darfur Canada is hosting a rally in downtown Toronto this Sunday, April 13. More information can be found at the Day for Darfur website. There is also advocacy information there for people who can't be at the event. The Save Darfur Canada website also provides some information for events that are happening in other parts of the cou… Continue

Posted by Karen Bokma on April 8, 2008 at 3:15pm — No Comments

World Distribution of Household Wealth....a startling eye opener

It is estimated that in Canada/USA there are more than 3 trillion dollars collecting interest in the “baby boomers” RRSP portfolios. This is an unprecedented and astounding amount. It is estimated that the wealth in Christian bank accounts is also at unprecedented levels. Some more statistics. Another way of comparing the wealth of nations is to look at how much of the world's total net wealth each country has and compare it to what percentage of the world's population lives in that country (“r… Continue

Posted by Dick Nagtegaal on April 7, 2008 at 4:53pm — 2 Comments

From my email inbox...

Dear Friends: They say that people don't read any more. We who communicate for a living are told to keep our messages brief and to the point. Cover letters must be no more than one page. Brochures must include graphs, bullet points, and formatting to allow for skimming rather than reading. Nothing too complex. But sometimes I come across a longer article or book that demands to be read. Such is the case with the article included in this issue of Champion 's Ring by Zakka Chomock, the Southern… Continue

Posted by Meghan Kraley on April 2, 2008 at 2:23pm — 4 Comments

Wright, Obama, and Black Liberation Theology

Did anyone else catch this on NPR? It's not so often that you hear the word "theology" uttered in main-stream media, so of course the seminary dork in me had her ears perk right up. Have a listen if you like: http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=03-31-2008&view=storyview What are people in CRC churches saying / thinking about Jeremiah Wright? Continue

Posted by Kate Kooyman on April 2, 2008 at 1:13pm — 1 Comment

Jailed for speaking Spanish? (huh??)

Check out this article (about a judge to ordered that three Spanish-speaking immigrants learn English or go to jail)... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23831149/ ...what do you think of this "out of the box" sentence?? Just? Unjust? More just than some of our current immigration practices? Continue

Posted by Kate Kooyman on April 2, 2008 at 12:30pm — 1 Comment

It's not fair

IT'S NOT FAIR! That's what my 37 year old daughter said several times this weekend. she's commenting on being back in the hospital as she travels the chemo sickness road after being diagnosed with leukemia a little over a month ago. A bolt from the blue - you have acute lymophoid leukemia. And now after a month of feeling just fine while in the hospital having round one of chemo, she's feeling really bad because the chemo seems to have caused her liver to enlarge and go off the rails (temporaril… Continue

Posted by Karl Westerhof on March 31, 2008 at 4:13pm — 2 Comments

Happy Lent!

While it seems like the rest of the world is basking in the after-Lent glory of whatever they gave up this year, and finished wishing people "Happy Easter!" several days ago, I'm just gearing up. Here in Bucharest, churches (even the evangelical ones, except the Korean church that meets in my church building on Sunday afternoons) celebrate Easter by the Orthodox calender. That means that Easter isn't for another month. My landlady rang my doorbell the other morning, scaring me half to death...m… Continue

Posted by Sharon Bemis on March 28, 2008 at 6:30pm — No Comments

Quick housekeeping post

Hey everybody, you probably noticed the new layout. Like it? Hate it? Let me know! I installed GoogleTalk on the 'about' page, so you can just click the link and chat with me in real time (while I'm online, of course). If any of you are curious about installing chat on your pages too, I'd be happy to walk you through it. If there are other features you'd like to see added to this site, I can do my best to work that out, too. Continue

Posted by Meghan Kraley on March 28, 2008 at 4:00pm — No Comments

inquiry. partnering with other organizations. how does it work?

My wife and I are interested in creating a partnership between our church in houston and an orphanage in uganda. St. Anthnasia ( the orphanage) is not associated with crwrc at this point but Carol from the crwrc office in uganda has had a chance to meet with David Kizito (chair and founder or St. Anthnasia). Thus far our church has had a fund raiser for David's home and just recently another for the orphange. Many members of the crc here are now well aquianted with David, his family and the orph… Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on March 12, 2008 at 1:26am — 3 Comments

World Mapper Resource for Poverty and Conservation presentations

A friend just emailed this link for Worldmapper. It's a place where you can find maps of the world like you've never seen before. It would be a great resource for anyone doing any social justice presentations... Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on March 7, 2008 at 1:00pm — 3 Comments

Biblical Principles for Respecting the Integrity of Creation

This is my distilled version of an inspiring work written by Cal DeWitt (the Au Sable Institute for Environmental Studies). I hope it encourages you as it continues to encourage me. Acknowledge God as Creator and Owner; Do not exchange the truth of Creation for a lie. (Nehemiah 9:6, 1 Chronicles 29:11) Delight in God’s Law and be God fearing; Do not violate the ordinances by which Creation is ordered. (Psalm 119:89-91) Keep God’s Earth as God keeps us; Do not defile or destroy the Creation. (… Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on March 6, 2008 at 11:36am — 1 Comment

Join Kairos for Earth Hour 8:00 p.m. March 29th

JOIN KAIROS FOR EARTH HOUR! KAIROS wants you to turn off your lights for an hour at 8 pm on Saturday, March 29! Why? Because our use of fossil fuels –symbolized here by a light bulb- is contributing to global climate change. In 2007, the people of Sydney, Australia, decided that they could send a powerful message for change by turning off all their lights at the same time. More than 2 million citizens and businesses did so. Now, the World Wildlife Fund is taking Sydney’s history–making moment… Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on February 21, 2008 at 1:06pm — 2 Comments

Peace in troubled times--Inspiring Speaker TONIGHT

Last year I went to hear Bishop Thomas Gumbleton speak about peacemaking from a Christian perspective and I was floored. I mean, I always knew I cared about peace and was frustrated with war, but what he shared truly convicted me that war is one of the most challenging injustices of our time!! Bishop Gumbleton is speaking TONIGHT @ 7pm at Aquinas College Performing Arts Center, 1607 Robinson Rd SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506. If you live in the Grand Rapids area I strongly encourage you to attend an… Continue

Posted by Jason Alfonse Fileta on February 19, 2008 at 1:48pm — 1 Comment

Commentary on the political unrest in KENYA......we understand little of what is going on.....

THOUSANDS OF ODINGA SUPPORTERS TURN OUT IN SEVERAL CITIES. ANALYSTS POINT TO ECONOMIC ROOTS OF TRIBAL TENSIONS. KATATA, KENYA -- Laborers living on a tiny coffee farm here in western Kenya awoke in the middle of the night last week to an odd light radiating from their huts. At first it seemed like an early sunrise. Then they realized their homes were on fire. "I told my children, 'Now we are dead,' " recalled Rosemary Nasimiyu, 53, who warned her five youngsters not to scream as they fled, so… Continue

Posted by Dick Nagtegaal on February 18, 2008 at 3:55pm — No Comments

Understanding the Kenyan Opposition ........ by Mukoma Wa Ngugi

INTRODUCTION: UNDERSTANDING FOR PEACE Much has been written about the Kenya elections -- the rigging and the violence that has ensued, and the way to peace. But next to nothing has been written regarding the nature of Raila's Orange Democratic Movement. To struggle for peace, which in turn calls for engaging with the political leadership, demands that we think about nature of the competing political interests, what motivates them, and how they function and to what effect. It is a sign of how l… Continue

Posted by Dick Nagtegaal on February 18, 2008 at 3:50pm — No Comments

Hunger Awareness Dinner for St. Anthnasia Care Centre

This past Saturday we hosted a Hunger Awareness Dinner to raise funds for the kids at St. Anthnasia Care Centre. 28 people from our community came to the dinner. I used the idea called The World At The Table to plan the meal see http://www.crcna.org/pages/crwrc_whresources.cfm under Youth resources) . We divided the room into representatives of the world with 20% (representing the richest people) getting a meal of roast beef, roasted potatoes, peas and carrots, banana cream pie and mock wine be… Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on February 18, 2008 at 12:52am — 2 Comments

Sugar Free Lent

I hate God...O.K. I love him to death (and beyond) but I hate it when He gives me what I ask for. So after the last post about the sugar at Lent I prayed that God would help me with my sugar addiction. Mistake # 1. Don't ask for something you don't really want an answer to. Well what do you know I'm chatting on MSN to my friend in Africa about something completely different and we start talking about sugar and how bad it is for us (me) and how we (I) grow fat when we (I) eat too much of it and… Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on February 16, 2008 at 1:08pm — 2 Comments

LENT

I wanted to post, in a public place, my lenten fast (mostly so I won't let myself off the hook too easily): I'm fasting from consumption. I'm going to choose NOT to buy things that I can wait 40 days to buy. Like I want some new blinds for my living room, and a new lens for my camera. And new jeans. And a new snow scraper. And sometimes I find cheap things on the internet that I buy just 'cause they're cheap. I'm going to not do that.

When I want to go shopping, please remind me that I'… Continue

Posted by Kate Kooyman on February 7, 2008 at 2:41pm — 4 Comments

Resources for Religious and Faith Communities make it to Earth Day website...interesting!

So I went to register our Houston event on the earth day website and look what I found...

http://ww2.earthday.net/~earthday/node/105

Suggestions for Religious communities wanting to host an earth day event. Very interesting!!!!

Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on February 5, 2008 at 2:29pm — No Comments

Does the export of agricultural products bring more development to Africa? A Ugandan perspective.....

By Amb S T K Katenta-Apuli)…

Continue

Posted by Dick Nagtegaal on January 29, 2008 at 4:55pm — No Comments

Faith and the Environment Meeting

We had a faith and the environment meeting this past Saturday at our place. Three people showed up and we watched the Biblical Basis for Creation Care video produced by A Rocha UK and then had a discussion time. While we were discussing the issues I was struck once again how frustrating being judged can be and how important it is for us to challenge each other in a spirit of grace and forgiveness and not guilt and shame each other into action. I for one do not react well to guilt and shame, in f… Continue

Posted by Cindy Verbeek on January 24, 2008 at 12:03pm — 2 Comments