VIRTUAL ECUMENICAL ADVOCACY DAYS TAKING PLACE APRIL 25-27, 2023
In 2023, we gather virtually during a time of fear and uncertainty. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of deaths and created 12 million refugees. Newly-empowered populist regimes violate human rights and flout international law. Unnumbered conflicts rage in every corner of the globe. These wars—and the looming threats of others—are used to justify increases in military spending, investments in more efficient tools of destruction and death. Meanwhile, every four seconds someone dies of hunger.
Through the prophet Micah, God declares, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” But God also tells us why: “They shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid.” God intends that we should enjoy our time, move about without fear, and participate in sabbath rest. In this holy Shalom, our portions will suffice, and all will have enough.
Having spent so long running in every direction but peace, it’s easy to forget there’s another way. No one can serve two masters; we cannot excel in both war and justice, both wealth and mercy. We cannot take by force what is intended to be shared. Let us heed Christ’s call and gather as one body to discern how we can reforge weapons of destruction into tools of growth, cultivate healing throughout God’s creation, and pursue systems that empower each person to thrive. Join us at Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2023, a conference to worship, educate, and advocate for the innovative and courageous policies needed to realize God’s promise.
The first day of the conference will have workshops focused solely on skills-building and days two and three will feature workshops organized by issue tracks, including Africa, Domestic, East Asia Pacific, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, Latin America, Middle East, and Peace & Security. Content is developed in collaboration with organizations and individuals that are both leaders in advocacy and working at a grassroots level to illuminate the many pressing issues highlighted at EAD.
Below is a listing of the titles of some of the planned workshops. Full details on the 30+ workshops to be offered will be provided to registrants via the event app. All sessions will be recorded for replay on demand to registered attendees.
Skills-Building (Day One)
Bread Not Stones: Organizing for Change
Strategies for Successful Human Rights Advocacy
Equipping and Mobilizing your Congregation for Justice
A Guided Process of Discovery: Post-Pandemic & Polycrisis (Part One)
A Guided Process of Discovery: The Need for Inner Development: (Part Two)
Issue Tracks (Day Two and Day Three)
Securing Enough Food for All: The Role of Climate Finance
Sustainability and Environmental Justice in the Farm Bill
Part Way There-Swords into Ploughshares: The Case of Colombia
A New Trade Model for Climate, Labor, and Community Empowerment
Taking Action for Human Rights in the Face of State-Sponsored Violence in Peru
Cuba: End the Violence of Sanctions and Build a Better Future for the Cuban People
Easing Climate Conflicts through Economic Policies
U.S. Arms Sales and Militarization of the Middle East: Yemen and Israel/Palestine
In Search of Safety: The Shrinking Asylum Space and Challenges for Asylum Seekers at the U.S./Mexico Border
Climate Action and Advocacy in the 118th Congress
People Over Pentagon
ABOUT EAD
Ecumenical Advocacy Days is a movement of the ecumenical Christian community, and its recognized partners and allies, grounded in biblical witness and our shared traditions of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Our goal, through worship, theological reflection and opportunities for learning and witness, is to strengthen our Christian voice and to mobilize for advocacy on a wide variety of U.S. domestic and international policy issues.