Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Campaign for Fair Food - Trader Joe's

You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive updates on the Campaign for Fair Food.

Dear friends,
Jesus exhorted his disciples to be salt and light in the world (Mt. 5:13-15). We are to demonstrate the kind of world that God desires by living that way now.
On February 10, Trader Joe's is preparing to open its first-ever store in Naples, Florida just 30 miles from Immokalee. Farmworkers will bike from Immokalee to the store opening and hold a press conference calling on the grocery chain to sign a fair food agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
Across the nation more than 30 cities will be holding actions at local Trader Joe’s stores February 10-12.  If you’re nearby any of these cities, you’re invited to join the action.
Sign on to a petition to Trader Joe’s (more than 62,000 signatures and counting!)
Email the CEO of Trader Joe’s.
When you shop, take a letter to the manager of your local Trader Joe’s store.
Pray for Trader Joe’s, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and the ongoing witness of the Campaign for Fair Food.
Learn more about advances achieved by the CIW’s Fair Food Program which is supported by nine major retailers and more than 90 percent of Florida growers.
Through our witness, may God’s desire for justice and love be known. Let your light shine!



 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 100 Witherspoon Street | Louisville, Kentucky | 40202-1396
(800) 728-7228 | (502) 569-5000 | Website | Email
 

Friday, January 27, 2012

The New Compassion, Peace and Justice E-News

   
In this issue
Looking Ahead
Get Involved:

Give:
Give to Compassion, Peace and Justice through Special Offerings
Contact:
Gail Strange
(800) 728-7228, x5340
Email
 
Greetings from the Director's Office
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Blessings for 2012! The New Year always brings new opportunities and new beginnings. I am pleased to welcome you to the inaugural edition of the Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministry e-newsletter which will be sent quarterly to our friends and supporters.
The diverse programs of the Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministry, responding to the call of the prophet Isaiah to be repairers of the breach, restorer of streets to live in, have committed to work together to inspire, equip and connect the Presbyterian Church as it works to make God’s community livable for all.
This newsletter will keep you up-to-date on our efforts here in the United States and around the world. It will also keep you apprised of upcoming activities, events and resources and let you know how you and your congregation can become more actively involved in God’s mission through ministries that share compassion, seek peace and work for justice.
Each issue will highlight a different aspect of our ministry. This edition looks at the Presbyterian Church’s commitment to social justice. We invite your comments and feedback on the ideas, information and resources shared in this publication and hope that this publication provides a forum for strengthening our common commitments to God’s vision for a more just, caring and peaceful world.
 
Out of the eye of the media, but still in our prayers
In Somalia, a child is dying every six minutes. Drought is devastating communities throughout the Horn of Africa,leaving more than 13.3 million people in crisis. Download a bulletin insert.
 
Justice and evangelism — not either-or but both-and
For some there is a division between the ministries of evangelism and social justice. Which is more important? What is the church called to be and do? Read the full story.
 
'Invite Them In'— responding to the Occupy movement
What role should the church play in the Occupy movement? Read "Invite Them In" and follow-up articles, including a letter from a pastor pepper-sprayed in Seattle and an editorial that connects the movement with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series.
 
Discover a scriptural approach to trade
Atle Sommerfeldt, director of Norwegian Church Aid, provides a theology of trade based on the multitude of biblical texts that speak about the issue.



 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 100 Witherspoon Street | Louisville, Kentucky | 40202-1396
(800) 728-7228 | (502) 569-5000 | Website | Email
 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Fair Food Update - Human Trafficking

Dear friends,
Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly.  And yet over 12.3 million people work in conditions of forced labor around the world according to the International Labour Organisation.  Some of those people are enslaved here in the United States.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has been on the forefront of preventing and addressing human trafficking through their Campaign for Fair Food and specific anti-slavery efforts in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI.  For its work, the CIW’s anti-slavery coordinator was named the first U.S.-based anti-slavery hero by the U.S. Department of State in 2010.

The CIW’s Fair Food Program, which is supported by nine corporations and over 90 percent of Florida growers has begun to deliver new rights to Florida farmworkers, by ending the exploitation in which modern slavery flourishes.  And yet most of the supermarket industry has yet to support these advances.

Today, January 11th, is human trafficking awareness day.  And President Obama has proclaimed January 2012 National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.  Take a moment to send an email to CEOs of grocery corporations that are not yet supporting the Fair Food Program and its critical work to prevent and address modern slavery and exploitation, and urge them to sign a fair food agreement with the CIW without delay. 

And pray for trafficked persons, those who traffic others, and the church’s efforts together with our mission partners, including the CIW, to prevent and end human trafficking.  Visit the Human Trafficking website for further worship, education and action resources.

Peace,
PC(USA) Campaign for Fair Food



 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 100 Witherspoon Street | Louisville, Kentucky | 40202-1396
(800) 728-7228 | (502) 569-5000 | Website | Email