Peace & Restorative Justice Community
Mission Statement for Peace & Restorative Justice Community
Pursuant to a 1995 resolution of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church USA to "work in partnership with the U.S. government to provide for common goals, promote justice and peace and spiritual well being for all in the U.S. and abroad," as well as a resolution of the 2000 General Convention to "encourage each parish to establish groups to discuss and act on public policy issues," we hereby establish this Mission Statement for the Peace and Justice Community of the Church of the Holy Trinity.
We are called in our Episcopal baptismal covenant to "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being." In keeping with this liturgical guideline, our committee's mission shall focus upon:
— Identifying centers of injustice, discrimination and neglect in our neighborhood, city and nation;
— Informing other members of Holy Trinity, and any other interested parties, of these occurrences of injustice and discord;
— Formulating plans of action to address the causes of these problems, and articulating viable solutions that we may undertake as a community.
In working for peace and restorative justice, we strive to be as forthright, yet as gentle, as Jesus was when he spoke to his disciples. Our strategies include:
— Personal conversation, whether face-to-face, by telephone or e-mail;
— Educating members of our parish, and any other interested parties, individually or in groups;
— Written petitions directed to the leadership of our church, city and nation;
— Regular communication with other religious and secular interest groups whose efforts to affect public policy may enrich our own;
— Peaceful public demonstrations of our views, undertaken either as an individual committee or in concert with outside interest groups whose opinions may converge with our own.
Spiritual Practices
Recognizing that peace and restorative justice ministry requires trust and centeredness in God and deep reservoirs of vision, hope, and fortitude, we intentionally seek to support one another and, together, we strive to deepen the connection of our activism to the gospel through spiritual practices that inform and sustain our work. In particular, each minister commits to eight broad areas of the spiritual life we see as essential to grounding us in God and strengthening our mission to act upon public policy issues. They are: Worship, Personal Prayer, Study, Sabbath, Cultural Engagement and Recreation, Compassionate Poverty, Service, and Leadership. In 2008, the Community created a booklet, Spiritual Practices to Sustain Christians in the Ministry of Peace & Restorative Justice, that offers specific ideas for spiritual practices that can equip any Christian to act upon public policy issues.
Actions and Advocacy
In 2009:
January: Offered a program of literary readings celebrating the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
January — April: Contributed prayers to a blog created by Community member Susan Valdés-Dapena, inviting prayers for the first 100 days of the Barack Obama presidency.
March: Led a petition drive calling upon President Barack Obama to form a truth and reconciliation commission, charged with investigating instances of torture and detainee abuse. The petition with 75 signatures was forwarded to the White House during Holy Week, along with a copy to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
May: Joined in a nationwide rally (locally in Union Square) in support of Troy Davis, a death row inmate many believe is innocent, and in advocacy against the death penalty.
June: Participated in a book reading and signing party at Holy Trinity for Lifting Women's Voices (Morehouse, 2009), an anthology of prayers by Anglican women and girls addressing issues of global poverty. The Rev. K. Jeanne Person served as an editor for the anthology, and several Community members contributed prayers.
June: Led Holy Trinity's participation in the New York City Heritage of Pride March. Twenty members of Holy Trinity marched from Midtown to Lower Manhattan, carrying a banner created especially for the event and swinging censers in blessing. Marching expressed Holy Trinity's commitment to equal rights for LGBT people everywhere.
July: Offered the Community's Annual retreat, which comprised a "Time Out" party on a Friday evening with dancing, then a Saturday morning program. Steve Knight led a workshop, Each Will Receive Wages according to their Labor, that invited retreatants to recognize themselves in the context of the U.S. working class. Chris Knight led a bible study of The Beatitudes in Luke's gospel (6:20-26). Judy Milone offered a roundup of the Episcopal Church's 2009 General Convention's peace and restorative justice resolutions. And everyone shared recommendations for books, films and other cultural offerings meaningful to peace and restorative justice advocacy.
October: Led a parish field trip to see Michael Moore's documentary Capitalism: A Love Story, followed by a lively conversation afterwards about the film and, in general, whether capitalism is consistent with Christian values.
October: Helped to create and participated in a prayer service at Holy Trinity to advocate for a Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act for New York State, as part of a state-wide vigil in support of farmworker rights led by Rural & Migrant Ministry.
December: Offered the annual Human Rights Eucharist, including a reading of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
December: Hosted a screening and discussion of the award-winning documentary Bil'in Habibti about a Palestinian vilalge's non-violent advocacy against Israel's separation barrier.
December: Led the parish in an environmental action, Sounds of 350, during the Copenhagen Summit as a clarion call for an international climate treaty, especially to limit CO2 levels in the atmosphere to a sustainable 350 parts per million. The action included educating the parish and ringing the parish tower bells 350 times in concert, including environmental songs such as America the Beautiful and I've Got Peace Like a River.
In 2009, the Community also formally became a sponsoring partner of New York Faith and Justice, and Community members continued to be activists in other peace and justice groups.
In 2008:
January: Published Setting the 2008 National Agenda: From a Christian Perspective, written by the Community. This booklet briefly analyzed ten policy areas and made policy recommendations. While elected officials, including candidates for the presidency were the main audience, the booklet was also meant for anyone caring about these issues in a faith context. The booklet received diocesan and national attention, as well as orders for additional copies! Four meetings to discuss The Agenda were held at the parish over the course of the year.
April: Led a petition drive for wage increase for Coalition of Immokalee [Florida] tomato pickers. Created a liturgical action to demonstrate difficult physical work of tomato pickers.
May: Hosted a MayFair voter registration table.
June: Screening of “Brother/Outsider,” a documentary film about civil rights/gay rights leader Bayard Rustin; discussion by filmmaker and reception;
June: Led Holy Trinity's participation in the New York City Heritage of Pride March; marched in memory of deceased Community and Vestry member Roland Gittens.
July: Liturgical presentation of prayers supporting the Bishops’ walk in Lambeth and the Millennium Development Goals, written by Community members, and the creation of accompanying “stations”, which hang along the side aisles in the church. The prayers were later published on the website of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation.
July: Annual retreat of the Community.
August: Trip to the Museum of the City of New York to hear a panel discussion on a newly published book on Catholic social activist Dorothy Day.
December: Trip to view “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” a film about present day struggles of Liberian women for peace and equality.
December: Special Eucharist with a reading of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
December: Hosted a forum and reception/fair for Coalition of Immokalee tomato pickers. Fourteen food justice groups attended and exhibited their material, in support of Immokalee campaign.