Committees and Task Forces
Living Into Our Baptismal Covenant by Striving for Justice & Peace
by Steve Valez-Confer
At the December Chapter meeting, a resolution was adopted setting St. Paul’s Peace and Justice Committee on a completely new adventure. The resolution established the Peace and Justice Committee as a Standing Committee of the Chapter along with Finance and Building and Grounds. All Chairs of Standing Committees of the Chapter have a voice at Chapter meetings, but no vote. The resolution also established three subcommittees of the Peace and Justice Committee. The Education subcommittee will continue the popular series of day of half-day forums. Previous forums have been conducted on issues like housing, just war, criminal justice system, and the grocery strike. The Episcopal Relief and Development subcommittee will assist with the fundraising supporting St. Paul’s support for emergency relief and economic development in the distressed parts of our nation and world. The Outreach subcommittee, working with the Canon for Outreach, encourages individual and group work in the community to provide direct assistance. In addition, the local chapter of Integrity will be represented on the Peace and Justice Committee as a subcommittee. Another subcommittee is in the process of being developed focusing on Access issues.
A current project of the Peace and Justice Committee is recruitment of St. Paul’s members of members from other congregations in the diocese for a mission trip to El Salvador. This trip is under Episcopal Relief and Development, and is scheduled for this spring. There are still openings and anyone interested can contact Alexandria Alberts for additional information.
Another important provision in the Peace and Justice resolution adopted by the Chapter is a process for consideration and adoption by the Chapter of position papers on justice and peace issues. The process provides for an extensive dialogue among Cathedral before any position is adopted. Specifically, before being submitted to the Chapter, a proposed policy is prepared for consideration by the Cathedral Dean. The proposal must include research on the subject, arguments for and against the position being proposed, information on the issue contained in resolutions of the National Church adopted at the Triennial Convention.
Of particular importance is the dialogue among Cathedral members that is required before any position is adopted. The proposed issue position submitted to the Dean must contain information about the sense of the Cathedral membership on the issue and how the committee made that determination. Dean Richardson asked the Peace and Justice Committee two years ago to enter a period of discernment. The discernment period was designed to avoid potential pitfalls of committees of this kind. The Dean describes one of these potential pitfalls as an “issue ghetto” where a small group of isolated activists labor to support causes that are separated from the majority of the congregation membership. The resolution adopted by the Chapter is designed to integrate consideration of justice and peace issues as part of the fabric of Cathedral life.
KATRINA AND BEYOND TASK FORCE
The Katrina and Beyond Task Force, appointed by Bishop Mathes, is sponsoring a workshop at Diocesan Convention on February 10th. The major charge of the task force is to coordinate congregational responses with the national program called “We Will Stand With You”, a partnership Program for Dioceses/Congregations/ Institutions seeking to build companion relationships in hurricane relief. WWSWY is operated from the office of George Packard, Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies. We are also coordinating local responses of the diocese to evacuees (and to assisting agencies), and developing contingency plans/disaster plans for the diocese. Those congregations wishing to be linked with “We Will Stand With You” will do so through the task force. The task force has registered the Diocese of San Diego with the program and will generate guidelines for partnership to help San Diego congregations wishing to be part of “We Will Stand With You”. If you do not know how to become linked with WWSWY or how to get linked with the affected states, call Eleanor Ellsworth at 858 509 2707…as soon as possible. Here is the latest report of our activities found on the WWSWY web site:
http://www.ecusa-chaplain.org/wswy_portal.html
San Diego
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Advocating for support of ERD
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Eleanor Ellsworth is the new head of diocesan Katrina Task Force
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Canon for Outreach Joan Ford is heading the diocesan communications work group
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Red Cross reports there are over 2000 evacuess in San Diego
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St. Peter's Church, Del Mar, has established a relationship with St. Peter's by the Sea, Gulfport, MS which they hope will grow with time through increased funding and trips of work teams
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Diocesan contact: Eleanor Ellsworth elellsworth@earthlink.net
This report is WAY out of date, as we know that there are others in this diocese working to help the people and parishes of the Gulf Coast. In order to make a full and accurate report to WSWY, PLEASE let us know as soon as possible what your parish/institution is doing at this time. Send responses asap to The Rev. Canon Joan Butler Ford revjbf@priest.com.
At our Convention workshop we will present a progress report on the work being done in this diocese. In addition, Chris Manning, Disaster Coordinator for the American Red Cross and active member of Trinity Church, Escondido will address the workshop on the topic of “Dealing with Disasters: Current and Future Perspectives for Parishes”. Please come see us at Convention, 5:30 pm, Friday, February 10th.
Blessings,
Joan +
The Rev. Canon Joan Butler Ford
