– March 30, 2013 –

WASHINGTON – Each year at EAD, various denominational gatherings occur during the weekend. Below is a listing of denominational sponsored events occuring at EAD 2013:

Disciples of Christ & United Church of Christ
Join United Church of Christ and Disciples justice advocates for dinner and fellowship on Saturday, April 6, beginning at 5:30 pm in the Jefferson Room of the DoubleTree Hotel. Dinner will be followed by a panel discussion on food insecurity and sustainable production, looking at both the domestic and international contexts.

With us will be Ms. Vivian Lucas, director of the UCC Franklinton Center at Bricks in rural North Carolina, joined by Rev. Richard Joyner, Ms. Sue Perry-Cole, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Community Development Corporations, and Mr. Luther Wiggins and Mr. Sylvester Hill, African American small farm owners in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. They will be talking about the Franklinton Center at Bricks’ Just Food Project, created in response to the impact of increasing poverty and food insecurity in rural eastern North Carolina, particularly for communities of color. Franklinton Center is located in the second largest food desert in the nation, and Edgecombe County has the lowest life expectancy in the state.

We will also hear from Ms. Angela Boss of the Foods Resource Bank, a partner of both the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. Foods Resource Bank is the main food security partner of the UCC’s One Great Hour of Sharing program and the Disciples Week of Compassion. She will bring an international perspective on sustainable agriculture projects and smallholder farmers in the developing world.

Suggested donation for dinner is $20 on a sliding scale. The panel presentation begins at 6:45 pm – all are welcome.

 

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Join fellow ELCA members to learn more about how our church advocates for a more just food system during EAD’s denominational gathering time on Saturday, April 6, from 4:45-6:30 pm. This time together will explore how the ELCA works through advocacy, global relationships, direct service, and education to alleviate hunger, build strong communities, and protect God’s creation.

ELCA advocacy is most effective when Lutherans across the country are involved and active. Our time together will answer questions on the Ecumenical Advocacy Days policy ask, provide resources on advocacy post-Ecumenical Advocacy Days, and lift up examples of our church’s work around food worldwide.
 

Peace Churches
The Peace Churches will meet in the Madison room during EAD on Saturday, April 6, from 4:45 – 6:30 pm. Come introduce yourself and share about the work happening around food, justice, and peace at your home congregation.
 

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Presbyterians will gather together for three special events during the EAD 2013 weekend:

• First, Presbyterians are invited to attend a pre-EAD event titled, “Compassion, Peace & Justice Training Day” (CPJ), on Friday, April 5, from 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC. Come and learn how we as individual Presbyterians can work for food justice and explore the root causes of hunger and malnutrition in the global food system. Experts from within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), along with our partners, will lead workshops on the current food justice issues, along with skill training sessions on advocacy and community organizing.
• Then on Saturday, April 6th, Presbyterians will gather during EAD denominational time — scheduled for 4:45-6:30 p.m. in the Crystal A Room of the DoubleTree Hotel. We will engage in discussion about Presbyterian ministry in local communities and spend time “debriefing” what everyone has learned thus far at EAD and the CPJ Training Day.
• Finally, join other Presbyterians for dinner Saturday night for “Windows Over Washington: A Musical Soiree,” from 7:00 p.m.- 11:00 p.m. This will be an evening of food, music and views at the DoubleTree’s 14th Floor “Windows Over Washinton.” Enjoy great dining, exciting vistas, and musical entertainment by the Presbyterian Jazz Band! There will be a cash bar, door prizes and more. The cost is $40/person for EAD participants; $60/person otherwise. To secure a reservation call 202.543.1125. Tickets may be available at the Presbyterian exhibit table, but we expect to sell-out early, so please call ahead!

Roman Catholic
Please join fellow Catholics at Ecumenical Advocacy Days on Saturday, April 6, from 4:45 pm to 6:30 pm. The leaders of three national Catholic organizations will provide tools and resources you can bring to your community to help realize this year’s EAD’s theme: At God’s Table: Food Justice for a Healthy World.

Ambassador Johnny Young, Executive Director, Department of Migration and Refugee Services, U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Jim Ennis, Executive Director, National Catholic Rural Life Conference; and Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, Catholic Charities, USA, will discuss the work of their respective organizations in terms of food justice. This promises to be a lively and helpful conversation. It is also a great time to learn what fellow Catholic throughout the U.S. are doing for food justice. At 6:30 pm, nationally renowned liturgist and homilist Msgr. Ray East will celebrate Mass with musical leadership provided by members of the St. Teresa of Avila (Washington, DC) Gospel Choir.

 

United Methodist Church
All United Methodist participants in this year’s Ecumenical Advocacy Days, including all the Peace with Justice Coordinators attending, are encouraged to join us Saturday from 4:45-6:30 pm for a special Presentation and Dialogue with Rev. Dr. Gary Mason. Rev. Mason serves as Senior Minister and Mission Superintendent at the East Belfast Mission. He is known throughout Ireland as a voice for peace and hope in an area plagued by decades of conflict.

East Belfast Mission is one of the largest Methodist Missions in Europe with over one hundred employees guiding a broad array of critical ministries. Located in the inner city, it is seen as one of the most creative churches in the area of social justice and peace building in Ireland. It has also been at the forefront of efforts to quell violence and is recognized by both the British, Irish and the American administrations as having a leading role in developing peace within loyalist communities.

Rev. Mason has traveled widely and has spoken in a number of church, university and denominational settings across the United States. these include: Harvard University, Boston College, Boston University, Tufts, Emory, Duke, University of Alabama, Florida Southern College, West Virginia University, West Virginia Wesleyan and Birmingham Southern College.