The #EAD2018 National Gathering from April 20-23, 2018 in our nation’s capital will focus on the theme of A World Uprooted: Responding to Migrants, Refugees and Displaced People.
For participants arriving early, there will be an opportunity to attend a special pre-gathering event. Sponsored by the National Council of the Churches of Christ and entitled, “Our Call to Speak Up for Displaced People,” the event on Friday afternoon, April 20 will include theologians presenting on this year’s #EAD2018 theme.
As millions of people cross borders fleeing violence and seeking better lives, and Christians gather at the 2018 Ecumenical Advocacy Days, it is important to consider the foundations for Christian advocacy on behalf of migrants and refugees. This workshop will explore theological and biblical resources for analyzing the global forces – war, climate change, famine and more – which uproot people from their homelands, and how we can sustain and deepen our solidarity with the uprooted.
Speakers for this event and more specifics will be posted soon.
Again this year, #EAD2018 will feature multiple sessions of breakout workshops on Saturday and Sunday, offering educational and skills training opportunities for attendees.
One workshop we are happy to highlight early is entitled “The Refugee Next Door.” It will be led by the Rev. Lee Schott, pastor of Women at the Well United Methodist Church in Iowa, which is housed within the walls of the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women.
Read more and view the video about Rev. Schott’s work in the Des Moines Register.
Some additional workshop topics being planned for our 2018 National Gathering include:
- Faith Leaders Respond to White Supremacy
- Climate Change Refugees and Latin America: Grassroots Voices & Community Identities
- Justice Threats to Unaccompanied Minors
- Rebuilding Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands
- Environmental Racism: When Climate, Cultural Biases & Race Collide
- Climate Refugees/Climate Change & Forced Migration
- Uprooted Communities Displaced By Extractive Industries
- Gender-based Violence/Violence Against Women
- The Intersection of Migrants, Refugees and Displaced People with Human Trafficking
- Immigration & Alternatives to Detention
We will be posting more information about workshops, including scheduled times, as that information becomes finalized.
Be sure to also review the first offering in our Lenten reflection series around our theme for 2018 and read more in our recent news update.