"Building Social Justice Ministries" Draws Enthusiastic Participation

More than 50 representatives of Central Texas congregations came together on  January 13 for a day to learn about building stronger congregationally based advocacy  programs for social justice. Coordinated by Texas Impact, the one-day workshop  featured both inspirational and practical presentations, including the nuts  and bolts of effective advocacy.

Keynote speaker Reverend Emily Whitehurst, Executive Director of Austin Area Interreligious Ministries, gave a heartfelt  presentation on the close relationship of faith and acting for justice in the  world. She shared how she had become an activist for the homeless during her  college years, and eventually realized that her passion for this work was  linked to her early religious teachings. This in turn led her to ministry. She  noted the difficulty and complexity of social justice issues, while also  firmly stating that there is no alternative but to struggle with these, in a  prayerful and faithful way.
 
Texas Impact Executive Director Bee Moorhead gave workshops on effective citizen advocacy and current  issues in the Legislature. Barbara Budde of the Catholic Diocese of Austin and Brian Heymans of the Austin District Amos Commission shared models for building advocacy programs within congregations.
 
Thanks to Austin's University Presbyterian Church for hosting the event, and to our co-sponsoring organizations: Austin Area Interreligious Ministries, Central Texas Muslimaat, the Amos Commission of the  District Office of the United Methodist Church, Faithful Citizenship Committee  of the Catholic Diocese, and the Baptist Christian Life  Commission.
 
If you are interested in strengthening your congregation's role in advocacy for social justice, you can sign up to be on Texas Impact's Advocacy Network by going to http://groups.yahoo.com and type in  'texasimpactadvocacy'. For more information, call  Texas Impact at 512.472.3903 or email gaye@texasimpact.org.