Advocacy Camp 2009 a Success

Texas Impact’s citizen leadership development program, Advocacy Camp, was a big success!  People from a dozen Houston-area congregations, the Gulf-Coast Lutheran Synod, and the Texas United Methodist Women were in attendance to hear theme speaker Rev. Brian McLaren and to attend workshops led by Texas policy experts on topics ranging from health care and immigration to the environment.

Advocacy Camp was a registered 350.org action, part of the October 24th global day of action on climate change.  Nancy Benthien, Texas Impact Board member and trained presenter for Al Gore’s The Climate Project, spoke about the need to get back down to the number 350—as in, parts per million, the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.  And in the afternoon, Andy Wilson of Public Citizen updated workshop participants on current climate change legislation on Capitol Hill.

Rev. McLaren joined Advocacy Camp via satellite to discuss the importance of individuals and communities of faith in social transformation.  The presentation was followed by a lengthy question and answer session, during which people were able to interact directly with him.  His message that faithful action starts with individuals, moves through the community and then out into the world was very well-received.  “If every church had as its mission equipping people to go out into the world bearing compassion, then what would the world look like?  What would our churches look like?” he asked.