“Welcome the Stranger” Pilgrimage

Modeled after our Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage, The Faith & Politics Institute is
leading a congressional pilgrimage to New York and New Jersey to visit iconic sites and hear first hand and reflect on compelling stories of faith and hope in the American immigrant story. The trip will examine the diverse heritage of Americans and the different ways we and many of our forebears came to this country– through Ellis Island, over borders, by choice or in chains.

WHO: Led by Reps. Joe Crowley (D- NY) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R- FL), along with their House and Senate colleagues, anticipated participants include a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers from both chambers of Congress- including those who are naturalized citizens or first generation Americans.

  WHAT: This trip will examine both the tensions that different ethnic, cultural, and racial groups have experienced in living together, and the promise of reconciliation and unity in our multiethnic and multiracial democracy.

 WHERE: New York City and nearby New Jersey, where the dynamics of bringing diverse races, ethnicities, backgrounds, and cultures together under the same banner are magnified by the city’s limited space and unique place, past and present, as both an entry point and a destination.

         WHEN: July 25-27, 2013

*please note there will be an optional Saturday night stay with a group service project on Sunday, July 28th

110 Maryland Ave, NE Suite 504 Washington, DC 20002
(202) 546-1299 * www.faithandpolitics.org
@FaithNPolitics * https://www.facebook.com/FaithNPolitics
For more information please contact Andrea Wise at andrea@faithandpolitics.org

The meeting was a follow-up to a gathering in June, 2012, after which a group of twenty Christian faith leaders committed to participate together in a ministry of reconciliation.  Many of the participants in the June, 2012 gathering stayed involved in the project in the intervening year through praying together, publishing together and preparing for a second meeting together.

The purpose of the May Better Angels gathering was to strengthen relationships among the diverse group of faith leaders, to practice the tools and skills of respectful dialogue and to outline a plan to work together to help change the tone of political discourse.  The Better Angels project is funded by the Democracy Fund of the Omidyar Network, which is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of our democratic system.

Over the course of two days, facilitator Carolyn Lukensmeyer, Executive Director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse, led the group of faith leaders through a series of exercises designed to improve their capacity to model and promote civil discourse.

One tool that was practiced was that of paired dialogues, in which two faith leaders with different perspectives on a contentious political issue sought to listen to one another and engage one another with respect and understanding.

Read about the gathering in the Washington Post’s “On Faith” and on the Religious News Service

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/christian-leaders-seek-to-overcome-polarization/2013/05/15/1bfe9000-bda4-11e2-b537-ab47f0325f7c_story.html

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/05/15/christian-leaders-seek-to-overcome-polarization/

The participants at the 2013 Better Angels gathering were:

Kenda Bartlett, Executive Director, Concerned Women for America

Rev. Pierre Bynum,Chaplain, Family Research Council

Rev. Peg Chemberlin, Executive Director, Minnesota Council of Churches and Immediate Past President National Council of Churches

Mr. Richard Cizik​, President, New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good

Marge Clark, BVM, Lobbyist, NETWORK, A Catholic Social Justice Lobby

W. Mark Clark, Associate General Minister, United Church of Christ

Dr. Jeffrey Cooper, General Secretary/CIO, African Methodist Episcopal Church

Michael Cromartie,Vice President, Ethics and Public Policy Center

Fr. John W. Crossin, Executive Director, Secretariat for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Dr. Barrett Duke, Vice President for Public Policy and Research, Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Dr. James A. Forbes, Senior Pastor Emeritus, Riverside Church

Robert Gittelson, Vice President for Governmental Affairs, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Tim Goeglein, Vice President, External Relations, Focus on the Family(Not  pictured)

Bishop Richard Graham, Metropolitan Washington DC Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Retired Bishop, United Methodist Church

 Patrick Kelly, Vice President for Public Policy, Knights of Columbus (not pictured)

Dr. J. Herbert Nelson , Director of Public Witness, Presbyterian Church USA

Rev. Tom Reese, S.J., Professor, Georgetown University

Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, The Presiding Bishop, The Episcopal Church

Dr. Ed Stetzer, Vice President of Research and Ministry Development LifeWay Christian Resources

Dr. Mark L. Williams,  General Overseer, Church of God

Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, Co-Founder and President, Skinner Leadership Institute

Photos courtesy of Byron Buck.

Special thanks to Theo Brown, Better Angels Project Director, Jennie Ellwanger, Director of Development, Andrea Wise, Program Coordinator, Christy Bergheof, Program Assistant and Sean Murphy, Faith & Politics Intern.

The Faith & Politics Institute is grateful for the generous support of the Democracy Fund of the Omidyar Network and for the expert planning and facilitation of Carolyn Lukensmeyer, Executive Director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse.

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.  Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.  Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.  Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.  Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.  The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

–Attributed to Calvin Coolidge and read at his memorial service, 1933

Thursday, May 16
7:30AM—9:00AM

Washington Court Hotel
525 New Jersey Avenue
NW Washington, DC 20001

Honorary Co-Hosts
Representative Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)
Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)

Special Guests
Arlene Baker Holt, AFL-CIO

 Each year, The St. Joseph’s Day Breakfast brings together members of Congress with labor, business and religious leaders to lift up the vital role of the American worker. The Breakfast was inaugurated to raise awareness on Capitol Hill of the religious and moral dimensions of issues that affect working people. Faith traditions recognize dignified work as a fundamental part of human life. Pope Leo XIII wrote that the common good is best promoted by cooper- ation between people of faith, lawmakers, the employer, and the employed.

The St. Joseph’s Day Breakfast provides an opportunity to honor individuals in these diverse realms whose faith and values have led them to make outstanding contribu- tions to the dignity and well-being of work- ing people. This year we will commemo- rate the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and celebrate the role that organized labor held in the March.

For more information or to arrange your participation, please contact Jennie Ellwanger at 202-546-1299 or jennie@faithandpolitics.org

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen . . . Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us . . . Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.”

– Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews

We at The Faith & Politics Institute are lifting up in prayer all those affected by the attack at the Boston Marathon, and are heartened to see the immediate outpouring of generous response to the tragedy.

Click here for the article.

“What does power mean to us?  Why are most people willing to do almost anything to get it?  Even if we are not aware of it, most of us seek to be in positions of power because we believe this will enable us to control our life situations.  We believe power will get us what we most want: freedom and happiness.

“Our society is founded on a very limited definition of power, namely wealth, professional success, fame, physical strength, military might, and political control.  My dear friends, I suggest that there is another kind of power, a greater power, the power to be happy right in the present moment, free from addiction, despair, discrimination, anger, and ignorance.  This power is the birthright of every human being, whether celebrated or unknown, rich or poor, strong or weak.

“… What most people call power Buddhists call cravings.  The five cravings are for wealth, fame, sex, fancy food, and lots of sleep.  In Buddhism, we speak of the five true powers, five kinds of energy.  The five powers are faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and insight.”

–Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Power, pages 1 and 15

“Every breath we draw is a gift of God’s love; every moment of existence is a grace.”

–Thomas Merton

On the website, you will also hear audio of special moments of your pilgrimage:

Montgomery Policy Chief Kevin Murphy’s apology to Congressman Lewis

Bettie Mae Fikes’ spirited singing

Interviews with Students & Stewards

James Forbes

“Representative John Lewis (D-GA) and John Carlos talked about their experiences fighting for civil rights. Representative Lewis was the chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee from 1963 to 1966 and he drew from those experiences in his books Walking with the Wind and Across That Bridge. John Carlos won the bronze medal in the 200 meters at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. As the U.S. national anthem played at the awards ceremony, John Carlos and his gold medal-winning African-American teammate, Tommie Smith, wore black gloves and raised their fists in a black power salute to protest injustices faced by African Americans at home. Inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame, he is also a recipient of the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. He co-wrote The John Carlos Story. “American Icons” was part of the 2013 Virginia Festival of the Book. They were interviewed by Robert Vaughan on stage at the Paramount Theater and responded to audience members’ questions.”

To see the video, click here (The interview begins at 11:24).