The donuts, boiled eggs, and bagels were out on the table just outside the room in which a group of people were starting to gather. And, of course, the coffee was there – as always, an indispensable ingredient of these early morning meetings.
Also present was a representative of the Disciples Center for Public Witness (DC4PW), a social witness ministry that “informs, connects, and empowers Disciples and other people of faith for ecumenical and interfaith justice advocacy in the United States and Canada.” The DC4PW speaker was there on this early Saturday morning to talk with the elders about faith and politics, church and state, and ‘dos and don’ts’ for communities of faith in an election year.
“We were pleased to learn more about DC4PW, as well as how we might get more involved in issues that are important to us,” said Vaughn Ouellette, chair of the board of elders at Christian Temple. “We’re looking forward to joining with other congregations to become a partner of this much-needed ministry.”
This particular event occurred as an informal discussion at Christian Temple in Baltimore, MD. But similar discussions – through presentations, forums, and workshops – have taken place in other congregations in Maryland, California, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Virginia and Washington, DC.
“Sometimes it’s a small group and sometimes it’s the whole congregation,” said Ken Brooker Langston, executive director of DC4PW. “But with whomever we are in conversation, we talk about current issues and concerns, and the mission and advocacy work of that particular congregation and its context.”
Beginning as a ministry within the Christian Church Capital Area in 2012, DC4PW now ministers to the whole Church: it is a recognized ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) through the Office of the General Minister and President and it carries out its justice advocacy ministry in close partnership with Disciples Home Missions and other general ministries. But much of DC4PW’s spiritual and financial support comes from its congregational partners, many of whom partner with DC4PW after conversations like the one at Christian Temple in Baltimore.
To learn more about how to arrange for a representative of DC4PW to visit your congregation, or how to join with other congregations in becoming a congregational partner of DC4PW, please visit their website or contact them by email.