Peace and Justice Action Group

Mark Valentine’s Day this year by coming out to stand with Connecticut residents and legislators as we call for more gun restrictions and an end to gun violence. March for Change will host a rally against gun violence on Thursday, February 14 at the State Capitol in Hartford.

March for Change Hartford State House

Come out on Sunday, January 13th at 7:00 p.m. to talk with State Senator Martin Looney. Senator Looney returns to First Presbyterian Church to talk with us about the Connecticut Legislative Agenda for 2013. Come with your questions and don’t be shy to share your concerns and hopes with this important state

We’ve invited Senator Looney to talk with us about Sustinet and the laws implementing the affordable health care act in Connecticut, the continuing gun violence despite our generally strong laws, the inequality of educational opportunity in our state, protection of our environment, climate change, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, racial profiling, and the significance of the election results.

As Majority Leader, Senator Looney is involved in all aspects of our state’s governance.

With election season finally behind us, this will be a chance to think about the real work of government. In the past, these conversations have been a lively and informative way to learn about the opportunities and challenges before our state.

Senator Looney’s is in his fifth term as Senate Majority Leader of the General Assembly, having first been elected to that leadership post in 2003. He is also Chair of the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee and Vice Chair of the Legislative Management Committee. Since being elected to the State Senate in 1993, he has spent six years as Senate Chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee; Chairman of the Banks Committee, Vice-Chair of the Bonding Subcommittee, and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee.

In 1987, Senator Looney was selected as Legislator of the Year by the Caucus of Connecticut Democrats and following his first term in 1982 he was honored by the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women for his successful work as sponsor of legislation to provide tax credit incentives to employers who create on-site day care for the children of their employees. In 1993, the Connecticut Coalition Against Gun Violence honored Senator Looney for his efforts in helping to gain passage of Connecticut’s historic assault weapon ban. Prior to his election to the General Assembly in 1980, Looney was a Public Information Aide to the Mayor of New Haven and taught English Literature and Composition as an adjunct faculty member at Quinnipiac College and the University of New Haven.

Mark your calendars now and plan to join us for conversation and cookies!

–Ralph Jones

Congresswoman and church neighbor Rosa DeLauro and her Republican challenger for that job Wayne Winsley, will be our guests on Sunday, October 14th.

Invited by the Mission Committee of First Presbyterian Church to address issues of poverty and peacemaking, Representative DeLauro will join us at 5 p.m., with Mr. Winsley arriving at 6 p.m. The two will not appear together.

This is a wonderful opportunity to invite these two candidates to respond to our questions about the priorities of progressive Christians, including addressing hunger and poverty, and shaping the way to a more peaceful world.

On Sunday, October 21, at 6:30pm, everyone is welcome to join us in the Miller Gathering Hall for a talk by Mansoor Alam, an organization consultant to the United Nations (Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and founder of The Enough Foundation.

Enough is a Connecticut-based youth organization which brings together high school and college students of different faiths and ethnicities for the promotion of peace and development through collaborative work in communities, high schools and colleges.

Mansoor Alam founded Enough in 2009 when he was a high school student in Cheshire, CT. In just one year’s time, Enough expanded to create twelve new chapters across the Northeast. It now has over twenty high school and college chapters nation-wide and has even set up overseas chapters in the United Kingdom, Canada and Pakistan.

Enough’s present focus is on improving access to education for kids in developing countries and building cross-continental, cross-cultural and cross-religious youth networks. During his talk, Mansoor Alam, now also a Wesleyan University student and this year’s recipient of the Presidential Award for Volunteer Service, will share with us the vision and work of Enough.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear an outstanding youth leader speak about an exceptional youth organization. For more information, pick up a flyer on the Welcome Table, or talk to Rona Johnston Gordon, Leah Miller, Rowyn Davis, Sophie Latham, Charlotte Gordon, or Cressida Lui.

You are invited to a special healthcare4every1 regional meeting on Thursday, Sept 27th @ 5:30pm to 8pm at the North Haven Congregational Church, 28 Church Street, North Haven, CT

Since June, hundreds of residents have attended regional meetings across the state to learn what everyone should know about healthcare reform and what each of us can do to move it forward.

Federal health reform is a real step forward for Connecticut, but leaves big gaps in coverage, affordability and quality of care. Our state leaders need to step up and finish the job.

Join us to learn what state and federal healthcare reform means - for women, children, providers, the uninsured, students and small businesses – and how we can keep our elected leaders accountable and on our side. Together, we can make reform a reality.

Get informed about state & federal health reform, including what the Affordable Care Act does for Connecticut residents and small businesses, and what it doesn’t

Get active in the campaign to hold elected officials accountable and work together to win quality, affordable health care for everyone

Click healthcare4every1 to download the flyer.

For More Info Contact
Chris Limone
860-257-8066
climone@naswct.net

When:  Sat, April 21, 8:45am – 1:30pm

Where: Unitarian Society of New Haven, 700 Hartford Trunpike, Hamden, CT 06517 (map)

How can we make our economy work for the 100%, not just the 1%?

Author and activist Chuck Collins will deliver the keynote speech telling how we got into this mess and giving practical action steps for addressing the wealth inequality situation.

David Amdur from Congregations for a New Economy (CCNE) will speak about the statewide advocacy campaign for quality and affordable universal healthcare insurance and confronting the racial wealth gap in the country.

Father David Blanchfield will talk on grassroots community organizing over predatory lending, undocumented immigrants, and other justice issues.

Breakout Sessions:
“Taxing the Wealthy”, Chuck Collins
“Immigrant Justice Work, The St Rose de Lima Experience”, Pat Speer and Jaime Zepeda of CONECT
“Immigraiton: Up Close and Personal, 3 People Sharing their Experiences”, Immigration Task Force Breakfast:

8:45. Lunch will be served during breakout sessions. The conference will end at 1:30.

A project which will give space for artists to wrestle with their faith and their artistic voice at the same time. A concept which includes using the arts to build the movement for peace and justice in our churches and communities, for provision of new ways of seeing the faith, of witnessing to the interconnectedness of all of creation.

The Center will be a simple two-story rectangle with studios for pottery, woodworking, fiber arts, painting, puppet making, quilting, writing, exhibition and display space both indoors and out. As most of you know Stony Point is the only Conference Center in our Presbytery and provides space for group meetings, both local and national, and personal space for contemplation and discernment. It strives to keep the costs low and the quality top notch.

Much of the food is grown in Stony Point gardens and prepared by a talented staff in the Stony Point kitchen. Rooms are clean and showers are hot. It’s a great place to get away for even a day. If you haven’t seen for yourself perhaps you’ll get to do that this summer.

Stony Point’s plan for building the Arts Center is very creative. They have received one major gift of $200,000. By recruiting volunteers from churches in the area it is hoped that the project can be completed by late fall.

The offer is as follows: Volunteers age 14 to and up are invited to come from Sunday afternoon to Friday lunch, room and board are provided by Stony Point at no cost. A building materials fee of $300 is asked from each volunteer. All of the $300 goes to the purchase of materials. The work day is 9 to noon and 1:00 to 5.

By action of our Session we have established an Artist & Architect Scholarship Fund to honor past and present artists and architects from this congregation. These gifts may be given in honor or memory of an artist from your family, a friend, someone whose artistic contributions have enhanced your worship on special occasions or who has inspired you to express your artistic voice. The funds will be allocated in $300 increments to provide scholarships to enable all who wish to go to do so.

The ideal would be for all of us to be able to go the same week. That is not likely to happen, but perhaps we can go in 3 or 4 different groups sometime between April 1 and October 31. Remember there is no personal expense since Stony Point is hosting 5 nights and 15 meals.

For those of you who cannot participate perhaps you’d like to sponsor someone to go on your behalf, or simply make a contribution to the Artist & Architect Scholarship fund. If that fund reaches a sufficient amount we could perhaps pay for 1 room or equipment for one studio and place a plaque in the Center with the names of the First Presbyterian Church New Haven Artists and Architects so honored.

For more information pick up one of the Building on the Rock booklets on the Welcome Table or talk to Elder Teddy Hogle.

This April 26-29 at Stony Point Center, join peacemakers from across the country to discuss issues of peace and justice. Scholarships will be available.

This is a working meeting for peacemakers, organizers and activists from across the church to plan together for effective advocacy and action. For more information visit presbypeacefellowship.org, or talk with Jane Hindenlang.

Action Alert: Children are not a “Pay-for”

Tell Congress to Protect the Child Tax Credit

Negotiations are currently underway to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance benefits for long-term unemployed workers — an important measure to protect American families and to prevent the recovery from stalling out.

However, one proposed “pay-for” in this debate will directly attack low-income, immigrant children. This proposal would restrict eligibility for the Child Tax Credit, denying the credit to nearly 5 million children in low-income, tax-paying immigrant families.

The Child Tax Credit’s purpose is to reduce child poverty – in 2009 alone, the CTC kept 1.3 million children out of poverty. Making eligibility changes to this valuable program would take money away from many poor immigrant families – thus undermining the CTC’s central purpose of poverty reduction.

Click here to tell Congress that children are not a “pay-for.”

The Healing Communities “Train the Trainer” Day organized by our Faith-Based Committee will be on Saturday, Feb. 18 — attached is a flyer with more information, including RSVP details! Please circulate to your contacts.

The presenter, Dr. Harold Dean Trulear, has been recognized by the White House Office for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and the DOJ Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships as a leader in this area — in fact, today (Jan. 31) at 2pm he will be part of a webinar to discuss how organizations can to build a collaborative and sustainable reentry effort (https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/508022128 for webinar registration).

Healing Communities New Haven Re-entry Roundtable Flyer