EXCELLENT Resource Aug 28th: JustFaith Ministries Intro Workshop
Debbie Shew
Many of you have heard me raving about the work of JustFaith Ministries. They have created what I believe are the best resources out there for helping parishioners engage deeply with questions about how the Gospel calls us to lives of compassion and justice-making. What started in one man's parish in Louisville, KY has now spread to churches across the country. Initially Roman Catholic, it now has materials for ecumenical partners as well, through its link with Bread for the World. I'd love to see it in every parish in the diocese.
Jack Jezreel, the founder, who some of us heard at the Episcopal Church's Domestic Poverty Summit in NJ this spring, will himself lead an introduction to JustFaith on Sat. Aug 28th. Invitation below copied straight from my email from Bread for the World; I couldn't have said it better!
Further down, I have also pasted in items from the JustFaith website, to give you a small sense of their approach to all this. And way below that is also information about a workshop on the same day in the late afternoon for folks interested in the campus/young adult program of JustFaith, called JusticeWalking, to be held at Agnes Scott College in Decatur. I've sent that info to chaplains, etc. but include it here as well.
I'd love to have Episcopal colleagues join me the 28th (I'll be attending both workshops.) But even if you can't attend, and are still interested to learn more, please drop me a quick note and I'll put you on a list to stay in touch. I'm really serious about trying to get it going in some parishes this year and would love a team to help it happen.
Here's the main scoop:
Join Bread for the World members and others from around the Atlanta metro area for a "soul satisfying" experience that will stretch your faith and deepen your passion for justice.
Register to attend "An Introduction to JustFAITH," led by JustFAITH founder Jack Jezreel.
- Hear compelling stories of how the JustFAITH small-group program of personal transformation has revitalized churches across the country
- Discover how to connect your faith to what’s happening in the world today and to express your faith in concrete acts of discipleship
- Learn practical steps for introducing JustFAITH in your church or faith community—including preparing to launch a JustFaith group this fall
- Find out about Engaging Spirituality, Justice Walking, and other programs offered by JustFAITH
Saturday, August 28, 2010, from 8:15 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, Parish Hall
591 Flint River Road, Jonesboro, GA 30238
*suggested donation is $20 with lunch included
JustFAITH is an in-depth program of spiritual formation used in thousands of churches across the country—with more than 20,000 graduates. Over 30 weeks, participants experience and become deeply involved in prayer, spiritual reflection, dialogue, encounters with poor people, and community. A new version of JustFAITH, developed in collaboration with Bread for the World, offers Christians from all faith traditions an innovative approach to small group study. For more information, visit JustFAITH's website. http://www.justfaith.org/about/
From JustFaith's website:
What Is JustFaith Ministries?
JustFaith Ministries provides programs that transform people and expand their commitment to social ministry. Through these life-changing opportunities, members of a church or parish can study, explore and experience Christ’s call to care for the poor and vulnerable in a lively, challenging, multifaceted process in the context of a small faith community.
Jack Jezreel, M.Div., the founder and Executive Director of JustFaith Ministries, introduced the original JustFaith program in 1989 while working in a parish in Louisville, Kentucky. It was immediately and dramatically successful. Since then, churches around the country have had similar results.
Over 20,000 people have participated in various JustFaith programs in over 1,000 churches across the country. JustFaith Ministries, in conjunction with its partners, makes available introductory workshops, curriculum, resources, a website, and support services.
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From Bread for the World blog:
The Path to Intimacy: The JustFaith Journey
One of the
most inspiring and enriching experiences I’ve had recently came from
spending the afternoon listening to Jack Jezreel, founder of JustFaith Ministries,
during his visit to Portland, Oregon. In a three-hour workshop he managed to get to the heart of the Gospel. It’s a simple formula, but it leads to big transformation (I have friends who can testify to this):
Following Christ (as LOVE without exceptions) + actively seeking out and experiencing justice (right relationships) = an expanded open heart that leads to intimacy with God and thus, wholeness.
JustFaith engages Christians in a 30-week program that offers participants a chance to learn about aspects of social justice and how they relate to our faith experience. Jack said the first time he offered the program—which includes 12 books, two retreats, and hands-on experiences—he asked participants if they were ready for the possibility that their lives could change. Isn’t that what Christ asks of each of us?
The JustFaith process is not just about learning about social ministry, but setting our hearts on fire for God’s kingdom on earth. JustFaith is about a courageous and authentic commitment to the Bible as a living document and Christ’s life as a pathway to wholeness.
Recently, Bread for the World and JustFaith announced a full partnership in both of the JustFaith ecumenical and Catholic study programs. As Bread organizers, we know that when we go into a church that has been doing the JustFaith program, explaining the biblical basis for advocacy is not necessary. Pointing out why, as people of faith, we are called to speak up for the poorest and most vulnerable is not necessary. What we find are communities that are on fire and are actively living out the call to heal this broken world.
I’ll be joining my own JustFaith group this fall and couldn’t be more excited!
To learn more about JustFaith, ask your regional organizers.
Robin Stephenson is Bread’s western
region field organizer.
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- Link to interview w/ Jack Jezreel, founder of JustFaith: http://uscatholic.org/church/2010/05/do-your-parish-justice Do Your Parish Justice, Interview with JustFaith Ministries Executive Director, Jack Jezreel (by Megan Sweas, associate editor of U.S. Catholic, at the Catholic Social Minstry Gathering in February 2010), U.S. Catholic, June 2010
With deep gratitude for all the work each of you do every single day, to help all of us grab hold of the challenge and hope of the Gospel,
Debbie Shew+
The Rev. Canon Debra Metzgar Shew
Canon for Community Ministries
Director, Episcopal Charities Foundation
The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
2744 Peachtree Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
Phone: 404-601-5320 x. 110
Fax: 404-601-5330
Toll-free: 800-537-6743
ds...@episcopalatlanta.org
www.episcopalatlanta.org