All
that is belongs to God. From the prophets of Israel to the followers
of Jesus, biblical people understand that God calls us to care
for the earth and to stand with the poor and oppressed, that
all may share its bounty. This faith, coupled with an awareness
of the precarious situation of increasing numbers in our society,
undergirds the Economic Justice Program of the Episcopal Church.The
1988 General Convention called for a ministry of community investment
and economic justice. An Economic Justice Implementation Committee
(EJIC) was formed to implement this program at the national
level. Support was sought for community-controlled programs
featuring cooperative models, such as credit unions, worker-owned
businesses, housing cooperatives and community land trusts.
From the national Church to dioceses and parishes, Episcopalians
were asked to invest a portion of their resources in such community
community development projects.
However,
with budgetary cuts and reconceptualization of how the Church
will organize and fund its justice ministries, the EJIC was
phased out at the end of 1995. Along with Jubilee Ministries,
Anti-Racism, Environmental Stewardship, and the Peace and Justice
Network, Economic Justice has been folded into the newly created
Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) vehicle for
ministry.
Aware
that EJIC would be phased out, a 1993 conference in Chicago,
sponsored by the Province V Task Force on Economic Justice and
EJIC, called for formation of an economic justice network ,
to strengthen and support those engaged in such ministries,
and continue to advocate for economic justice initiatives within
the Episcopal Church.
It
is against this background that those in conference in Burlingame
California on November 3, 1996, established the Episcopal Network
for Economic Justice, and adopted the following bylaws for the
organization.
BYLAWS
The
Episcopal Economic Justice Network is an association of people
affiliated with the Episcopal Church who are engaged in community
economic development (CED).
A.
PURPOSES:
1.)
Maintain a communication network that will:
------a.
Share information on projects, activities, methods and stories.
------b. Establish vehicles for
sharing: a newsletter and a computer
----------network/database.
------c. Identify those who are
doing CED with an affiliation to the
----------Episcopal
Church.
------d. Maintain connections with
other entities which share our mission ----------and
purpose in Church:
• Diocesan economic justice committees.
• Provincial economic justice committees and JPIC committees.
• National JPIC committee and national offices in New York
and ---
--Washington.
• Organizations such as the Episcopal Urban Caucus and
APSO.
------e) Sponsor workshops and
conferences at the diocesan, provincial
----------or national-level
to share information and theological ---------------------------Perspectives;-and
support one another in the economic justice ------------ministry.
2.) Assist members in development of resources by:
------a)
Identify resources both within and outside the church available
--- ----------for
CED. These nclude finances, technical skills and educational
--- ------resources.
------b) Assist groups to
leverage additional resources.
------c) Advocate for additional
resources, particularly in the Episcopal
----------Church, and hold the Church accountable in
the utilization and --- --------reporting
of its finances.
------d) Maintain and reclaim
Economic Justice Ministry as a serious
----=----commitment of -the
Church at every level.
3.) Advocate on issues regarding Economic Justice:
------a) Collaborate
with others in the Episcopal Church involved with ---
------------others
in the Episcopal Church involved in advocacy ministry.
------b) Work within
the larger interfaith network when desirable and
----------advantageous.
------c) Develop a sound
mechanism for analysis of issues and ---
---------- ---
----organizing the effort.
