Faith In Action: Stories from Our Social Justice Partners
Materials for Activity
- Newsprint, markers, and tape
- Literature about the social justice organizations with which your congregation partners
Preparation for Activity
- Pick one or more social justice organization(s) with which your congregation partners and learn more about them:
- What is that organization's story?
- How did they come to be, and why and how are they engaged in the justice work that they are called to?
- With congregational social justice leaders, explore how your congregation came to partner with this particular organization, from the perspective of narrative ethics: How and why have your stories intersected?
- Optional: Invite someone in your faith community or in a partner organization to share stories about the organization or the partnership.
Description of Activity
Say:
Congregations typically partner with other organizations for one or more of their social justice ministries. These partner organizations have their own histories-the stories of how they became engaged in their work. Just as the narrative of experience is an important source of guidance for individuals, it is also an important source of guidance, and even inspiration, for institutions.
Share the story of the partner organization or invite your guest to share it. After sharing pose these questions:
- How does our congregation's story intersect with the story of this organization? Beyond shared values, in what ways does it make sense that we are partnering?
- What narratives/stories of individual congregants or your congregation as a whole that have led to your congregation's moral/ethical priorities?
Make a plan to collect partner organization stories from individual congregants. Publicize stories that support the partnership and its ongoing work.