December Meeting Reminder

We will be holding our December meeting today (12/10) at 6:30 PM in the St. John's Parish House library. The agenda includes the following items:

• Finish watching the documentary, The Line.
• Discuss the The Line in conjunction with the first four chapters of A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne.
• Finalize a plan to increase St. John's contributions to the Dubuque Food Pantry.

As always, please invite other interested parties to join us. (They need not worry about not having read the book; the discussion should be interesting regardless!)

Minutes: November 12, 2013

At the November meeting, we watched and discussed the first two segments from the film, The Line, concerning poverty in the U.S. The film documents the stories of people living at or below the poverty line, and it seeks to dispell common myths about poverty. We will finish the film at our December meeting. Additionally, we will be discussing the first four chapters of the book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, 4th ed. (2005). Special thanks to John and Becky for provided copies at a discounted rate.

Rev. Kathleen shared with us her experiences offering assistance to people in the community. She explained that she receives more requests than she can possibly grant, and we agreed to brainstorm ways in which we could generate further funds. We also agreed to work as a group to develop a more regular (i.e., weekly) contribution by  St. John's to the Dubuque food pantry, beginning in January. Although details will be finalized at the December meeting, it was agreed that we would manage a weekly donation schedule, with certain specific weeks of each month devoted to particular food items. For example, one week might be devoted to pastas and grains, another to vegetables and beans, etc. We agreed to come prepared with further suggestions and proposals.

Rev. Kathleen also noted that paper products and diapers are sometimes difficult for people to come by. We will give some thought to whether it would be feasible for St. John's to have these items in-stock and available for those in need. If such a project were pursued, we might be able to take advantage of bulk-ordering.

Meeting Reminder

Our monthly meeting will be November 12, at 6:30 PM at the St. John's Parish House. We will watch and discuss a brief film, in addition to continuing our discussions concerning issues of concern and possible projects. As always, please come with further topics for discussion, and feel free to invite others.

In case you didn't see it, John posted the following message elsewhere on the blog:

"I have 5 copies of the book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, 4th ed (2005) that we found helpful. As people from middle-class and lower-middle class backgrounds, it provided understanding of how class affects culture. The list price is $22 and I'll sell these for $10 apiece."

Announcement: Vigil to Oppose Proposed "Stand Your Ground Laws" in Iowa

From the Telegraph Herald (October 30, 2013):

The public is invited to a vigil to oppose proposed "stand your ground" laws in Iowa at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, in Washington Square. 

The Dubuque Culture of Nonviolence Coalition opposes any proposed legislation that allows a person to use deadly force against a perceived threat while in a public space. Current Iowa law allows the use of weapons to defend one's home from imminent threat, but a person who feels threatened in a public space is required to take a reasonable course of action to retreat from the situation.

For more information, see Adam Sullivan, "Iowa may examine 'stand your ground'," Press-Citizen, July 19, 2013.

Online Episcopal Church Forum: "The State of Racism in America" (November 15)

The Episcopal Church will be hosting a live web forum concerning racism in America on November 15, 2013. For further information, please visit http://www.episcopalchurch.org.

Minutes: October 8, 2013

Group Structure

It was agreed that our meetings would be conducted rather informally, and that there is currently no need to elect officers. Chris volunteered to continue taking the minutes and putting together a website for the group. 

Episcopal Peace Fellowship (EPF) Charter

In preparation for our first regular meeting, we each examined the Episcopal Peace Fellowship's website and contemplated the merits of organizing under an EPF charter.

Chris explained that he viewed the primary benefits of chartering with EPF to be (1) access to valuable information and training materials, and (2) a venue for sharing our work and receiving feedback from others (e.g., via the national newsletter). EPF serves as a kind of information and idea clearing house for people and groups interested in peace and justice issues; as such, we may benefit from reading success stories and reflections from people in other areas of the country.

All of the members present (Becky, Chris, David, Haley, and John) signed the application for creating an EPF charter. Chris will complete the paperwork and submit it prior to our next meeting.

Local Focus

John proposed that we conceive of our approach to peace and justice issues along the lines of "think globally, act locally." It was agreed that, at least for the time being, we will take this to mean that discussions and educational programming may have a more national or international scope; however, our actions and projects will be principally devoted to local matters. Following up on our initial discussion in September, we reaffirmed our desire to focus on issues of immediate relevance to the people in our church neighborhood and the downtown community. 

It was agreed that the question with which we are thus faced is how to become respectfully involved: we do not want to rush in, engaging in "outreach" which is ineffectual, unsustainable, or paternalistic. But neither do we want to spend all of our time simply talking about peace and justice issues.  

The following suggestions were put forth as ways of better orienting ourselves to the neighborhood and its needs:

• Haley suggested that we could begin entering into communion and eventually dialogue with people in the neighborhood by sharing in the Fifth Sunday Dinners hosted by St. John's.
• John knows many of the people involved with the Dubuque Human Rights Commission. He will contact them to see if they have any immediate suggestions and/or if they would be willing to speak with us, as a group.
• Dave volunteered to serve as a point person for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Dubuque, the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, and the neighborhood association. And Chris will keep us informed about projects developed or discussed at Dubuque Area Congregations United (DACU). The hope is that our relationships with these organizations will allow us to avoid duplicating efforts, while also allow us to assist with their initiatives, when appropriate.
• Haley noted that Maria had once suggested that the church take advantage of the talents and skills possessed by our church neighbors. Perhaps our group could be involved in facilitating such relationships (e.g., by collecting information and contact numbers) and making the case for buying "ultra-local". 

We discussed ways in which we could educate ourselves about such things as poverty, respectful engagement, etc. Everyone was in agreement that some common readings and/or discussions would be a great way to begin. Hence, if you are aware of a great article, book, etc., please share your suggestions. Two specific suggestions were offered during the meeting:

• John and Becky reported that they have been reading a book titled, The Non Nonprofit, which is by the founder of Twin Cities RISE, a job training program in Minnesota. They have found the book illuminating, and they offered to secure copies for those interested in reading and discussing it. If you would like to purchase a copy to read, please let John or Chris know.
• Chris recently came across a film series titled, Why Poverty?, which has received a great deal of attention on various Episcopalian-oriented blogs and websites. It was agreed that we could begin the November meeting by watching and discussing a short film from this or a similar series. (This could turn into a regular or semi-regular activity.)

Please contact Chris if you have any additions or corrections to make to the minutes.

Announcement: Day of Remembrance

St. Patrick Catholic Church and St. Raphael Cathedral are organizing a "Day of Remembrance, Prayer, Lamentation & Song." Saturday, October 19 from 11:00 - 11:45 am in Jackson Park, 15th & Main. The purpose of this event is to remember the victims of unsolved murders and missing people in Dubuque and the tri-states area.

Phone (563) 588-0114 for more information.