Deepening Understanding. Developing New Perspectives. Discussing Community Initiatives.
Our Panelists: Ms. Eileen Meyer, President of the Manhattan Jewish Congregation Haydori Akbar Ahmed, member of the Islamic Center of Manhattan Fr. Carlos Ruiz-Santos, Parochial Vicar of Seven Dolors Catholic Church The Rev. Valencia Jackson, Pastor of Bethel AME Church The Rev. Caela Simmons Wood, Pastor of First Congregational UCC Sponsors: Martin Luther King Memorial Committee, Bethel AME Church & First Congregational UCC You may have seen these signs popping up around town. The design was created by a Mennonite congregation in Virginia and you can read about the viral spread of these yard signs here.
Our Vitality & Outreach Committee created signs for our community and you are invited to pick one up on Sunday or during the week. There are metal stakes available if you'd like to put one in your yard or you can also prop it in a window. If you'd like to make a donation to pay it forward, the signs cost about $8 a piece (but you are also very welcome to just have one as a gift). Thanks, Vitality, for helping us spread the good news of God's extravagant welcome one sign at a time! We are honored to be co-sponsoring this event at Ecumenical Campus Ministry.
Wednesday, April 19th Ecumenical Campus Ministry (ECM) 904 Sunset, Manhattan, KS 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Diverse perspectives on Israel-Palestine and prospects for peace in our new political climate. The event features Jonathan Kuttab, a Palestinian Mennonite and human rights lawyer who serves on the Boards of Sabeel and Al Haq. Jonathan will speak on the vision of Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews to live free, dignified and whole lives in the Land belonging to both. Kuttab will be joined by Laura Tillem, Jewish Voice for Peace and Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas . Jewish Voice for Peace, “opposes anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab bigotry and oppression”. JVP seeks an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem; security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians; a just solution for Palestinian refugees based on principles established in international law; an end to violence against civilians; and peace and justice for all peoples of the Middle East.” For more information contact Bob Atchison, Manhattan Mennonite Church (see flyer) Jewish and Palestinian Voices for Peace Partners/Sponsors Ecumenical Campus Ministry, K-State Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan Manhattan Mennonite Church Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice UFM Community Learning Center First Congregational United Church of Christ Islamic Center of Manhattan PDF Flyer to Share On Tuesday, March 14, from 7 – 8:30, the Vitality Committee invites members and friends to a Social Justice Write-In, a casual event for people to spend time together reading and writing or just sitting quietly in community. You might write to local policy makers, a neighbor, a close or estranged family member, or in your diary. We will provide coffee and tea, as well as writing materials and stamps. Feel free to bring your supper or snacks. Contact Rachel Gintner for information or suggestions. Facebook event to share The Vitality Committee is planning some meaningful and exciting activities for church members and friends in 2017. We started off with Dinner and Decorating on February 11. About 25 showed up for pizza, making love decorations and decorating (and eating) heart-shaped cookies. A big thanks to Sue Gerth, our Craft Queen, for providing materials and coaching for all ages to make cards and banners. Many cards were made and left for the church to use for those who might need a message of love during the year. March 6 – 12 is Stand By Our Muslim Neighbors week and we will kick off the week with a joint gathering with some of our Muslim neighbors here in Manhattan on Sunday morning, March 5. Caela is working with Haroon from the Islamic Center and Sajid from the Muslim Student Association to plan the sermon. They will bring other guests, so we will have a substantial and extended Fellowship Hour. Keep an eye out for more details. In addition, we will have signs that say “No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor” in Spanish, English and Arabic for you to put in your yard or window. On March 13 is an advocacy event in Topeka organized by Kansas Interfaith Action. On Tuesday, March 14, from 7 – 8:30, the Vitality Committee invites members and friends to a Social Justice Write-In, a casual event for people to spend time together reading and writing or just sitting quietly in community. You might write to local policy makers, a neighbor, a close or estranged family member, or in your diary. We will provide coffee and tea, as well as writing materials and stamps. Feel free to bring your supper or snacks. Contact Rachel Gintner for information or suggestions. April is our annual Easter Potluck Brunch. The next Dinner and Discussion will be about Fair Trade, with the owner of the new Fair Trade store on Poyntz (no date yet). June is sexual diversity month and we’re working on something for June. Also in the works is an Underground Railroad Tour for families, to which we will invite our Bethel neighbors. The church has a copy of the documentary (“Dawn of Day”) made by the K-State College of Education about the local underground railroad, or you can download it from the college website. We’re also getting more Black Lives Matter buttons, as well as some of the other favorites. If you have suggestions for the committee, and if you’d like help out with any of these planned activities, we would love your input! Let any of us know - Linda Thurston, Craig Weston, Rachel Gintner, Sue Gerth, Andrew Wymer, Rita Henry. As a part of Kansas Interfaith Action's "Stand With Muslim Neighbors" week, we are pleased to announce that several people who are a part of the Islamic Center of Manhattan have agreed to join us on Sunday, March 5th. Syed Haroon Bin Farrukh will be delivering the sermon with Pastor Caela and Muhammad Sajidur Rahman, President of the K-State Muslim Students Association will also join us. We are thankful for our neighbors' willingness to be a part of worship that morning and look forward to welcoming our guests warmly.
The Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice (MAPJ) is hosting two common reads this spring. Thurs., Feb. 16, 6:30 - 8:30 PM Manhattan Public Library Auditorium Indivisible is a free download that is available at: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/ Tuesday March 14 and 28, 6:30 - 8:30 PM Manhattan Public Library Auditorium Rev. Dr. William Barber’s The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and the Rise of a New Justice Movement. This book provided the inspiration behind the Kansas People’s Agenda and provides us with a blueprint for building the coalition we need to counter the racism, hate, and fear now being passed off as patriotism. Rev. Barber’s book is available through the Manhattan Public Library and can be ordered online. The facilitators for this common read will be Carol Barta and Christopher E. Renner. Both are long-time activists in the causes of social justice. The common read is open to all who want to build a more inclusive and just society. This is not a partisan event. Stand with Muslim Neighbors Week, February 14-20
Kansas Interfaith Action is encouraging congregations to participate in a week of solidarity and friendship with Muslims in their community and in our state. There are a number of suggested activities that individuals, small groups, and whole congregations can do and the Vitality committee will be with others in UCC and the community on plans. Tuesday, February 21, will be Stand With Muslim Neighbors Advocacy Day at the state capitol. #BlackLivesMatter Co-Founder Janaya Khan
Hosted by the K-State Gender Collective Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7pm 257 Staley School of Leadership Studies With a timely message about the transformational power of protest, Janaya Khan is a leading activist who engages you in a profound discussion about social justice and equality. Known as ‘Future’ within the Black Lives Matter movement, Janaya is a black, queer, gender-nonconforming activist (pronouns: they, them, theirs), staunch Afrofuturist and social-justice educator who presents an enlightening point of view on police brutality and systemic racism. Janaya has been honored with several awards, including the 2015 Bromley Armstrong Humanitarian Award, and has been featured in media outlets, including the Feminist Wire, RaceBaitR, and The Root. Janaya currently serves as executive director of Gender Justice LA, a grassroots multi-racial coalition of transgender people and allies. Janaya’s eye-opening presentations are underpinned by a deep commitment to social transformation. With compelling narratives, Janaya illustrates how individual lives are affected by inequality and rouses audiences to actively seek justice for all. Facebook event K-State Black History Month Keynote: Angela Davis "Institutional Racism in the Penal & Criminal Justice System" Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7:30pm, Union Grand Ballroom (doors open at 6:45) Angela Davis is an internationally respected political activist, academic scholar and author. Her life's work has always emphasized the importance of building communities of struggle for economic, racial and gender justice. She is the author of nine books, including Angela Davis: An Autobiography; Blues Legacies and Black Feminism; Are Prisons Obsolete?; and Women, Culture and Politics. Like many educators, Professor Angela Davis is especially concerned with the general tendency to devote more resources and attention to the prison system than to educational institutions. Having helped to popularize the notion of a “prison industrial complex,” she now urges her audiences to think seriously about the future possibility of a world without prisons and to help forge a 21st-century abolitionist movement. More information on the K-State website |
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