Vision Statement:
“St. Paul
tells us that in Christ, a new creation is breaking in, challenging
the structures of oppression and inequality. Over the course of the
next three years the Social Ministry Committee will challenge and
confront our parishes in positive ways to understand the facts of
poverty and injustice while supporting and affirming faith and action
from each parish in meeting the needs of the poor and oppressed and
in the struggle against the causes of pain and suffering.”
Mission Statement:
The Mission of
the Social Ministries Committee of the Diocese of Bethlehem is: “to
promote and support the commitment of parishes to be instruments of
God’s love and justice with people in need through advocacy,
education, hospitality and service.”
Description of Ministry:
“A
people who live God’s love understand that we must be listeners
and doers of God’s Word. The efforts of the Social Ministry
Committee are focused to support and promote the commitment of
parishes to be instruments of God’s love and justice with people
in need through advocacy, education, hospitality and service.
Each parish, recognized as a community of faith and action with a
unique personality and plentiful gifts for manifesting God’s
presence in the building of a world of justice and peace, is challenged
and confronted to struggle with the world, for the world, in the name
of Jesus.”
In 1991 the Diocese of Bethlehem was named
a Jubilee Diocese. The mission of Jubilee
Ministry is to make a direct and dynamic link between our theology
and our ethics - said another way - the talk of our faith and the
walk of our faith. As Christians we do this by: calling the church
to live out its prophetic of empowering local people to "do justice,
love mercy, and walk humbly with their God" (Micah 6:8) and by
responding to the Gospel's call to "feed the hungry, give drink
to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked care for the
sick, and visit the imprisoned" (Matthew 25:35)
Our Social Ministries Committee was formed
to enable our diocesan community to comply with the scriptural imperative
to care for the poor and disadvantaged in our society. The committee
seeks to support new projects of existing ministries with the poor
and marginalized. The Social Ministries umbrella encompasses all programs
that seek to fight urban and rural poverty, social support systems
and other ministries. The committee is in dialogue with Episcopal
Appalachian Ministries (EAM) and other organizations that seek to
combat the hopelessness of poverty in this area of the country.
Activities:
The committee is available to any congregation that
wishes to engage in direct service or advocacy, particularly in the
areas of food, clothing, shelter, health, employment and discrimination
in its many forms. Such assistance includes:
- Helping congregations apply for outside grants
- Helping parishes determine community needs
- Offering training and consultation for parish
ministry
- Creating a supporting network of those engaged
in Social Outreach Ministries.
WHAT IS JUBILEE MINISTRY?
Jubilee Ministry is ministry springing from worshipping congregations
engaged with the needs of the local community. it includes: direct
service to and with the poor, prayerful reflection and study on root
causes of poverty and injustice in our communities and on the Church's
call to service in Christ's name; identifying and networking human
resources and developing and training leadership for jubilee work;
evangelism and congregational development, especially in the formation
of socially, culturally, and ethnically diverse congregations; advocacy
- speaking out on issues of peace and justice which affect our communities,
state and world.
CRITERIA FOR JUBILEE MINISTRY CENTER STATUS
The Episcopal Church invites local parishes to enter a process that
leads to Jubilee Ministry center recognition. The criteria includes:
1. Must have an Episcopal presence or connection to The Episcopal
Church.
2. Must be involved in ministry programs among and with poor and oppressed
people wherever they are located.
3. Must include one or more of the following: a) human rights advocacy
program,b) human service program c) lay leadership empowerment program.
In addition to this criteria the applicant for Jubilee
Ministry Center status must be willing to a) reflect theologically
upon its learning in ministry b) demonstrate operations of its programs
to others as models and/or c) act as a resource for another Jubilee
Ministry Center.
Please contact your neighboring Episcopal
parish to discuss Social Ministries and share resources. Click on:
Jubilee Activities
in the Diocese of Bethlehem: Parish Contact List
The
Episcopal Church USA recently "affirmed and designated" five parishes
and one agency of the Diocese of Bethlehem as Jubilee Centers.
Bill Lewellis
Diocesan Life, January 2002
For more information about Jubilee Centers visit
the national web site www.ecoservedev.org/jubilee.
Related web sites:
Jubilee
Ministries of the Episcopal Church
Episcopal
Peace and Justice Ministries
Episcopal
Urban Caucus
Episcopal
Peace Fellowship
Episcopal
Appalachian Ministries
Episcopal
Church USA Anti-racism ministry
Episcopal
Church USA Economic Justice Ministry
Pennsylvania
Council of Churches
National Coalition Building
Institute
Please direct any
questions or comments to the webmaster@diobeth.org
