Life, Death, the Cross & the Preferential Option for the Poor 
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• Elucidates the meaning of the phrase "preferential option for the poor" from a spiritual as well as a socio-economic perspective.

• Shares the speaker's personal experience of how this concept has been a part of his life and the communities he has participated in.

• Reveals how the preferential option for the poor relates to the very heart of the Gospel, i.e., what God has done for us in Christ, and defines the essential mission of the Church. 

• Discusses how the preferential option for the  poor might be implemented in and by a community and through such communities in the societies of our world.

             Contact Patrick Higgins  

• Examines the role of the Holy War motif in both the Old and the New Testaments.

• Explains why a modern version of the Christus Victor understanding of the doctrine of the Atonement better serves the mission of the Church than Anselm's doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement.

• Encourages participants to take seriously the "Way of the Cross" as the most effective way to struggle against and overcome the forces of evil in our world.

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Middle East Perspectives - The Quest for Zion
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• Shows the film Jerusalem - an East Side Story  to provide an historical overview of the conflict between the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples.

• Provides a panel that offers a Jewish, Muslim and Christian perspective on this history.

• Offers participants the opportunity to share their concerns and questions as well as to consider the responsibility we Americans have in resolving this conflict

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Immigration Reform & the New Sanctuary Movement
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• Informs and stimulates dialogue on the pressing issue of immigration reform and ministry to immigrants.

• Introduces participants to the New Sanctuary Movement and those organizations such as the Church Council of Greater Seattle that are supporting it locally.

• Shares the stories of congregations that have taken steps to provide hospitality, security and support to immigrants thereby counteracting prejudical social and governmental attitudes and actions against immigrants.

             Contact Patrick Higgins

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Military Service & Christian Discipleship
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• Brings a presentation by an Iraq War veteran on his/her personal experience during and following deployment.

• Shows a video currently used by the Department of Defense to examine the question of conscientious objection.

• Offers a Bible study that examines how waging war is understood in both the Old and the New Testaments.

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Supporting Our Returning Vets
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• A four hour workshop offered in cooperation with the Washington Association of Churches to equip clergy and lay people with skills to support veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families