With over 65 million people on the move, our world faces the largest population of displaced persons in modern times.  In response, the U.S. Government is focused on how to limit humanitarian action and turn refugees away.  Do you wonder how the U.S. fits into the global picture?  How important is our voice "on the world stage"?  What difference does it make if the U.S. Government steps away from its historic role as a mediator in places of conflict and a leader in humanitarian response?  And what are Presbyterians doing about any of it?

On April 20, 2018, Presbyterians are invited to a one-day training, "A World Uprooted: Responding to Migrants, Refugees and Displaced People," leading up to an ecumenical advocacy training weekend on the same theme.  Gather with your fellow Presbyterians as we look at how our church and our partners are confronting white supremacy and nativism while supporting refugee and migrant populations in our country and abroad. In plenaries and workshops, we will analyze our current context and offer concrete tools for members and their congregations to be advocates for peace and witnesses for love rooted in justice. 

Eighteen workshops will cover such diverse situations as:  human trafficking, the new sanctuary movement, the gap between the Church and Mass Incarceration, addressing root causes of poverty, the US immigration detention system, conflict and displacement from Syria and South Sudan, and skill building workshops such as how to stay in dialogue in divisive times.

Dr. Matilde Moros, the keynote speaker, is

	Dr.  Moros

Assistant Professor with the Department of Gender Sexuality and Women's Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.  She believes theological and social ethics must respond to sexual violence and racism which have led to the social exclusion of many peoples including Latin American and Latinx communities.

 

Rev. James Makuei Choul , panelist and workshop leader,serves as the Executive Director of the Presbyterian Relief and

	Rev. Choul

Development Agency (PRDA), providing community-based relief efforts, rehabilitation and development to address the social and physical needs of the South Sudan people on behalf of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan. He is a highly experienced advocate for peace and reconciliation in South Sudan, with a strong commitment to human rights and humanitarian issues.

Elmer Zavala , panelist and workshop leader, pastors the Presbyterian Hispanic Latino

	E. Zavala

Ministry of Preston Highway, a new worshiping community in Kentucky comprised mainly of undocumented immigrants. The ministry focuses on house-church worship and relational, incarnational accompaniment.

Download this flyer to learn more; Register below or  contact Susan Krehbiel for more information, including scholarships.