Agency awards $55,500 in Peace with Justice grants

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

WASHINGTON (UMNS) -- Efforts to teach young people about peace building, aid children living in poverty and promote health care reform are among projects across the globe that will receive grants from the social action agency of The United Methodist Church.

Sixteen Peace with Justice grants totaling almost $55,500 were approved during the April 26-29 spring board meeting of the Board of Church and Society.

The funding comes from a churchwide offering to be collected on Peace with Justice Sunday, which falls on June 3 this year.

An appeal from the Rev. Jonah Wakile Yukwa in Nigeria translated into a $3,000 grant to help the Nigeria conference organize a youth leadership training event focused on peace building.

Ministry to Nigeria's young people has languished due to civil and church conflict, a high rate of illiteracy and lack of resources for the church in the African nation.

"Young people were forced by the prevailing circumstances to take sides in the conflict, thereby working against each other," Yukwa said in his grant application to the board.

"The United Methodist Church in Nigeria has not been able to faithfully respond to this crisis due to the fact that over the five years, the church has been going through a very painful period of conflict that has nearly brought the church to a virtual standstill."

In addition to the "peace building workshop" in Nigeria, other grants for 2007 are:

.Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Berkeley, Calif., $5,000. The alliance was formed in April 2006 to support the demands of the immigrant rights movement and to engage African Americans in a dialogue about the underlying issues of race and economic status that frame U.S. immigration policy. The grant will be used to lead discussion groups in black churches, mosques, community centers, labor unions, nonprofit organizations and youth centers and to sponsor public events on immigration featuring prominent African-American leaders.

.Shalom Center for Justice and Peace, Lansing, Mich., $2,000. "As You Do it for the Least of These: A Conference on Children in Poverty" will address critical issues of children in poverty during a two-day conference in October. Attendees will come from the West Michigan and Detroit Annual (regional) Conferences and other people of faith.

.Faith-based Organizing for Fair Food, Immokalee, Fla., $2,000. The purpose of this project is to pressure fast-food companies to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve tomato pickers' wages and working conditions.

.Seminary Outreach Program in Criminal Justice, Nashville, Tenn., $2,500. This project will extend a course for clergy at Vanderbilt University on "The Theology and Politics of Crime and Punishment in America" to additional seminaries.

."Beyond the Fences" Ministries of Restorative Justice, Lee's Summit, Mo., $5,000. This program will invite, offer and resource congregations in the Missouri Annual (regional) Conference to develop and pursue ministries of restorative justice in the local community and possibly to correctional centers in their areas.

.Harbor House Crisis Shelter, Faith United Methodist Church, Superior, Wis., $5,000. The mission of the shelters is to provide a safe, hospitable place for single women and families and to help them attain housing. Money will be used for case management, educational material and community awareness.

.Human Rights Defenders Workshop for Students and International Youth and Solidarity Mission, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong, $3,000. The death toll of human rights workers continues to rise in Indonesia, where an utmost concern continues to be the need to raise awareness, especially among young people, to protect the basic human rights of all people. Funds will be used by the World Student Christian Federation Asia Pacific to train students in the Philippines.

.Youth Active for Peace Initiatives, Manila, Philippines, $3,000. United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines is joining with other religious organizations to promote and advocate for peace. Funds will be used to help Filipino youth become peace advocates and strengthen unity and consolidate collective efforts among Filipino church youth in addressing situations of peace and violence and other peace-related issues.

.Domestic Violence Program, Yaounde, Cameroon, $4,480. In Cameroon, abuse within the family is common. Funds will help The United Methodist Church Cameroon begin a ministry that teaches Christ's value of love, promotes anger management and nurtures relationships between spouses and within families and communities.

.Regional Inter-Faith Association Home Repair Program, Jackson, Tenn., $5,000. Many low-income homeowners, many of whom are senior citizens, cannot afford to make minor or costly repairs to their homes. Funds will be used to help this nonprofit organization use volunteer church work teams to make repairs at no cost to the homeowner.

.Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, Jericho Table, Kansas City, Mo., $2,000. Jericho Table has become the community-wide focal point for negotiating expanded participation of minorities and women in bi-state Kansas City's construction industry. Funds will help overcome barriers blocking full participation by minorities and women in construction.

.Faithful Reform in Health Care, Cleveland, $5,000. The project's goals are to connect research in value-based messaging with theological understandings and scriptural narratives to help move forward health care reform and to create an infrastructure through which faith and secular advocacy groups can work together. Funds will be used to start the initial planning and implementation work, add staff, recruit partners, plan for spring meeting and seek funding.

.Peace Tax Foundation, Washington, $1,000. The foundation's purpose is to inform the public about the concept of conscientious objection and alternative tax payment programs. Funds will be used to produce a video to introduce people to the Peace Tax Fund and to national budget priorities.

.Empowering People to Activate Churches and Communities, Oklahoma City, $2,500. The program builds relationships with people in blighted communities and in declining churches to allow them to climb out of poverty. Funds will help develop a training process to be taught in an inter-active manner with visuals, workbooks and mentoring in small groups.

.Peaceful Resolution of Conflict, West Congo Annual Conference, $5,000. The Democratic Republic of Congo recently held its first democratic elections. Three projects -- justice and reconciliation during post-election period, transformation of conflicts for youth and young adult leaders, and reconciliation between the attackers and the victims -- will help participants understand the judicial system and train church leaders in conflict management.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.