Position: 3/4 to full-time staff (Community Organizer/Coordinator)

COMMUNITY ORGANIZER/COORDINATOR – Progressive interfaith community organization seeks ¾ to full-time coordinator for planning, organizing, recruiting, fundraising, education and activism. Temporary position (6 months to 1 year). Send cover letter and resume with three references by 7/30/10.  Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice 730 Tappan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, info@icpj.net.

Organization: Founded in 1965, the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice (ICPJ) is a nonprofit educational/social action organization which brings together people of various faiths who believe that the world is one family. ICPJ believes that love, commitment to future generations, wise stewardship of the environment and promotion of social, political and economic justice are religious responsibilities. Linking international, national and local issues, ICPJ advocates the involvement of congregations and community members in the important ethical dilemmas we face. Our current active volunteer task forces focus on the following issue areas: racial and economic justice, war and nuclear disarmament, hunger concerns, climate change, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Responsibilities:

• Ensure effective implementation of ICPJ programs, including direct responsibility for three volunteer task forces and some ICPJ events. Support volunteers, provide informational resources and materials, coordinate public events, facilitate meetings, etc.
• Promote ICPJ programs to congregations and members through various media outlets and act as ICPJ representative at public events and meetings
• Work as a team with other ICPJ staff on administrative tasks including phone coverage, data processing, and other help as needed
• Support fundraising efforts and special events

The ideal candidate will have:

• Commitment to peace and justice
• Openness to working with people from a variety of faiths and backgrounds
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work well in team/group settings
• Self-motivation and ability to work independently
• Time-management skills
• Strong writing skills
• Experience with word and data processing software (such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Publisher) (preferred)
• Public speaking skills (preferred)
• Community organizing experience (preferred)
• Event organizing experience (preferred)

Salary and Benefits: This position will be funded in one of two ways, to be determined. If AmeriCorps funding is received, position will be funded full-time for one full year (1700 hours, Sept ’10-August ’11) with the Americorps stipend and benefits. If funded directly by ICPJ, position will be funded for 6-8 months at a rate commensurate with local living wage ordinances with health benefits not included. Flexible scheduling. Please indicate your interest and availability with your cover letter.

Hire date: Approximately Sept. 1^st, 2010

Application: Please send cover letter and resume with three references to: Personnel Committee, ICPJ, 730 Tappan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, fax to 734-663-9458 or email to info@icpj.net.

Deadline: Friday, July 30^th by 5pm.

• Monday, August 9^th
• 6:30-8:30pm
• Island Park, Ann Arbor (1450 Island Dr)
  ~Rain or shine (shelter reserved)~

All ages welcome (children’s activities included!). Feel free to bring friends and family.

Please bring a dish to pass (and please bring your own dinnerware if possible).

RSVP (preferred) to gracek@icpj.net or 734.663.1870.

Please share this event with others in your congregation or organization! Download the flier here.

UPDATE: ICPJ will host a post-USSF reflection meeting on Thursday, July 1st at First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor. Join us to keep the momentum from the forum going!

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The US Social Forum (USSF) will provide a space to build relationships, learn from each other’s experiences, and share analysis of the problems our communities face. It will help develop leadership, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world.

United States Social Forum
June 22-26, 2010
Cobo Hall and Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit
Read more  at http://www.ussf2010.org/

How you can get involved:

1. Join the ICPJ delegation. We’ve organized carpools to commute from our area to Detroit each day of the forum. Contact gracek@icpj.net.
2. Organize your congregation to attend. Whether you’ve got 5 or 50 interested members of your congregation, we can help to support you. Contact gracek@icpj.net. Read this informational sheet on how faith communities can get involved with the USSF.
3. Attend an ICPJ workshop at the forum (ICPJ is leading or participating in the following workshops/PMA):
   

• DEFENDING CIVIL RIGHTS OF AMERICAN MUSLIMS: Issues, Strategies, and the Need for Allies, Wed, 06/23/2010 – 3:30pm – 5:30pm, Woodward Academy: 1475. http://tinyurl.com/27xclus
• WORKING FOR PEACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN MICHIGAN: A People’s Movement Assembly, Wed, 06/23/2010 – 1:00pm – 5:30pm, Cobo Hall: O3-45, http://tinyurl.com/2726crc
• TORTURE, THE LAW, AND THE MEDIA, Thu, 06/24/2010 – 10:00am – 12:00pm, WSU Student Center: 261, http://tinyurl.com/2fytpn5
• DEPLETION AND ABUNDANCE: Living abundantly with less impact on our Earth, Thu, 06/24/2010 – 1:00pm – 3:00pm, Cobo Hall: D2-10, http://tinyurl.com/22wtvfl

Join ICPJ to be a part of this exciting grassroots movement for peace and justice!

There will be specific faith and spirituality activities at the social forum. Click here to learn about the “Word and World” workshop offerings; check out the Sacred Space Tent activities; and click here to search all workshops by topic .

• current human rights situation
• gold mining by Canadian corporations/environmental degradation
• the new martyrs
• get updated on the continuing crisis in neighboring Honduras

Speakers:
Mary Anne Perrone of Ann Arbor
Frank Hammer of Detroit

DATE: Tuesday, June 8^th
TIME: 7:30pm
LOCATION: St. Mary Student Parish (William & Thompson Sts., Ann Arbor)

Sponsored by the Latin America Task Force of ICPJ. For more information, call Grace at (734) 663-1870 or email gracek@icpj.net.

Resources on Colombia:

• Overview of the current situation with references
• Witness for Peace’s Face the Displaced of Colombia Campaign
• Counterpunch’s recent Article on Mass Graves in Colombia
• John Lindsay-Poland’s recent Article on U.S. Strategy in Colombia

Action on Colombia:

• Contact Senator Levin: As the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Levin is a key person to contact on this issue.
  • Send a letter of your own to Senator Levin. Use this sample letter plus tips, and mail it to Senator Levin, 269 Russell Office Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510-2202. You can also fax it to Senator Levin at (313) 226-6948 or click the “Contact Senator Levin” link to email him a message.
• Send your message to President Obama urging him to annul the military bases agreement and change U.S. policy in Colombia!

• Hear about the experiences of last year’s participants.
• Find out the first steps to begin growing food.
• Learn tips andtricks from other participants.
• Get your congregation signed up to grow food for the hungry this year!

Volunteers working on the St. Andrews Faith & Food Garden in 2009

New and returning congregations are invited to attend. We hope you will be a part of this exciting program to fight local hunger!

Monday, March 22
6:30-8:30pm
Memorial Christian Church (730 Tappan)
Light dinner will be served

Questions? Call 734-663-1870 or e-mail melihe@umich.edu

Faith and Food is back for the 2010 growing season! Faith and Food assists congregations in creating community gardens to fight local hunger. Congregations then donate 50 % of their yield to local food banks. Last year local congregations donated over 3500 lbs of fresh produce. Come to our kick-off meeting on March 22 to learn how your congregation can be involved. (Click here for more on Faith & Food.)

A Nuclear Free Middle East
Sunday, March 14th
6:30 potluck (feel free to bring an item to share)
7:00-8:30pm speaker and discussion
Temple Beth Emeth/ St. Clare’s Episcopal (2309 Packard St., Ann Arbor)

• What is the role of nuclear weapons in today’s world?
• What are the prospects for disarmament?
• What are the current nuclear weapons issues in the Middle East?

Hosted by ICPJ’s Common Ground for Peace in Israel/Palestine and NOW: No Weapons, No War Groups. For more information, call (734) 663-1870 or email lkthams@gmail.com. Free and open to the public. Join us!

About our speaker: Andrew Lichterman is a lawyer and peace activist based in the San Francisco Bay area. As a lawyer, he has represented peace and environmental activists in a variety of settings, and also taught law at alternative law schools for many years. In recent years his work has focused on the purposes and impacts of U.S. nuclear and other strategic weapons programs, including their effect on global disarmament efforts, and on the relationship between nuclear technologies and the global economy. He is a member of the Global Council of the Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons and a member of the boards of the Oakland, California based Western States Legal Foundation and of the Los Alamos Study Group, an Albuquerque, New Mexico based disarmament organization. Andrew is being brought to Ann Arbor through the Bring it Back, Take it Forward Conference happening April 12-14 (see www.bringitbacktakeitforward.org).

ICPJ members march at the 2009 SOA Vigil in Ft. Benning, GA. This April, we'll take the protest to Congress. Join us!

Each November, ICPJ’s Latin America Task Force organizes labor leaders, students, faith community members, veterans, families, and others to take a bus to Ft. Benning, Georgia, to protest the School of the Americas/ WHINSEC for the human rights abuses committed by its graduates.

This April, we’ll take our protest to Congress during the SOA Watch Lobby Days. Delegates from Michigan will carpool/fly/train to D.C. to lobby our elected officials demanding that the school be closed. You can join us for this important mission!

Agenda Overview:

• Saturday, April 17th – evening social event (optional)
• Sunday, April 18th – lobby training
• Monday, April 19th – lobby visits to Congress
• Tuesday, April 20th – possible continued lobby visits

This year, with a bill to close the school on the table (H.R. 2567 which would suspend operations at the SOA/WHINSEC for investigation of human rights abuses), we are optimistic that we have a real chance to make a difference.

Join us! Click here to download a registration form and learn more about trip logistics.

Questions: contact Grace at ICPJ (734) 663-1870 or gracek@icpj.net.

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church's Faith & Food Garden

We are pleased to announce the return of the Faith and Food initiative in 2010. Once again, we are partnering with two well-known hunger relief agencies, Food Gatherers and Growing Hope, to support the development of congregational gardens to feed the hungry.

In 2009, fifteen congregations participated in the program, producing over 3500 lbs of fresh produce for the hungry in Washtenaw County. This year we are hoping for even more community involvement to make a bigger impact on addressing local hunger needs.

The 2010 program is setup to support new congregational gardens and existing congregational gardens to grow food for the hungry. Visit www.foodgatherers.org and click on “Get Growin’ for Food Gatherers!” for great resources to get started on your garden for 2010! You can also contact Food Gatherers with questions at getgrowing@foodgatherers.org or call 734-761-2796.

Click here for a Faith & Food 2010 Fact Sheet about this year’s program.

We look forward to working with you this year to get fresh, healthy produce to our neighbors in need.

UPDATE: As of May 2010, we have 25 congregations participating in Faith and Food! That’s almost double last year’s participation! Thanks to all of the volunteers who make it possible for their congregations to donate fresh, healthy, local food to the hungry in our area.