Workshops and Presentations
The Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice (ICPJ) is pleased to offer the following presentation lineup, a series of workshops and presentations to area congregations, classes, religious education groups, and other groups and organizations. Most presentations are free of charge, and we can customize a workshop to meet the needs of your community.
Schedule a Workshop
For more information about the workshops offered or to schedule one, please contact ICPJ by phone at (734) 663-1870, by email at info@icpj.net, or by mail at 730 Tappan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104.
Call to Faith, Call to Justice
What do different faith traditions say about social justice? More importantly, what do they do about social justice? How can you and your faith community put your values into action to promote a more just and peaceful world? (30 minutes to 1 hour)
Spiritual Values and Climate Change
Does our religious faith have anything to say about global warming? This participatory workshop encourages people to explore their faith teachings about care for the environment and learn practical steps to address global warming on a personal, congregational, and societal level. (1 hour)
Caring for the least of these: Health Care Reform and Faith Values
How do our faith values speak to the issue of health care reform? What are our personal interests in fixing the health care system in Michigan? And most of all, what can we do? This workshop explores how people of faith can address one of the most pressing issues facing our communities and our families. (30 minutes to 1 hour)
Hunger in a World of Plenty
This one-hour workshop is mostly group activity. Participants will receive a hands-on experience of the disparity of the food economy and spend time in open discussion reflecting on their experience. Participants will leave with information on how to take action in response to the poverty of food distribution in our world. (1 hour)
Welfare Simulations
This is a highly interactive, 2.5 to 3 hour workshop. Participants will receive identities in the “State of Poverty,” and spend four 15-minute ‘weeks’ living on welfare. They will experience some of the challenges and hurdles of poverty first hand and reflect on their experiences. (There is a fee for this workshop. Please call 734-663-1870 or email gracek@icpj.net for details.)
Nuclear Weapons: Security or Idolatry?
This workshop explores religious and secular responses to the danger of nuclear weapons and the need for global solutions to this global problem. (30 minutes to 1 hour)
Guns and Greed in Latin America: The U.S. Army School of the Americas (WHINSEC)
This presentation explores the history of the U.S. Army School of the Americas. The School’s graduates have a disturbing record of human rights abuses throughout Latin America, leading some to consider it a school of terrorists on our own soil. The presentation also explores how people of faith and people of conscience are standing up and saying “No!” to the School of the Americas and “Yes!” to a foreign policy based on democracy, self-determination, and human rights. (30 minutes to 1 hour)
Our Values and Budget Priorities
When you follow the money, what does it show about our values and priorities as a nation? In this workshop participants explore how their budget priorities compare to the Federal Budget, as well as what faith leaders and community groups are saying about our federal spending. (30 minutes to 1 hour)
Torture, our laws, and our values
Torture has become a major topic of discussion in the news and among private US citizens. Is torture justified under certain circumstances? What are those circumstances? Does the use of torture make the US more secure? Is cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of people held in custody justified? Is torture against the law? Does the law of torture apply to people in the US? This program addresses these questions. It may be tailored for your congregation to focus on ethical or legal concerns of the torture debate. (1 hour)
Film screenings and small group discussions on Religious Pluralism, Climate Change, Healthcare, and more
Interested in discussing some current “hot topics” with a small group of concerned community members? ICPJ offers small group discussions to offer information and action steps on important social issues. To host a film screening and discussion, you simply choose a topic and film from our library, arrange a venue (your home or congregation possibly), and send out the invitations. ICPJ can do the rest from providing the film and screening equipment to facilitating the discussion and offering a range of resources. To setup your screening, please call (734) 663-1870 or email gracek@icpj.net.
The torture question in the past few months has become a major topic of discussion in the news and among private US citizens. These questions have included: Is torture justified under certain circumstances? What are those circumstances? Does the use of torture make the US more secure? Is cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of people held in custody justified? Is torture against the law? Does the law of torture apply to people in the US?
Torture must never be used on anyone and people of faith must work together to end the use of torture forever. This program is designed to discuss these questions and to educate audiences that torture is always wrong. The program may be tailored to the needs of your congregation.
Depending on your need, the program may include a short video presentation by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, Ending U.S.-sponsored Torture Forever: A Study for People of Faith; a discussion with opportunity to ask questions; a power point presentation about the laws of torture; a short video by Human Rights First Primetime Torture that explores the way torture and interrogation are portrayed on TV.
