Progressive Christian Leadership Summit

Here's some info on a conference I **just might** attend (anyone want to donate a couple hundred FF miles to me?). Maybe it's up your alley, too...

The progressive Christians who preceded us -- the abolitionists, the suffragists, the Civil rights movement – knew how to harness fellowship towards political change.It's time we come together to build a movement. None of us is alone in the wilderness.
-- Kety Esquivel, Executive Director, CrossLeft

Progressive Christian Leadership Summit
February 4-5, 2006
San Francisco, CA

The public image of Christianity in America dangerously neglects Jesus’ major teachings of duty towards one’s brother and care for the poor. The Progressive Christian Leadership Summit will bring together activist leadership interested in social and political change.

Hosts: Church of the Holy Innocents / EveryVoice Network, San Francisco,
CA
Participants include: CrossLeft, Sojourners, the Christian Alliance for Progress, Progressive Christians Uniting, the Beatitudes Society, CrossWalk, The Center for Progressive Christianity, CALC-I, Faith Voices, Progressive Christian Witness, the EveryVoice Network, The Progressive Christian Blogger Network.
Program Registration: free.
Please note that space for this summit is limited. We strongly encourage those interested to RSVP immediately.
Space is specifically designated for representatives from the Social Justice groups of NCC member churches and participating Progressive Christian Bloggers.

Progressives know what we’re against, but we’re not always sure what we’re for. This conference is a landmark event that seeks to define who we are and what we stand for. Progressive Christians are coming together to develop a vision and agenda for progressive social change for 2006 and beyond.
-- Steve Rockwell, CrossLeft.org

Accommodation for some participants may be available at the homes of Holy Innocents parishioners.

If you would like to attend or would otherwise like to contribute to the agenda, please contact Kety Esquivel at kety@crossleft.org

This is the ideal time to create stronger synergies and clearer common messages among a range of people … traditional community organizing, cutting edge web-based stuff and everything in between.
-- Peter Laarman, Progressive Christians Uniting
http://progressivechristiansuniting.org

Summit Concerns: Elections, 2008 and after. Media representation of the church. Social networking and new technology. Cultural change and the social gospel. A nationwide progressive Christian movement.
Summit Goals: Discuss collaboration towards long-term strategies. Plan future conferences and media events. Set a collective agenda for 2006-7. Assign roles for participating member organizations.
Future Action towards a Movement: Participating organizations will have the chance to hold each other accountable to any commitments reached during the Summit. Participants will be invited to a bi-weekly conference call during 2006. A reunion will revisit the long-term strategy in late Spring/early Summer.

We look forward to this summit of leaders who are working together to change the dominant paradigm.
-- Rev. Jim Burklo, The Center for Progressive Christianity, author of Open Christianity and pastor of Sausalito (CA) Presbyterian Church,
http://tcpc.blogs.com/musings/

More About the Summit Organizer, CrossLeft.org

Helping you network. CrossLeft is the major network where local progressive Christians find each other and church groups learn to collaborate on a path to action for social and political change.

Publicity tools. CrossLeft hosts a national Speakers’ Bureau for progressive Christian activists, a weekly internet radio podcast of political sermons, and a network of college activists.

Free services for partner groups. CrossLeft’s website provides numerous services to Christian social justice groups. These include a directory and networking service, a news stream available for free syndication on other sites, an announcement sharing service, and an open forum for long-term strategies, fundraising, media, publicity, and political issues.
Build Your Own Progressive Christian Movement.
www.crossleft.org

In the struggle for the global future, the movement that organizes, builds institutions, networks, harnesses technology, and more converts hearts, wins. Progressives have a battle to fight for the soul of America, and the stakes are Jesus’ teachings about a shared life – versus the starvation and death of one other half of the world, left to the clutches of blind greed. With God’s help, we will fight that battle together.
-- Jo Guldi, Communications Director, CrossLeft