Jubilee USA

This workshop, led by Word & World and Jubilee USA, interrelates the global debt relief movement with the biblical vision of Sabbath/jubilee economics, which calls for regular release of alienated labor, restoration of land tenure, and dismantling of debt, as the practical meaning of spirituality. Hundreds of millions of people living in poverty in impoverished countries are enslaved by a debt they can never repay. Debt costs lives, health, education and hope. The responses to the debt crisis thus far are a far cry from the biblical vision of release and restoration. Wealthy creditors have refused to give up the power they currently exercise over poor countries through the maintenance of coercive debt obligations. Restoration of right relationships among nations cannot be achieved until the burden of unjust debt is wiped away. Jubilee campaigns around the world have shown that concerned citizens working together can have a huge impact on international economic policies. Come learn about the Jubilee Movement through inspiring speakers from the global south, innovative presentations, and discussion of the kind of solutions possible to create justice for the world’s poorest.

Because the conditions of economic injustice, violence, environmental degradation, social distress, and poverty exist in the global south and in our own communities; And because there are opportunities possible and needed within communities of faith to mitigate these actions through internal reflection and external actions; and because in our struggles for justice we often forget to express the deepest reasons for the struggle, which arise from empathy and love for all people and all life, which are values common to our spiritual traditions We commit to uniting members of the faith community that would: • Extend the strength of communities and congregations out to the community/greater world, nationally and internationally, to train and develop and support leadership amongst the poor and marginalized factions that will permit them to lift themselves out of poverty. • Have faith communities and leaders work to influence our legislature to enact laws that will follow the spiritual mandates taught by their leaders through legislative meetings, petitions, and educational assemblies. • Within the US work with us to challenge the wealthy and powerful to act on spiritually-based values of empathy and caring by promoting ) a foreign policy based on generosity not domination • Engage core religious and spiritual texts in ways that transit key lessons on peace and justice • Find and live into the common wisdom across faith and spiritual traditions that illuminate our responsibility to global realities And we call on others in the US to join in lifting up these visions.

This workshop, led by Word & World and Jubilee USA, interrelates the global debt relief movement with the biblical vision of Sabbath/jubilee economics, which calls for regular release of alienated labor, restoration of land tenure, and dismantling of debt, as the practical meaning of spirituality. Hundreds of millions of people living in poverty in impoverished countries are enslaved by a debt they can never repay. Debt costs lives, health, education and hope. The responses to the debt crisis thus far are a far cry from the biblical vision of release and restoration. Wealthy creditors have refused to give up the power they currently exercise over poor countries through the maintenance of coercive debt obligations. Restoration of right relationships among nations cannot be achieved until the burden of unjust debt is wiped away. Jubilee campaigns around the world have shown that concerned citizens working together can have a huge impact on international economic policies. Come learn about the Jubilee Movement through inspiring speakers from the global south, innovative presentations, and discussion of the kind of solutions possible to create justice for the world’s poorest.

Because the conditions of economic injustice, violence, environmental degradation, social distress, and poverty exist in the global south and in our own communities; And because there are opportunities possible and needed within communities of faith to mitigate these actions through internal reflection and external actions; and because in our struggles for justice we often forget to express the deepest reasons for the struggle, which arise from empathy and love for all people and all life, which are values common to our spiritual traditions We commit to uniting members of the faith community that would: • Extend the strength of communities and congregations out to the community/greater world, nationally and internationally, to train and develop and support leadership amongst the poor and marginalized factions that will permit them to lift themselves out of poverty. • Have faith communities and leaders work to influence our legislature to enact laws that will follow the spiritual mandates taught by their leaders through legislative meetings, petitions, and educational assemblies. • Within the US work with us to challenge the wealthy and powerful to act on spiritually-based values of empathy and caring by promoting ) a foreign policy based on generosity not domination • Engage core religious and spiritual texts in ways that transit key lessons on peace and justice • Find and live into the common wisdom across faith and spiritual traditions that illuminate our responsibility to global realities And we call on others in the US to join in lifting up these visions.