Not getting better is it? You’ve probably noticed that the vitriol and violence has grown more intense and deadly and its attending voices have grown meaner and more divisive. Maybe you have wondered to yourself what you could do, as Gandhi exhorts us to do, to make the difference you seek in the world.
A program forming this fall at St. Francis Xavier College Church on the campus of St. Louis University is one of the things you can do to make the difference you seek. Called Just Faith, it is a primer – with ample deep dives – for local and regional issues of social justice and injustice.
At this program you’ll explore issues of Compassion, Poverty, Personal and Structural Bias, and Violence in its myriad incarnations against both the environment and individuals and groups of people. Through group discussion stimulated by reading contemporary texts and articles, viewing DVDs, listening to guest speakers, and personal community immersions you’ll discover how to let go of assumptions that inhibit you from taking action. You will expand your awareness of the real world around you and find ways to become the change you seek through service to others.
Just Faith is a 24-week program which meets each Tuesday evening at 7 pm, beginning September 12 and concluding early in April. Generous fall, holiday, and spring breaks are built in. There is no tuition, but book fees may amount to $60 or more. However, no one interested will be turned away from attending. This year’s program will be lead by Mark Kumming of West County Democrats and Chesterfield Township Democrats and other experienced, qualified facilitators. Registration and enrollment can be accomplished by contacting Christine Dragonette, Director of Social Ministry at St. Francis Xavier College Church at christine.dragonette@slu.edu. For more information on course content, list of texts, and a calendar contact Mark Kumming at kummingm@yahoo.com. You may also go to JustFaith.org for a larger view.
By working to remedy injustice, by seeing the real world from the perspective of the poor, the immigrant, the marginalized, and the judged we can become the “change we seek in the world.”
Submitted by Mark Kumming, WCD Member