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Upcoming Board Meetings:
42nd Annual Assembly
March 5-6, 2012, Baton Rouge
Fall Board Meeting
Sept. 17 -18, 2012, Shreveport
Board Meeting ARCHIVES
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Future dates for the annual Governor's Prayer Breakfast
March 28, 2012
May 1, 2013
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"For He is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall..."
EPHESIANS
2:14 |
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Louisiana Interfaith Disaster Recovery Network, Inc.
Includes information on meetings, membership, and answers the question
"Why do we need a statewide interfaith
disaster recovery network?"
Click here
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We will all be changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
2012 Week of Prayer
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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
January 18th - 25th
2012 Events:
(more events will be added as we are notified of such)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 7pm, at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, 1802 Tulane Avenue, NOLA 701182-2246
Co-Presiders: The Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans, and The Right Reverend Morris K. Thompson, Jr., Bishop of Louisiana. Preacher: The Very Reverend Susan Gaumer, Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (NOLA) and Ecumenical Officer, Diocese of Louisiana.
A Reception will follow.
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This year’s meeting theme was:
Challenges and Visions for Mission and Ministry we face as leaders of
Christian Churches in the 21st Century: Sharing Personal Stories
/ Moving Forward Together
Over 30 people attended the Fall Board of Directors Meeting held at the Wesley Center on September 19th and 20th. Our theme was based on the Lund Principle. Our Executive Director, Rev. Dan Krutz gave an introduction that included a call to examine this question: “What can the Churches do together, rather than what do we ‘have to do’ together?”
Judicatory Leaders and/or their Representatives gave forthright commentary on the challenges faced in their collective ministries as well as shared ideas on our common goal of furthering the Gospel. Click here for some highlights of their presentations.
Guest speaker, Rev. Sean Keith of the Louisiana Baptist Convention gave an interesting and informative presentation as coming from his prospective as a Sunday School Teacher and his calling in home missions. Click here for more info. regarding his presentation.
After Mr. Tasman's presentation, a ‘Binding Resolution’ to affirm the commitment of the LIC to support this effort by the Catholics, was submitted and approved by all Judicatory Leaders present at the meeting. The remaining Judicatory Leaders will be individually contacted for their vote.
The L.I.C. has long advocated against the death penalty.
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Madre Annie Bates (of the Episcopal Diocese of W. LA) was elected to fill the vacancy in the Executive Committee as a Coordinator for Region 5 (Lafayette/Acadiana area).
The Board approved a new paper by the Criminal Justice Commission outlining the Vision, Mission, Principles, and Specific Strategies of the Commission
Available for download at: www.lainterchurch.org/resources/CriminalJusticeVisionStatement.htm
Click here for further information on the Fall Board Meeting
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6th Annual Day of Prayer For Protection From Hurricanes
June 1st, 2011 |
and prayers of thanksgiving for many answered prayers
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Even as we are praying for those affected by flooding
and tornadoes, we lift up prayers for protection
from future hurricanes.
There is only One who can calm the storms in our lives!
Click here for the 2011 proclamation from the Governor |
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Juvenile and Criminal Justice Conference
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Almost 60 persons participated in a 1 and 1/2 day event in Baton Rouge on May 9th & 10th, 2011. Thanks to our hosts and all of our many participants who made this conference a success!
Participants were from all walks of life with a few coming from neighboring states. Some even came on scooters. |
LA State Rep. Patricia Smith provided updates from the recent town hall meetings.
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Louisiana State Representative Pat Smith gave a brief opening address to the group on the evening of May 9th at Shiloh Baptist Church on May 9th, The Rev. Dr. Lewis M. Anthony of Washington, D.C. then led the group in a spiritual service of of inspiration. Dr. Anthony is a veteran of civic and public affairs, and is a widely traveled speaker, teacher and preacher, as well as the recipient of numerous awards & citations. Advocacy Workshops were held after the spiritual service.
Kelly Orians (left) of the Juvenile Justice Project of LA, explaining items during one of the Advocacy workshops
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Monday night's Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Lewis Anthony
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On Tuesday, the group gathered at B.R.A.F. to prepare for a day of Advocacy at the Louisiana State Capitol
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On Tuesday, May 10th, the group met for 8:30 am at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation for a light breakfast and preparation for a day of advocacy at the State Capitol Building. They came back to BRAF for lunch, and then returned to the Capitol for the afternoon legislative sessions.
The two day conference was geared towards reaching the Families of those Incarcerated and those with At-Risk Youth, as well as promoting advocacy efforts for these families. These families left not only feeling empowered and like they themselves can truly affect change, but some also came away with an added bonus as they were able to arrange car pools with other families with loved ones at Angola --allowing them to do visits more often. Others left with new friends that they can call when they have questions. Two grandmothers of juvenile lifers became new "best friends."
The Conference was hosted by: Louisiana Interchurch Conference; Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL) / Citizens for Second Chances (CFSC); Families & Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC); Office of Prison Ministries - Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge; and Louisiana CURE. Click here for the original printable flyer - FYI.
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Click here for information on our previous JJC Conference, of March, 2009 |
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The Church, Children, and Poverty in Louisiana (ref. Matthew 7:9-11) |
Over 70 persons gathered on March 14th - 15th, 2011 at the Hilton in Lafayette. Thanks to all of our participants at the 41st Annual Assembly!
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Father Fred
Kammer,
SJ, J. D. |
ANAWIM is a nice word that rang throughout the hall as Fr. Fred Kammer began his keynote address on March 14th at the Annual Assembly of the Louisiana Interchurch Conference reminding us of the biblical roots of poverty. The Hebrew word for the poor is the anawim, the little ones, originally those “overwhelmed by want.” Fr. Kammer laid out some startling statistics of poverty in the South and in Louisiana. In Louisiana which is our focus, over 17% of our children are in poverty, and this figure is higher (nearly 30%) for children under five years of age. For the full text, go to: Click here |
| On Tuesday, Mr. Edward Ashworth, Director of the Louisiana Budget Project, was the first of our morning speakers and provided an overview of Louisiana's fiscal condition. He called upon the faith community to become engaged in the political process as citizens of the State. Ashworth asked members of the audience to use their moral force to keep funding for the poor and vulnerable among our citizens and get to know the legislators from their local districts. Click here for the slide presentation. |
Mr. Edward
Ashworth
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Ms. Mary
Joseph |
Panelists, including Ms. Mary Joseph of the Children's Defense Fund and Dr. Melissa Flournoy of Louisiana Progress, also highlighted the needs of the poor and called upon the member churches to put their faith into action. Click on these links for information from Ms. Joseph’s and Dr. Flournoy’s presentations. (These links take you to their respective websites.) |
Dr. Melissa
Flournoy |
For more information from the Business Sessions,
other presentations, and details on the Evening
Ecumenical Worship Service, please click here.
You'll find more photos as well!
Click here for the overall Agenda
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Oil lapping at the shore
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Oil Spill Disaster-
April 20th, 2010 - and beyond...
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Oil soaked marsh
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March 28, 2011 - Update: Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Opens State Information Call Lines
WASHINGTON – The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, which has been charged by President Obama with developing a restoration strategy for the gulf, recently announced the availability of a toll-free number for individuals who have questions or suggestions related to the mission of the task force.
Under its charge, the task force must propose a gulf coast ecosystem restoration agenda by October 5, 2011. A series of listening sessions are being held throughout the gulf coast states for community members to provide individual input that will inform the development of the restoration strategy. The goal of the listening sessions is to obtain individual input on priority issues, existing impediments and key outcomes or actions for the restoration of the gulf coast ecosystem.
Citizens from the five gulf coast states, which include Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, can call the state information call line at 1-855-427-9263 to receive additional information on task force meetings and other activities within their state.
The touch tone automated menu provides general information about task force activities and allows callers to be transferred to a task force staff member located in each state. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (CST) Monday through Friday. The state information call line staff includes representatives from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Interior, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Citizens can receive automatic updates by emailing the task force at GulfCoastTaskForce@epa.gov.
More information on the task force: http://www.restorethegulf.gov/task-force
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Along with prayer, here are some other ways to help:
To volunteer or to donate, we recommend you access the website: www.Gulfresponse.org. This website represents organizations such as: the National Audubon Society,
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, the National Wildlife Federation, and The Nature Conservancy - all of which are established, active advocates for the preservation and restoration of coastal Louisiana.
Contact numbers, as well as the latest news about Louisiana response efforts can be found at http://www.emergency.louisiana.gov/
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