+
Sacred Conversations
Engaging our
congregations in the
movement for justice
The “Myth”
+
Public Decisions
Policies shaped by the systems and
institutions that shape our lives and
impact our communities.
+
Public Decisions have helped
to Create Opportunity for us and our families
....
G.I. Bill
Great
schools
Pell Grants
Social
Securit
y
+
… And Public Decisions have also
Restricted Opportunities for us and our families.
Jim Crow
Policies
(Old & New)
Lack of
Comprehensi
ve
Immigration
Reform
Greedy
Banks +
Bad
Federal
Programs
=
Foreclosur
e Crisis
+
Racialized Outcomes
+
Discussion
1. Which PUBLIC decisions have
had an impact on your life and on
your family’s life (past, present,
future)?
2. How have these PUBLIC decisions
either created or restricted
opportunity for you and your
family?
+
Pennsylvania &
Montgomery County
+
Education in Montgomery County:
The student body is changing
rapidly
+
Every district is receiving less than
it did in 2011
+
Rapid increases in property taxes
+
Huge inequity in spending across
the county
+
Pennsylvania’s Racialized
Outcomes
While
88% of white students
graduate, only 65% of African
American or Latino students
do
+
No condition
exists by accident
+
84% of PA Corporations pay less in
taxes than a family of 4 earning
$36,000
More than
$1,000
16%
$1,000 or
Less
84%
+
Pennsylvania has one of most
regressive tax systems for families
in the country
+
In Pennsylvania, poor
and middle class
families pay a bigger
share of taxes than
corporations & the
richest families
+
Discussion
What does your faith say about these
trends?
+
Discussion
Do faith communities have a role in
confronting upstream forces?
Do we have the power?
Do we want it?
What happens if we stay isolated?
SACRED CONVERSATIONS
21
QUESTION
How do you get a thousand Montgomery County residents to a
public meeting for the purpose of creating substantive and
sustainable transformation in Montgomery County?
ANSWER
One person at a time!
22
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
MODEL
start conversation
provide hope
+
One-to-One Meetings
 initiate
 share
relationship
and hear stories
 uncover
 put
person’s self interest
out your own vision and infuse hope
+
One-to-One Conversations
ARE NOT
ARE
About an issue
About the person
Problem solving
Listening
One way
Mutual
Prying
Probing
Scripted
Awkward
Different from what you do every day
Countercultural
+
Parts of a 1:1
Credential: why
are you talking to
this person
Conversation: stories
Offer: what’s
and questions
the next step
+
Sample Questions
 How
long have you lived in this area? What has
changed over that time?
 What
are your dreams for your family? What
are you afraid might get in the way?
 How
did education shape your or your family’s
history?
 What
 Have
does your faith say about that?
you ever tried to do something about
that? Why or why not?
+
ROLE PLAY
+
March 12 Meeting
Time:
Location:
7:00 – 9:00 PM
Ascension UCC
Bring: The
stories you heard and
three other people