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Religious Working Group in Action
Our Partners |
Who We Are . . . . . . .Our world is being transformed by a rapidly globalizing marketplace. All of us are affected by that transformation. The fate of all people, our economic and social well-being, is increasingly tied to the well-being of peoples and all of God's creation throughout our world. Worldwide debt has a huge role to play in who sets the rules and the terms of the marketplace. Debt has become a powerful tool to force poor countries into economic policies that have hit the poorest the hardest, and which ultimately impact all of us. As we work to understand the forces at play in that world and become empowered to act on it, it is also important to remember where we, as people of faith, are headed. Our goal is to build the human community, a community of solidarity, where everyone has what they need for a dignified life in sustainable relationships with the rest of creation. That, too, is part of this process -- it is an essential part of what it means to declare jubilee in our world. Spurred by the various projects to reform the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Religious Working Group (RWG) came together in the mid-1990s to articulate this call for reform in the language of faith. Many of us have significant interaction with peoples and communities in the "two-thirds" poor world and have seen from their perspective the importance of this effort. About 35 people representing religious denominations, institutions, and organizations meet monthly or more often to shape RWG strategy. Although these meetings are held in Washington D.C. several people have participated through conference calls or stay in touch through regular or electronic mail. We function as a coalition without a staff, not as an organization, and welcome new participants. Participants in Religious Working Group meetings and activities have often included: Africa Faith and Justice Network American Friends Service Committee Campaign
for a Moral Economy Columban Justice and Peace Office Disciples of Christ/United Church of Christ: Joint Ministry in Africa Groundwork Maryknoll
Office for Global Concerns Medical Mission Sisters Alliance for Justice Mennonite
Central Committee Washington Office Missionaries of Africa Missionary
Oblates of Mary Immaculate Network
for Environmental and Economic Responsibility of the United
Church of Christ Nicaragua-U.S.
Friendship Office North
American Coalition on Religion and Ecology Religious
Task Force on Central America
and Sisters
of Notre Dame de Namur United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society United
Methodist Church, Women's Division United States Catholic Mission Association U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, International Justice and Peace
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