Join ICPJ to continue the conversation from Connect & Act 2018 (the ICPJ conference held in March in Ypsilanti). We are introducing a monthly meetup series to address the work of mobilizing for change between now and the November election and beyond. In this time of great danger, we believe that this is a unique opportunity to help build the momentum to clarify the intersections of our social justice challenges. Join us to know each other and learn about concrete ways to plug into the movement. Hear from others! Bring your ideas!

Our kickoff meeting will be Thursday, May 31 at 4:00 pm at Cultivate Coffee and Tap House. Exploring the connections between the different concerns and issues we are working on will strengthen the movement toward change. To that end, for our first meeting we will be focusing on the Michigan Poor People’s Campaign (PPC). The PPC is in the middle of a campaign of 40 days of action. Nationally, demonstrators are meeting at state capitols for 6 weeks in a row.  By this first Thursday meeting, there will have been three demonstrations in Lansing, to lay the foundation for an ongoing Poor People’s Campaign in Michigan. Learn more about this campaign at our first meeting!

When: Thursday Evenings- 5/31, 6/21, 7/19, 8/16, 9/20, 10/18, 11/15

What time: 4:00-6:00 PM

Where: Cultivate Coffee and Tap House – 307 North River Street in Ypsilanti

Cost: Free and open to the public!

For more information, call 734-663-1870 or email jane@icpj.org.

Please join Michigan Friends Center and ICPJ for an upcoming Northwest Earth Institute course titled “Seeing Systems: Peace, Justice & sustainability” to improve your advocacy! This course helps participants to recognize how climate change produces conflicts and to respond to the structural violence that can

 result. The course introduces two important tools that we can all use in our peace and justice work — systems thinking and nonviolent communication skills.

Participants in this Six-Session Discussion Course Will:

• Be introduced to values, visions, and practical actions they can take toward a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.
• Become aware of entrenched values and assumptions that reinforce destructive practices and unhealthy systems.
• Develop systems thinking skills, which allow them to see the connections between and promote peace, justice and sustainability.
• Be inspired to become leaders toward peace, justice and sustainability in their own communities and spheres of influence.

When: Monday Evenings Beginning June 25, 7-8:30 PM

Where: Michigan Friends Center, 7748 Clark Lake Rd, Chelsea, MI 48118

Cost: $30-60 to cover the course book (as able), which is yours to keep and other costs. Full or partial scholarships are available.  If you might benefit from a scholarship, please contact Carolyn Holland at manager@mfcenter.org, or call 734-475-1892.

Register: HERE

For more information, call (734)-475-1892 or email Carolyn Holland at manager@mfcenter.org

 The Education/Outreach team of Washtenaw Congregational Sanctuary (WCS)- a county wide coalition of congregations and unaffiliated individuals, founded and led by the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice (ICPJ) and Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (WICIR) – will present a 90 minute information session. This is a free, public meeting open to all individuals and community members looking to gain a better understanding of immigration issues, resources available in our community, and ways to support friends and neighbors who may be affected by the intensified and increasingly unjust activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We hope you can join us to hear Washtenaw County stories and directly from WCS member congregations – St. Barnabas Episcopal Church of Chelsea and First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor – as they share what it means for their communities to support the congregational sanctuary movement.

WHEN: Thursday, April 19 at 7:00 PM

WHERE: Chelsea First United Methodist Church, 128 Park Street, Chelsea, MI 48118

Free, public meeting open to all! 

You are invited to enjoy either a free breakfast or dinner with friends to hear powerful stories about the transformative work of ICPJ in Washtenaw County and beyond. We hope you can come and bring a friend or two. Choose the best time for you!

Breakfast: Wednesday, May 16th, 2018

8:00 am – 9:00 am at Zion Lutheran Church

1501 West Liberty Street, Ann Arbor 48103

or

Dinner: Thursday, May 17th, 2018

6:30 pm* – 7:30 pm at Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor

2275 Platt Road, Ann Arbor 48104

*free childcare available, by reservation, starting at 6:00 pm

For more information or to RSVP, please contact jane@icpj.org 

Please note there is no ticket cost to attend either the breakfast or the dinner. However,  you will be asked to make a financial donation at either fundraising event. The majority of ICPJ’s operating budget is funded by individual donors like you! Our work is only possible through your generosity – thank you!  We look forward to sharing some time this Spring! 

• INCREASE the use of Ann Arbor’s food composting program,
• DIVERT waste from landfills, and
• EDUCATE residents about the value of recycling and composting

Offered by Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice and Mindful City Ann Arbor 

This 3.5 hour workshop will offer an introduction to mindfulness and compassion practices. Core principles of mindfulness and compassion will be explored. Through experiential activities, discussion and reflection, participants will discover how mindfulness relates to compassion for self and others. Participants will be 

guided in specific practices that they can use in daily life to cultivate greater equanimity and wellbeing. This workshop is targeted for individuals who are new to mindfulness. Handouts will be provided as well as access to audio recordings of workshop practices.

WHEN: Sunday July 29, 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

WHERE: Zion Lutheran Church, 1501 W Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

REGISTER: https://icpjmindfulness-compassion.eventbrite.com

Rita Benn, Ph.D. is Director of the Faculty Scholars Program in Integrative Healthcare at the University of Michigan, long-term practitioner of meditation and co-founder of Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness, the Michigan Collaborative for Mindfulness in Education and Mindful City. 

Julie Woodward, MA, MSW, is a co-founder of Mindful City Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Center for Mindfulness.  A Health Educator at the University of Michigan, Julie’s mindful awareness practice is rooted in her practice of yoga.

This workshop is also available to schedule for your congregation or community group. Contact info@icpj.org for additional information.