Committee 9     Social Justice Issues

For a quick survey of some of the issues, see comments by Witherspoon Issues Analyst Gene TeSelle >>

Item 09-01 relates to concerns about torture.  See also further material (on the web site of the Witherspoon Society). 
      The Presbyterian network, No2Torture, provides lots of good information.

Item 09-07 deals with a proposed conference on the "Social Creed of the Churches."  For background >>

Item 09-19 deals with the Presbyterian Church's ongoing partnership work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Campaign for Fair Food.  For background >>

Items 09-12, 09-15, and 09-18, dealing with immigration concerns, you might look at a variety of comments gathered on the Witherspoon web site.

A good essay on a related question:  Cultural diversity: punishment for sin or gift of God?

Theologian Dr. Choan-Seng (C.S.) Song argues from the story of the Tower of Babel that diversity is a divine gift.  He concludes his brief essay:   "Cultural pluralism is a challenge to the arrogance of any one human community. But more than that, our diversity is a God-given means by which human communities correct and enrich one another. God created cultural diversity, for our good."     For the full article >>

Item 09-10 deals with Just Globalization.
       For a review of a book by Rebecca Todd Peters dealing with the subject >>
       For material on the World Council of Churches' discussions of globalization >>

The committee leaders include: moderator: M; vice-moderator: V; committee assistant: A; parliamentarian/recorder: P.

Leadership:  the Rev. Ann Philbrick, National Capital, M; Elder Ben Furuta, San Gabriel, V; Elder Dee Hoge, Mid-Kentucky, A; the Rev. Dean Strong, North Puget Sound, P

YAD David Ahlborn, Palisades
YAD Alex Becker, Muskingum Valley
Elder Barry Billingsley, San Diego
Elder Rachel Black, St. Augustine
Rev. Deborah Block, Milwaukee
Elder Gary Boden, Northumberland
Elder Ronald Boyd, Maumee Valley
Elder Luann Burleson, Palo Duro
Rev. Jack Cabaness, Northern New England
Rev. Kerry Carson, North Central Iowa
Elder Willie H. Christian, Sheppards and Lapsley
Rev. Andrew Clark, New Hope
Elder Tommy Clements, St. Andrew
Rev. Anne Conroy, New York City
Elder Charlotte Craig, Charlotte
Elder Paul Dana, Shenandoah
Rev. Daniel Davis, Northern Kansas
Elder William Davis, New Brunswick
Elder Leslie Day-Ebert, Los Ranchos
Rev. Margaret Desmond, New Covenant
Elder Bill Evans, Northern Waters
Rev. Dusty Fiedler, The Peaks
Rev. Norman Fong, San Francisco
Elder Ben Furuta, San Gabriel (Vice-Moderator)
Elder William Gerhard, Ohio Valley
Rev. Timothy Halverson, Peace River
YAD Laura Haney, Heartland
Rev. Rupert Harris, Newton
YAD Ginny Holloway, Providence
YAD George Hull Jr., New Castle
YAD Hyun Kim, The Cascades
Rev. Carole Knight, Middle Tennessee
YAD Elizabeth Knuth, Prospect Hill
Rev. Paul Leggett, Newark
Rev. Walter Lockhart, Mid-South
YAD Lyndsey McCall, Coastal Carolina
YAD Sarah J. McGill, Philadelphia
Rev. Lanny Mellinger, Redstone
YAD Samantha Meranda, Southeastern Illinois
Rev. Donna Lee Merz, The Pacific
YAD Ashley Mueller, South Alabama
Elder Audrey Murrell, Pittsburgh
Rev. Stephen Nelms, Northeast Georgia
YAD Stephen Nelson, Detroit
Elder Charles Norris, Salem
Rev. Gary Oliver, Lake Michigan
Rev. Ann Philbrick, National Capital (Moderator)
Rev. Wendell Phillips, Greater Atlanta
Elder John Pillarella, Monmouth
TSAD Mary Margaret Porter, Charlotte
YAD Luisette Quinones, San Juan
Elder Virginia Reichman, Northern Plains
Rev. William Reisenweaver, Miami
TSAD Erika Rembert, New Harmony
Elder Rachel Roberts, Northern New York
Elder Fred Rodriguez, Grace
Rev. Richard Safford, Mission
Elder Elsie Sederholm, Savannah
Elder Dana Stinson, Pines
Elder Robert S. Tannehill Jr., Scioto Valley
Rev. Jean Throckmorton, Riverside
Rev. Thomas Tripp, Sacramento
Elder Zachariah White, San Francisco
YAD Nathan Young, Olympia
Not Assigned, Plains and Peaks YAD
Not Assigned, San Fernando YAD