Social Justice Priorities Unit (SJP)
Description (According to the Presbytery's Standing Rules)
This Unit is to provide educational tools and analysis for select social/justice issues and advocate to congregations the causes of those involved in the struggle for peace, justice and human rights. Concerns of peacemaking and…advocacy are part of the responsibility of this Unit. This Unit is to recommend a limited number of priority concerns for attention by the Presbytery each year.
Further, the Self-Development of People is to be a part of this Unit\'s responsibility. A Self-Development of People Task Force conforming to the SDOP guidelines is to be nominated to Presbytery each year by this Unit. In addition, each June, this Unit appoints one of its members to the Bills and Overtures Committee.
This Unit has established a set of social justice priority issues on the basis of a survey of the members of the Presbytery. During the past year, the Unit has provided speakers and resource information at Presbytery meetings and other settings on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the faith community’s responsibility for the environment.
MEMBERSHIP: The Social Justice Priorities Unit is to have nine (9) members. Currently, it has the full complement of members: four clergy and five elders. Two clergy and two elders are in the Class of 2008 and are eligible to be re-elected to a second term.
MEETINGS: Meetings are held every other month on the second Tuesday at 2:00 PM at the Presbytery office and last about one and a half hours.
PROCESS: A set of social justice priority issues has been identified by this Unit on the basis of a survey of the members of the Presbytery. Unit members are expected to be responsible for a priority, which means they would have primary responsibility for a presentation at a Presbytery meeting (securing a speaker, arranging for a forum, arranging for displays, etc.), sending educational materials to Presbytery members, etc.
