"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives"
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the web-site of the Justice For All Speakers Forum! The Forum is brought to you by a diverse
group of congregations in the mid-Hudson who are committed to insuring that the voices of those who have
been at the forefront of creating a more just word that can be heard. The Justice For All Speakers Forum began
in 2004 and has its roots in the small Episcopal congregation of St. Margaret's Staatsburg, New York. Their
hope was to raise awareness about the intimate and necessary connection between the Judeo-Christian
tradition and action on behalf of justice for the poor, the marginalized, the disenfranchised and the oppressed
both in our nation and in our world. The Rev. Frank Alagna, Co-founder of Justice For All Speakers Forum had
this to say of the Forum's importance:
"Given the intrinsic and abiding relationship between our faith tradition and the requirements of justice for all,
an authentic response to human misery can never solely and exclusively rely on simple acts of charity on behalf
of identified victims. No, faith always urges us to discern and address those underlying social complexities and
agendas that necessarily produce victims. Believers and all people of good will must remain informed, poised and
ready to take action with regard to systems, structures and interests that invariably give rise to the pain of humanity."
Our goal at the Justice For All Speakers Forum is to be provocative. We invite prophets to move us beyond the
expected and the status quo to a realm that inspires thoughtful reflection and effective action. Now some of us may
not always agree with what these prophets are saying, but we value the importance of providing an opportunity to
speak, and in doing so we are hoping that all of us, no matter what our faith background may be, will find out faith
challenged, broadened and ultimately strengthened.
It is an amazing and diverse collaboration of congregations that sponsor the Justice For All Speakers Forum. Some
of them have been on the cutting edge of social justice and others are in the process of developing their mission.
Each however is committed to working with the others to present something that they would not be able to do on
their own. And for over three years they have offered a remarkable speakers forum, which such speakers as:
Daniel Berrigan, Martin Marty, Chung Wha Hong and Bishop Thomas Gumbleton. Join us this year as we once
again offer a fascinating array of speakers.
In Peace,
The Rev. Richard Witt
Executive Director, Rural and Migrant Ministry
and Shepherd of the Justice For All Speakers Forum
Where? The Forums move around from month to month to the different sponsoring congregations.
When? By and large the Forums take place on the third Sunday of each month at 4pm (with a reception that follows at 5pm)
Who? Take a peek below at the 2007/2008 season
Sunday, April 13th at 4:00 p.m.
Place: TBA
Rev. Tom Grey
National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling (NCALG)
National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion (NCAGE)
"America's Third Historical Wave or Gambling
A
Boom or a Bust?"
Rev. Tom Grey is the national spokesman and field director for NCALG and NCAGE. NCAGE is the lobbying
arm of NCALG. Before becoming a minister, Tom served as the commander of a U.S. Army rifle company in
Germany as a military advisor to a Vietnamese infantry battalion in Vietnam. He is a graduate of Dartmouth
College and Garrett Theological Seminary. He served four churches, including one biracial congregation made
up of members of four denominations: Presbyterian, United Methodist, Disciples of Christ and United Church
of Christ.
Tom became active in the anti-gambling movement when a riverboat casino was coed in his county. Since October
1992, Tom has worked full-time with citizens at the local, state, national and international level to stoop the expansion
of legalized gambling. They have turned the tide against gambling expansion in over twenty states. In between his
travels, Tom is occasionally able to come home to Spokane, Washington.
In this decade-long battle, Tons efforts have been profiled in Time and People magazine, U.S. News and World Report,
The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia
Enquirer, PBS; Frontline, 60 Minutes and on A& Es special on gambling, "You Want to Bet." Tom has debated
gambling promoters in town halls across the country and on national TV, most recently on Chris Matthews Hardball,
CNNs Crossfire, and NPRs Justice Talking.
JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL "JUSTICE FOR ALL" BENEFIT FUNDRAISER ON SAT. APRIL 26TH AT 8:30 p.m
At the Outdoor Ampitheater at Sunset Lake on the campus of Vassar College
Tickets are $20.00 per person
Student fee $5.00 per person
Sponsor a "Cave Dog" & have your name appear here on this site for $100.00!!
For more information please contact Rural Migrant Ministry at 485-8627
Join the following individuals who have sponsored a CAVE DOG:
Liz Briggs
Rev. Frank Alagna
Nina Lynch
Sue Moshier
September 23, 2007 Rima Vesely-Flad " Prison Re-entry"
October 21, 2007 Bich Ha Pham " Hunger Action "
November 18, 2007 Maureen Casey " Sweat-Free Trade"
December 16, 2007 Michael Feinberg " Labor/Religion"
January 20, 2008 TBA
February 10, 2008 Walt Everett " Forgiveness"
March 09, 2008 TBA
April 13, 2008 Tom Grey " Legalized Gambling’s Impact "
May OPEN TBA
You can help support our forum!!
if you would like Videos or DVDs of past speakers to use with your youth groups, in the classroom
or for individual viewing. The following are now available:
Jeff Cohen: The Problems of Corporate-Owned New Media: An Inside View
Joshua Casteel: Abu Graib: An Insider's View
John Fife: No More Deaths ( A Look at What's Happening Along the US-Mexican Borders)
Dr. Ismail Acar: Christian-Muslim Relations
Robert Martin: A Race to Become Human : The Alternative to Violence Project
Dr. David Woolner: American Foreign Policy in FDR's 4 Freedoms of the 21st Century
Dr. Howard Van Till: What's Real & What Makes Us Think We Know?
If you are interested in purchasing any of these videos for only $5.00 and/or are interested
in learning more about our forums please contact Sue Moshier at smoshier50@yahoo.com
or by calling 876-6194.
My dear sisters and brothers,
This fall, Saint Margaret’s Episcopal Church, located in Staatsburg, NY, (north Hyde Park), has launched a Speakers Forum, under the title Justice for All, to raise awareness about the intimate and necessary connection between the Judeo-Christian tradition and action of behalf of justice for the poor, the marginalized, the disenfranchised and the oppressed both in our nation and in our world. It is hoped that raising consciousness will serve to motivate more and more good people to bring some of their energy to bear in advocacy for and in service to God’s great ongoing work of establishing justice upon the earth.
Given the intrinsic and abiding relationship between our faith tradition and the requirements of justice for all, an authentic response to human misery can never solely and exclusively rely on simple acts of charity on behalf of identified victims. No, faith always urges us to discern and address those underlying social complexities and agendas that necessarily produce victims. Believers and all people of good will must remain informed, poised and ready to take action with regard to systems, structures and interests that invariably give rise to the pain of humanity. The martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero gave voice to this reality when he said, "If I feed the poor, they call me a saint; if I ask why there are poor, they call me a communist." And the simple truth about the priority of justice is captured in the words of Saint Ambrose, who said, "We cannot give charity to a poor man, we can only return to him what is his by a prior right." Recently, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, commented, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."
In these difficult and troubled times, filled with war and threats of endless war, we also do well to remember the wise admonition, that those who truly desire peace - will work for justice. When justice is multiplied upon the earth, only then will peace flow like a river.
The Speakers Forum will convene on the third Sunday of the month at 4 PM and will host speakers from various disciplines, backgrounds and organizations. Each will address some aspect of justice
St. Margaret's Episcopal Church
East Elm St. & Old Post Rd.
Staatsburg, NY 12580
845-889-4181
This forum is co-sponsored
by:
The
Pleasant Plains Presbyterian Church
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2 Fiddlers Bridge Road
Staatsburg, New York 12580
845-889-4019
The Speakers Forum
is sponsored by:
ST. MARAGARET'S
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
East Elm Ave & Albany Post Rd.
Staatsburg, N.Y.
845-889-4181
&
PLEASANT PLAINS
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
2 Fiddler's Bridge Rd.
Staatsburg, N.Y.
845-889-4101
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