Manitoba has a strong spirit of cooperation and public mindedness. It’s about time that this spirit was matched up with the faith-based policy work of Citizens for Public Justice! This is precisely what began to happen on Thursday, September 26, when CPJ held a book launch and 50th Anniversary event in Winnipeg.
About forty people gathered at Sam’s Place (operated by the Mennonite Central Committee) for an evening of music, art, and the official launch of Living Ecological Justice: A Biblical Response to the Environmental Crisis. The diverse crowd included church leaders, local social justice advocates, loyal CPJ supporters, and many people new to CPJ.
Joe Gunn gave a warm introduction to the work of Citizens for Public Justice, and then musician Jaylene Johnson, a member of the St. Benedict’s Table community in Winnipeg, opened with a selection of her songs.
Carol Thiessen, a member of the CPJ Board and senior policy advisor for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (and a contributor to Living Ecological Justice) read an excerpt from the book about her first-hand observation of the effects of climate change on the people of Bangladesh.
Next on the program was Willard Metzger of the Mennonite Church of Canada, who read from his reflection on “Severed Spirituality.” He spoke passionately of the fusion of personal responsibility, divine grace, and mutual accountability as the foundation for a balanced spirituality, for worship that is authentic and holistic, and for an ethic of creation care.
Shaun Loney, another contributor to the book from Winnipeg, gave an account of his efforts to fight poverty and climate change with BUILD (Building Urban Industries for Local Development), and Aki Energy, a geothermal project with Peguis First Nation in Manitoba.
Finally Bob Haverluck, a Winnipeg artist and environmental advocate, introduced us to the whimsical and inspiring art that decorated the room, part of his “Talking Water” project designed to encourage people in taking local actions that help restore wetlands, rivers, and lakes.
Questions and comments were invited from the audience. One person wanted to know what to say to “doubters” about climate change. Another wanted to know how to counter those who say that attention to ecology is equivalent to worshipping creation rather than the Creator. It was a lively and enlightening exchange.
The evening was a wonderful success! Many copies of Living Ecological Justice were sold, and we had to shoo people out the door at closing time. Participants had the opportunity to listen and learn, to meet new friends and old, and on the eve of the latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change, to be inspired by creative and hopeful initiatives. The evening – and CPJ’s new book – served as an invitation for Manitobans to learn about CPJ’s pursuit of public justice in Canada and to take up the call to advocate with conviction for change that will make a difference.
