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WHAT IS JONAH?
HOW WILL JONAH HAVE AN
IMPACT?
How will Jonah Do this?
HOW WILL JONAH BE RUN?
IS THIS A
POLITICAL THING OR A CHURCH THING?
WHAT IS JONAH?
JONAH is a new project that will unite congregations to build
better communities.
How?
JONAH will build community:
In our increasingly fragmented society, we need to work to build
community. JONAH will promote skills and attitudes that will
lead our members to know each other better, within our
congregations, and among diverse peoples.
JONAH will work for a better future
JONAH will unify people of faith to have a powerful voice in
our local communities, our region, and beyond.
JONAH will be part of a powerful statewide organization
JONAH is the newest organization of WISDOM, with more than
125 member congregations in local organizations in Green Bay, the
Fox Valley, Waukesha County, Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha and
Beloit/Janesville.
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HOW WILL JONAH HAVE AN
IMPACT?
Most of our congregations express their faith through works of
charity. We do our best to feed the hungry and to offer help to
those in need.
JONAH wants to do more than just offer a helping hand. Rather
than just giving help, we seek to form a community of neighbors who
can together make our communities places where everyone has a chance
to succeed.
To make change, JONAH will utilize the tools of:
Education:
Helping our communities better understand the issues that affect
their lives;
Advocacy:
Speaking with a common voice for our values;
Action:
Moving beyond the walls of our churches, to transform our community.
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How will Jonah Do this?
To do all of this JONAH will build an organization with
trained leaders and an orderly, effective process that can respond
to any issue our members choose to address.
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HOW WILL JONAH BE RUN?
Once it is fully formed, in late 2007, JONAH will be run by a
Board of Directors with representation from every member
congregation or institution.
Until the 2007 “covenanting” event, JONAH will be led by a Steering
Committee of interested individuals. The Steering Committee will
have three main functions:
Membership:
Reaching out to congregations in the Eau Claire/ Chippewa/Menomonie
region, inviting them to become charter members.
Training and Public Events:
Offering leadership development training to people interested in JONAH,
and sponsoring events to raise awareness of social issues;
Fundraising:
Working to raise money to help JONAH to become an independent
member of the WISDOM network. Our goal is to raise sufficient
funds to hire a staff organizer. (Money raised will be kept in a
separate account for JONAH by WISDOM, which serves as
our fiscal agent and provides staff support.)
JONAH is a part of WISDOM. As such, we will have a
voice in the statewide work of that organization.
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IS THIS A
POLITICAL THING OR A CHURCH THING?
JONAH’s members are people of faith. We believe organizing is
a legitimate expression of our faith and values. Values are often
expressed in public policy. (Who gets health care? Who gets
incarcerated? How do we decide what resources our children and their
schools need?) JONAH is a vehicle for us to express our
values in the public arena.
JONAH members believe that it is an authentic expression of
faith to stand up for the poor, the sick and the marginalized.
While we do not always agree on every matter, JONAH seeks to
unite around those issues that bring us together.
JONAH (like all WISDOM organizations) is a 501(c)3
organization. (Donations to JONAH are tax exempt.) And, JONAH
does NOT endorse candidates or get involved in partisan politics. We
have members from all political parties, and we believe in the need
to hold public officials accountable, no matter what party they
represent.
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