Occupy ChaplaincySpiritual Support for a Revolution

Stefanie Warren, Fall 2011Survey of Chaplaincy, Cherry Hill Seminary

Occupy Sites Worldwide

Occupy Sites Nationwide

Occupy Seattle

Occupy Chaplains SeattleMission: To be a faith based voice in the Puget Sound region,

echoing the calls for economic and social justices as expressed by

Occupy Wall Street. To support the spiritual well-being and

peaceful protest of the Occupy Movement in and around the

Seattle area. To bridge the faith communities and Occupy Seattle.

Occupy ChaplainsInterfaith Meeting 11/28/2011

Roughly 200 people in attendance at University Temple Methodist Church (Seattle, WA).

Three questions kicked off the meeting:

1. How many of you know exactly what Occupy is all about?

About 6 hands went up in response.

2. How many of you have no clue what Occupy is all about?

About 15-20 hands went up.

3. How many of you think everything is OK in our country, and no major changes are needed…?

No hands went up.

Stating the Obvious

We all agree that some major changes are

necessary.

Why Occupy? Stages of Change:

1. Pre-contemplation: We have a problem (whether we recognize it or not) and have no intention of making changes.

2. Contemplation: We recognize a problem and are seriously thinking about making changes.

3. Preparation for Action: We recognize a problem exists and we intend to make changes soon.

4. Action: Enacting a consistent positive change

5. Maintenance: Maintaining that positive change

Visible Occupy demonstrations help to shift awareness from the 1st to 2nd stages

The momentum of increasing awareness inspires people towards the 3rd stage

People come together as their preparations become actions

With time and dedication, we affect positive change in our world

Occupy as Awakening“The [Occupy] movement has been more effective than the Church in lifting up the moral failings of greed, economic injustice, and consumerism… By occupying physical spaces, they have helped these topics occupy conversations, media, and politics.” ~ Rev. Michael Denton, conference minister for the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ.

“The Occupy movement is the ultimate human call to live up to our better selves.” ~ Rev. Marian Stewart, pastor at Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church

“The Occupy movement is calling into question why more and more people are suffering, without jobs, hungry, and losing their homes. This is not the kind of society that I believe is healthy, nor is it the vision of God’s kingdom that is described in the gospels.” Alice Woldt, co-director of the Faith Action Network and former executive director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle and Washington Association of Churches

Occupy Chaplains: Supporting the Movement

•Marching with protesters

•Arranging transport to protest events

•Listening

•Providing care and compassion

•Advocating for protesters’ rights

•Staffing the Occupy Sanctuary

•Assisting to move and clean up after the Occupy encampment

•Engaging faith communities in discussion around Occupy

•Encouraging people to discussion and action

•Facilitating yoga, meditation, prayer, and other activities

•Getting to know and be known as Chaplains in the Occupy community

A Bit of ExplanationYou may find yourself thinking, “But I still don’t really know what Occupy is all about. I don’t know if I agree with it...”

That’s a good place to be – contemplating.

I can’t tell you for sure what Occupy is about, but I can tell you that I think it’s about Justice.

It’s about setting the expectation with each other that corruption and greed will no longer be tolerated as the norm in our society.

It’s about recognizing that our inherent value as human beings isn’t tied to our net worth.

It’s about shifting from competition to cooperation.

Easy Ways to Support Occupy

Transfer your money from a bank to a credit union.

Host a community discussion about Occupy – you don’t have to know all about it, just talk about your thoughts, and listen to others share their thoughts.

Include thoughts of love, compassion, and equal justice for all in your prayers and meditations.

References

Occupy World MapRogers, Simon. guardian.co.uk, Retreived Tuesday 18 October 2011 09.20 EDThttp://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2011/oct/18/occupy-protests-map-world

Stages of Change, Transtheoretical Modelhttp://chcr.umich.edu/how_we_do_it/health_theories/healththeories5/chcr_document_view

“Occupy as Awakening” QuotesTong, Collin. In Occupy movement, religion and politics mix. (December 6, 2011).http://crosscut.com/2011/12/06/religion/21628/In-Occupy-movement,-religion-and-politics-mix/?pagejump=1

Meditating Officer Photohttp://www.antraeus.com/apps/blog/show/9763374-where-do-we-go-from-here-occupy-and-awaken