Presbyterian Reflection

8/17/2019 Presbyterian Reflection

1/12

As Presbyterians, we believe that work is a godlyendeavor and as such, that our own work is to haveintegrity and contribute to the transformation of

society. As part of the scriptural imperative regardingwork, we are also directed to ensure that all work-ers are treated with justice. Through the prism of theReformed tradition and the writings of John Calvin,these two values come together.

This document highlights those traditions through de-nominational statements about worker justice; histor-ic and current programs designed to achieve that end;liturgical resources; suggested actions; and perspec-tives on worker justice and the Presbyterian Church.Our prayer is that these materials serve as a helpfulreminder of the Presbyterian commitment to worker

justice and inspire continued service in this arena.

John Calvin changed the world’s understanding oflabor, which saw it as a necessary evil to provide food,clothing and shelter. But Calvin understood work asa calling from God, by which people could help builda better community free of sin and injustice and asa means to glorify God. The only goal in work was tohonor God and improve the community’s life. Sincework was a divine activity in Calvin’s eyes, all workshould be shrouded in justice, safe working condi-tions, a living wage, and fair relations between em-ployer and employee. Those who abused, exploited orsought advantage of the other were seen as sinners.The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) continues to sup-port this understanding of work through actions thatflow directly from Scripture and the Confessions.The words of Jesus and the prophets are particularly

pointed.

Presbyterian

Resources forWorker Justice


2/12

Amos:5:11-12,21-24Therefore, because you trample onthe poor and take from them levies ofgrain, you have built houses of hewnstone, but you shall not live in them;you have planted pleasant vineyards,but you shall not drink their wine.

For I know how many are your trans-gressions, and how great are yoursins— you who afflict the righteous,who take a bribe, and push aside theneedy in the gate... I hate, I despiseyour festivals, and I take no delight inyour solemn assemblies. Even thoughyou offer me your burnt-offeringsand grain-offerings, I will not acceptthem; and the offerings of well-beingof your fatted animals I will not lookupon. Take away from me the noiseof your songs; I will not listen to themelody of your harps. But let justiceroll down like waters, and righteous-ness like an ever-flowing stream.

Matthew 25:41-46Then he will say to those at his lefthand, “You that are accursed, departfrom me into the eternal fire preparedfor the devil and his angels; for I washungry and you gave me no food, I

was thirsty and you gave me noth-ing to drink, I was a stranger and youdid not welcome me, naked and youdid not give me clothing, sick andin prison and you did not visit me.”Then they also will answer, “Lord,when was it that we saw you hungry

or thirsty or a stranger or naked orsick or in prison, and did not take careof you?” Then he will answer them,“Truly I tell you, just as you did notdo it to one of the least of these, youdid not do it to me.” And these willgo away into eternal punishment, butthe righteous into eternal life.

Book of Confessions, Confes-sion of 1967, 9.46“... A church that is indifferent topoverty, or evades responsibility ineconomic affairs...makes a mockeryof reconciliation and offers no accept-able worship to God.”

Social Policy Compilation, Eco-nomic Justice, Ch. 7The church has stood in solidarity withthe poor and the oppressed, calledfor reform of corporate misdeeds andactions, proposed living wages, sup-

ported economic boycotts, demandedsafe working conditions, supportedfair and equitable policies and practic-es and ratified the collective bargain-ing process.

2Interfaith Worker Justice www.iwj.org

Work is a godly

endeavor andas such, thatour own work

is to have integ-rity and con-tribute to the

transformationof society


3/12

Too often we treat work as an im-position or a burden, a necessaryevil: what has to be done in orderto put food on the table, a roof overour head, and clothes on our body;

something we don’t want to do butmust, accompanied by complaintsand resentment.

Sometimes there are good reasonsfor this attitude. Work can be diffi-cult, maybe even dangerous and badfor our health. Authoritarian bosses.Low pay. Unpleasant and dirty worksites. No one listens to our sugges-tions. Too many rules and short breaks.

We start seeing “the good life” interms of leisure time, vacationtime—in fact, any time that takes usaway from work.

Work as BlessingBut there was a time when work ofevery kind was seen both as a callfrom God and divine activity whereGod’s presence was palpable. Thus,the quality of work done was im-portant, because it was God’s work,

after all. John Calvin introduced thisidea five centuries ago. He pro-claimed that all people, no matterwhat their status in life, had what hecalled an office, a calling from God.

We are made in God’s image. It onlyfollows then that the work of ourhands and the ideas of our mindsshould also reflect that image and,in turn, be respected as such. Inthis understanding of work there isno ranking of types of work and its

value is not based on pay scale. Achild care worker and a CEO makeequally valid contributions and areequally worthy of respectful treat-ment. A person picking tomatoesin Immokalee, Florida, has as muchright to safe work and fair pay asa computer programmer or a highschool teacher.

Work as PraiseNot only should work be vocational,utilizing the unique talents andinterests that God has given us; ourwork should somehow enrich the

broader community as well. Oneof life’s most elusive yet profoundlessons is the direct connection between meaning and service: wefind our deepest meaning in serviceto others. To understand work asan essential part of service excludesthe possibility of making extremeprofits at the expense of others, thepayment of inadequate wages, allow-ing inhumane and unsafe workingconditions, or any other mistreat-ment of employees.

The Needle’s EyeCalvin also argued that it was ac-ceptable to be rich, as long as theseguidelines were followed: • Wealth is a gift from God to beshared with others. It is not, as someclaim, simply the result of our ownhard work or good fortune.• Since all gifts, including wealth,come from God, all are to be used

to glorify God and serve those inneed. Wealth for the sake of wealthis never acceptable. Rather than be-ing a sign of favor from God, wealthcomes with an obligation to care forothers.• Since the purpose of work is tohonor God and help others, exploita-tion of others is forbidden.The use of oppressive measures,speculation, or harmful activity toincrease wealth is a sin in God’seyes. Compassion for others is the

bottom line in God’s economy, notprofit at any cost.


One of life’s

most elusiveyet profoundlessons is the di-rect connectionbetween mean-ing and service:

we find ourdeepest mean-ing in service to

others

The Problem


4/12

Employment, unemployment, work-ing conditions and labor relationshave all been addressed by a variety

of Presbyterian General Assemblies.A few notable examples follow.

...the church must seek to open thelines of communication for Chris-tian action in the areas of tension between labor and management....Management, as a governing force,should be called upon to managefairly for all concerned...and not to

be a force only for the few. 1959

The General Assembly expresses its

confidence in collective bargainingas the most responsible and demo-cratic way of resolving issues inlabor-management relations...callsupon individual Presbyterian unionmembers to take a responsible partin the activities of their unions.

1959

Since God has created life andmaterial resources to sustain life,[humanity] does not have the right

to deny life by withholding themeans of existence to some...justicedemands that everyone have thematerial conditions necessary fortheir physical and social existence...a guarantee to every American foran income...large enough to providefor basic needs and to sustain everyperson’s participation, with dignity,

in society.... 1971

...we affirm that the Church shouldespouse for all persons the opportu-

nity and responsibility for produc-tive work ...we affirm for all personsthe right to be paid adequately andtreated with fairness and dignity...we affirm the right of all workers...to join labor organizations and par-ticipate in collective bargaining...weaffirm the necessity of the church toview economic issues from the side

of the lowly and oppressed and forChristians active in our economicsystem to be concerned for serving

the needs of the world....

The Presbyterian Church ...will needto engage in a conscious effort toview labor-management issues fromthe perspective of the unskilled, un-educated and underpaid.... The pointof the Parable of the Laborers andthe Vineyard (Mt. 20:1-16) is that allworkers receive a just wage.... TheChurch affirms the rights of labororganizations and collective bargain-ing as minimum demands of jus-

tice...and arrangements which offeropportunities for workers...to share

greater economic rewards. 1980

...employment training [should] befor jobs that will pay a living wage...the focus [should] be on job creationwhere jobs at a living wage do notexist...continued health benefits forparents and children [should] be

made available.... 1987

Justice demands that social insti-tutions guarantee all persons theopportunity to participate activelyin economic decision-making thataffects them. All workers – includingundocumented, migrant, and farmworkers – have the right to chooseto organize for the purposes of col-

lective bargaining. 1995

In 1997, the 209th General Assemblyof the PC (USA) resolved to:

• Endorse the Day of Conscienceand Holiday Season of Conscienceas a public witness to the need toeliminate sweat shops and urgemembers of the Presbyterian Church(U.S.A.) to support and participate inthe events

• Call for the Workplace Code of


Labor Statements of thePresbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

All workers

– includingundocumented,migrant, andfarm workers

– have the rightto choose to

organize for thepurposes of

collective bar-gaining


5/12

Conduct and Principles of Monitor-ing to include provisions that assurewages above subsistence levels andguarantee independent monitoringof compliance

• Urge the Presbyterian Hunger Pro-gram and the Committee on Mission

Responsibility Through Investment(MRTI) in collaboration with otheroffices and networks to give leader-ship to the education and mobiliza-tion effort

In 2006, the 217th General Assemblyof the PC (USA) resolved that “the

217th General Assembly (2006) ofthe Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),through the Stated Clerk of the PC(USA), communicate to all membersof Congress its desire that legisla-tion to increase the minimum wage be swiftly passed and accuratelyreflect the increase in the cost of liv-

ing since the last minimum wage in-crease in 1997. Additionally, middlegoverning bodies, local congrega-tions, and individuals are encour-aged to support efforts to increasethe minimum wage at state and locallevels as well.”

Shared Values Bring Faith and Labor

Communities Together


In the Presbyterian view, faithinforms our understanding of fair labor practices even as labor challeng-es faith to live out its beliefs. Peoplefrom labor and faith communitiesshare fundamental values, in largepart because the labor movement isrooted in a faith understanding. Forexample, the labor movement’s suc-cessful campaign back in the 1880sfor an eight-hour work day was un-dergirded by faith’s affirmation thatall people are children of God.Labor unions, like faith communi-ties, affirm the dignity and worthof all persons. They believe thatevery human being should have theright to have a say in decisions thatimpact his or her livelihood, which isthe essence of the collective bargain-

ing system. They insist on a fairday’s pay for a fair day’s work.

Labor unions and faith communi-ties both believe in the importanceof standing with the poor and theoppressed of our society. The sacredtexts of every faith demand justtreatment of the most vulnerableamong us. The majority of people inthe labor community are membersof faith communities as well, in-spired by many of these same texts.Labor union people know that jus-tice demands that the poor be raisedup and the oppressed set free. Thatis why they argue so compellinglyfor fair wages, safe working condi-tions, a living wage, and a voice inthe workplace.

Labor unions

and faithcommunitiesboth believe inthe importance

of standingwith the poorand the op-

pressed of oursociety


6/12

Religion & Labor Timeline:Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

1880s Many urban congregationsfounded and supported neighbor-hood houses to minister to the

needs of rural and immigrant peoplemoving to industrial urban centersfor employment.

1903 The Rev. Charles Stelzle wasappointed the director of the Pres- byterian Church’s Workingman’sDepartment, a ministry of the Boardof Home Missions. The Department’stask was to minister to the workingpeople who were part of that era’sindustrial transformation. Yearslater this Department became the

Department of Church and Labor.

1910 Stelzle, as part of the workof the Workingman’s Department,founded the Labor Temple, in NewYork City. He took a dying Presby-terian congregation and focused itsattention on the needs and wishesof working-class people. It becamea large congregation with a widevariety of programs. It became themodel for social service congrega-

tions open seven days a week in-stead of just Sunday morning.

1945 From the work of the LaborTemple came the realization that atraining center was needed to edu-cate pastors on the culture of indus-trial society and how to minister toworking class people. This claritycreated the Presbyterian Institute ofIndustrial Relations (PIIR). PIIR be-came an integral part of the ministryof McCormick Theological Seminary

and was directed by the Rev. Mar-shal Scott.

1950s The 1950s saw a growing in-terest in international mission work by the Presbyterian Church, which

coincided with a burst of industrialeconomies in Asia. Thus, a numberof missionaries were sent to Asia toassist our sister churches in minis-tering to workers in urban industrialsettings. Thus was born the urbanindustrial mission model.

1966 The urban industrial missionmodel, pioneered by Presbyterianmissionaries, was institutionalized by the World Council of Churcheswith the establishment of their

Urban Industrial Mission Office,staffed by the Rev. George Todd, aPresbyterian pastor.

1968 The Institute of the Church inan Urban Industrial Society (ICUIS),as part of the World Council ofChurches’ urban industrial ministry,was formed at McCormick Theologi-cal Seminary to provide resourcesand training for pastors interestedin urban industrial ministry any-

where around the world. The Rev.Richard Poethig, a former urbanindustrial missionary in the Philip-pines, was its director. In 1970, after25 years of tremendous ministry,PIIR was merged into ICUIS. ICUIS’ministry lasted about 20 years.

2000 McCormick Theological Semi-nary, the National Interfaith Com-mittee for Worker Justice and theAFL-CIO, building on the visionand foundations of PIIR and ICUIS,

founded Seminary Summer. This 10-week summer internship providesopportunities for ministry studentsto work alongside labor unions andlow wage-workers on matters ofeconomic justice.


Management,

as a governingforce, shouldbe called upon

to managefairly for allconcerned...

and not to bea force only for

the few


7/12

Socially conservative in the 19thcentury, the Presbyterian churchfound itself challenged in the 20th

as it faced the seismic shift takingplace in the United States. By theend of the first decade of the newcentury, it had embraced the SocialGospel movement in a dramatic way.New leadership responded in inno-vative ways to the dual social forcesof massive immigration and rapidindustrialization, accelerating theprocesses through which the churchreviewed its mission as a 20th cen-tury denomination.

Immigration into Northeastern andMidwestern cities in the late 19thand early 20th centuries had a directimpact upon local urban congre-gations. Congregations centeredon serving a largely homogenousethnic population were suddenlyconfronted with increasing numbersof new immigrants. Charles Thomp-son, appointed to head the Board ofHome Missions in 1898, representedthe new thinking of the church. Asuccessful pastor, who had servedurban churches in Cincinnati, Chi-cago, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City,Thompson was called to MadisonAvenue Presbyterian Church inNew York at a time of crisis. WhenThompson arrived in New York,the Madison Avenue PresbyterianChurch was trying to decide whetheror not to leave its present site andmove north, away from the incomingimmigrants. Thompson convincedthe congregation to stay and create

a social program meant to meet theneeds of newcomers.

Thompson also recognized thatinstitutional change could not beachieved alone. Other congrega-tions in the city were facing similarsituations and Thompson saw thatthere needed to be a way of sharingexperience and supporting one an-

other in a common cause within thecity. Thus it was that he became aleader in the “Open and Institutional

Church” movement which ultimatelylaid the foundation for the creationof the Federal Council of Churchesin 1908.

Upon his call to head the Board ofHome Missions in 1898, Thompson began to search for a leader to relateto the growing working class in U.S.cities. He found that leadership inthe person of Charles Stelze, whomhe appointed to head the newly cre-ated Workingman’s Department in

1903. It was the first such programamong national church bodies. Froma working class background himself,Stelzle was cut out for the job. Hewas raised in the tenements of thelower East Side of New York and car-ried a union card as a member of theInternational Association of Machin-ists (IAM). He proudly said that hisonly diploma was his certificate ofapprenticeship as a machinist.

Stelze felt that among social minis-tries he created to address the needsof immigrant working people, the best was the Labor Temple, estab-lished in 1910 at the former site of aPresbyterian Church at 14th St. andSecond Avenue. The Labor Temple,with its multiple programs, servedthe multi-ethnic population of Stel-ze’s former East Side neighborhood.For more than 40 years, the LaborTemple enjoyed a global reputationfor its ability to reach immigrant

working people.

Stelze was only able to serve thePresbyterian Church for 10 years before denominational conserva-tives forced his resignation, buthis influence remained as otherscontinued his ministries. FollowingWWII, Jacob “Jake” Long, head of theUnit of City and Industrial Work (the


Presbyterians Face Industrial Change Inthe 20th Century

it is time to de-

vise and imple-ment creativeresponses to

the reality of aglobal economy

and itsimpact on

working peopleeverywhere


8/12

1940s inheritor of Stelze’s Depart-ment of Church and Labor) created aprogram, the Presbyterian Instituteof Industrial Relations (PIIR), to trainpastors and church leadership toaddress postwar labor-managementconflicts.

Housed at the Labor Temple, thePIIR, under the deanship of MarshalL. Scott, established a program thatwould shape the urban-industrialmission movement for the nextgeneration. Scott brought an ap-preciation for the technologicalchanges taking place in the U.S. andan understanding of the processesneeded to prepare pastors for thesechanges. Using New York City as hislaboratory, Scott began with a two-week seminar for pastors and semi-narians on the issues of urban andindustrial change. He soon movedto a full-time summer program forseminarians that brought them intodirect contact with workers. Thefirst program, held in Pittsburghin 1950, had 18 seminarians work-ing “incognito” as workers in vari-ous steel plants. The program wasmoved to Chicago in 1952, where it became based at McCormick Semi-nary.

The “Ministers-in-Industry” sum-mer project impacted seminariansas they chose their calling after

seminary. This was a time ofupheaval in inner cities acrossthe nation, as “white flight” leftdowntown churches in disarray.The PIIR experience helped cre-ate a new generation of pastorswho chose to minister to theseinner-city congregations. Other

PIIR alumni chose to developindustrial mission programs withdirect engagement in industrialand corporate structures. Otherschose an even more direct route by following in the tradition ofthe “worker priests.” Over its30-year history, more than 3,000graduates of the PIIR programparticipated in the transforma-tion of the mission and work ofthe church to meet the needs ofan economy in transition.

Once again we live in a time ofeconomic transition. Previousassumptions about work are nolonger valid. While those who areengaged in the struggle for work-er justice stand on the shouldersof previous generations, it istime to devise and implementcreative responses to the real-ity of a global economy and itsimpact on working people ev-

erywhere. We can move forwardknowing that it is the same Godof justice who both accompaniesand waits for us.

Advocating for Workers Today: TheCampaign for Fair Food


Promoting social righteousness isone of the Great Ends of the Church.One way to do this is to use consum-er power to express disapproval andseek change. Through engagementwith corporations, public protest,and boycott, lives have been saved,people have been empowered, andsocial and economic barriers have been challenged in the name of thegospel.

Tomato pickers toil long days for 45cents per 32-pound bucket of toma-toes, earning about $10,000 a yearaccording to the U.S. Department ofLabor. They have no right to over-time pay, no health insurance, nosick leave, no paid vacation, and noright to organize to improve theseconditions. In the most extreme cas-es, workers have been held againsttheir will and forced to work in mod-ern-day slavery rings. The CIW has

Promoting

social righteous-ness is one ofthe Great Endsof the Church.One way to do

this is to useconsumer pow-

er to expressdisapproval and

seek change


9/12

worked with the US Department ofJustice and FBI to successfully inves-tigate and prosecute cases of slaveryin recent years. Because giant retailfood corporations (fast-food andgrocery) help to create the condi-tions in which farmworker povertyand modern-day slavery flourish, it

is critical to correct these detrimen-tal business practices. Major corpo-rate buyers have increasingly usedtheir buying power to drive downtheir costs. In turn, growers havesought to maintain their margins by squeezing their suppliers, and inparticular the one supplier with theleast power to negotiate its price,labor.

By demanding that fast-food andgrocery companies pay a penny-per-pound increase to farmworkers andworking with the CIW to establishand enforce rigorous Codes of Con-duct, these corporations can coun-teract the downward pressure onwages and human rights that theirpurchasing practices exert.

The Work of the Campaign forFair Food

The Campaign for Fair Food is as an

ongoing effort of the PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.), in partnership withfarmworkers from the Coalition ofImmokalee Workers (CIW), to estab-lish purchasing practices within thefast-food and grocery industry thatensure and advance fair wages andother human rights of tomato pick-ers who labor at the base of thesecorporate supply chains.

The premises of the Campaign forFair Food are that:

Retail food corporations have a re-sponsibility to improve the wages offarmworkers because their procure-ment practices have helped to sup-press those wages at a sub-povertylevel.

Farmworkers must be full partners

with retail food corporations and thegrowers that supply them in protect-ing and advancing their own rights(such as the right to overtime andthe right to organize), as a matterof human dignity and effectivenessin changing the conditions in thefields.

Consumers have a responsibility toinfluence retail food corporations toensure the human rights and dignityof the men and women harvest-ing produce through purchasingdecisions, shareholder actions andshared public witness.

These premises grow out of thePresbyterian Church’s teaching,policy and engaged work on thesematters with the CIW, ecumenicaland interfaith religious bodies, hu-man rights, student and labor orga-nizations. This partnership work has been formalized through the Gen-eral Assembly Council’s September2005 vote that the PC (USA) becomea founding member of the Alliancefor Fair Food, the network of humanrights, religious, labor, student, andgrassroots organizations that workcooperatively with the CIW to ad-vance farmworkers’ human rights by

advocating for socially responsiblepurchasing within the retail foodindustry. Further, in June of 2006,the 217th General Assembly passeda resolution affirming the church’songoing work with the CIW and theCampaign for Fair Food in light ofthe confessional heritage of the PC(USA).

Next Steps: The Subway, Chipo-tle Mexican Grill, and Whole

Foods CampaignsNow attention is focused on SUB-WAY. SUBWAY has ignored lettersand other communications fromthe CIW since 2001, postcards fromconsumers across the country since2005, and a letter from the NationalCouncil of Churches of Christ in theU.S.A. So the CIW is asking consum-


Retail food cor-

porations havea responsibil-ity to improvethe wages offarmworkersbecause theirprocurementpractices havehelped to sup-

press those

wages at a sub-poverty level


10/12

ers of conscience to begin anotherpostcard campaign and to drop of aletter to franchisees when they visitSUBWAY restaurants. SUBWAY isheavily franchised and franchisersown just one or two restaurants, sothis campaign will have new dimen-sions.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a company built on a philosophy that it calls“Food with Integrity.” It sourceslocally grown produce and ensureshumane conditions for the animalsraised by its suppliers. Chipotle believes that it has the power andresponsibility to raise standardsamong its suppliers in these areas.However, when it comes to humanrights for farmworkers, Chipotle hasnot lived up to its own standards.

Since the campaign began in 2006,Chipotle announced that it wouldno longer source its tomatoes fromFlorida and that it would study theissue in its supply chain. This typeof avoidance is extremely disap-pointing given Chipotle’s philoso-phy. But the CIW and its allies arecommitted to demanding Chipotlelive up not only to its own philoso-phy, but to the elevated standardsfor human rights and corporate

responsibility that have been set inthe Campaign for Fair Food.

Similarly Whole Foods Market, basedin Austin, TX, prides itself in build-ing a “sustainable future” throughorganic produce, animal welfarestandards, and environmental poli-

cies. This Austin-based corporation,however has failed to acknowledgeor address the human rights abusesfaced by human beings in its ownsupply chain.

What you can do

Continue to pray for farmwork-ers and the work of the Campaignfor Fair Food. Give thanks for theground-breaking agreements be-tween CIW, McDonald’s, Taco Bell/Yum, and Burger King Corporation!

Send postcards, write letters, anddrop off manger or franchisee let-ters to SUBWAY, Chipotle and WholeFoods Market. Visit www.pcusa.org/fairfood and www.ciw-online.orgfor education and action resources.

Use the church’s educational, wor-ship, and preaching resources toinform and animate your congrega-tion, and join the low-traffic, fair-food listserv at www.pcusa.org/fair-food for the latest updates.

Rev. Noelle Damico is the Presbyte-rian Church (U.S.A.) National Coordi-nator for PC(USA) Campaign for FairFood. She holds a Masters of Divin-

ity degree and a Masters of Theologydegree from Princeton TheologicalSeminary. She is also a minister inthe United Church of Christ. Formore information about the PC(USA)Campaign for Fair Food visit www.pcusa.org/fairfood .


Continue

to pray forfarmwork-ers and thework of theCampaign

for FairFood...Sendpostcards,write let-

ters...inform

and animateyour congre-gation


11/12

O n e : G o d o f a l l t h i n g s , w e t h a

n k y o u f o r w o r k .

M a n y : F o r i n o u r w o r k y o u c a l l u s t o g i v e y o u h o n o r ,

s e r v e o t h e r s a n d c r e a t e a

l o v i n g c o m m u n i t y .

O n e : G o d o f g r a c e a n d h o s p i t a l i t y , w e t h a n k y o u f o r t h e m a n y

i m -

m i g r a n t s w h o c o m e t o w o r k i n o u r l a n d .

M a n y : M a y w e s e r v e t h e m

a s t h e y s e r v e u s . M a y w e

w e l c o m e t h e m , f o r t h e W

o r d t e l l s u s t h a t a s w e e n t e r -

t a i n s t r a n g e r s w e e n t e r t a i n G o d .

O n e : W h e n w e g i v e d r i n k t o t h e t h i r s t y o r f e e d t h e h u n g r y ,

M a n y : W e s e r v e J e s u s o u r

S a v i o r .

O n e : G o d o f j u s t i c e , y o u c a l l u

s t o t r e a t t h e l a b o r e r s i n t h e v i n e

-

y a r d f a i r l y .

Y o u r p r o p h e t s d e c r y t h e o p p r e s s i o n o f t h e w o r k e r s .

Y o u r p e o p l e t r a v e l e d f o r t y y e a

r s t o e s c a p e t h e o p p r e s s i v e w o r k

o f

t h e E g y p t i a n s .

M a n y : M e r c i f u l a n d f o r g i v i n g G o d , W

h e n w e e s t a b l i s h

j u s t a n d l i v i n g w a g e s , W h

e n w e c r e a t e s a f e a n d h e a l t h y

w o r k i n g c o n d i t i o n s , W h e n w e p r o v i d e h a r a s s m e n t - f r e e

w o r k i n g p l a c e s ,

O n e : W e a r e s e t t i n g f r e e t h e o

p p r e s s e d .

W e a r e c r e a t i n g j u s t i c e

.

W e a r e d o i n g G o d ’ s w o r k .

M a n y : T h a n k s b e t o G o d t h a t i n o u r w o r k w e c a n b e

f a i t h f u l a n d t h a t w o r k i n g

w i t h o t h e r s m a k e s u s f a i t h f u l

t o o u r G o d a n d S a v i o r . A m

e n .

W

o n d e r f u l G

o d

M

i g h t i e s t W o r k e r

P a r e n t o f t h e

C a r p e n t e r J e

s u s

w e o f f e r p r a y e r s f o r o u r

b r o t h e

r s a n d s i s t e r s i n l a b o r .

A s o u r

l a b o r s e r v e s o t h e r s b y p r o v i d i n g

s e r v i c e s , g o o d s a n d p r o fi t s m a y i t a l s o

s e r v e y o u i n i t s d i l i g e n c e ,

d i g n i t y a n d

j u s t i c e .

M a y o u r e m p l o y e e s a n d

e m p l o y

e r s b e g u i d e d b y t h e c o m m o n

g o o d a

n d n o t s e l fi s h i n t e r e s t .

M a y j u s t i c e r u l e o v e r p r o fi t .

M a y s a f e t y r e i g n o v e r r i s k .

M a y l o v e o v e r w h e l m h a r s h r u l e s

B l e s s u s a l l , l i v i n g G o d , a n d r a i s e u p

w o r k e r

s c l e a r o f m i n d , g l a d t o l a b o r i n

y o u r n a m e a n d s t r i v i n g t o g e t h e r t o

b u i l d y o u r B e l o v e d C o m m u n i t y .

A m e n .

A d a p t e d

f r o m a L a b o r D a y p r a y e r ,

P r e s b y t e

r i a n C h u r c h ( U . S . A . )

B o o k o f

C o m m o n W o r s h i p ,

1 9 4 6

L a b o r L i t a n y

L a b

o r P r a y e r

I n t e r f a i t h W o r k e r J u s t i c e 1 0 2 0 W e s t B r y n M a w r , 4 t h fl o o r , C h i c a g o , I L 6 0 6 6 0 - 4 6 2 7

P h o n e : ( 7 7 3 ) 7 2 8 8 4 0 0 • F a x : ( 7 7 3 ) 7 2 8 8 4 0 9 • W e b s i t e : w w w i w j o r g

I n t e r f a i t h W o r k e r J u s t i c e 1 0 2 0 W e s t B r y n M a w r , 4 t h fl o o r , C h i c a g o , I L 6 0 6 6 0 - 4 6 2 7

P h o n e : ( 7 7 3 ) 7 2 8 8 4 0 0 • F a x : ( 7 7 3 ) 7 2 8 8 4 0 9 • W e b s i t e : w w w i w j o r g

B l e s s u s a l l ,

l i v i n g G o d , a n d

r a i s e u p

w o r k e r s c l e a r

o f m i n d , g

l a d

t o l a b o r i n

y o u r n a m e a n d

s t r i v i n g

t o g e t h e r t o

b u i l d y o u r

B e l o v e d

C o m m u n i t y .


12/12

What You Can Do To Help Workers

1. Pray for low-wage workers, unemployed workersand their families. Pray for employers and electedleaders who set policies and make decisions thataffect low-wage workers.

2. Sign up for updates via the Interfaith WorkerJustice newsletter (Faith Works) and e-mail alerts by going towww.iwj.org.

Interfaith Worker Justice 1020 West Bryn Mawr, 4th floor, Chicago, IL 60660-4627

Phone: (773) 728-8400 • Fax: (773) 728-8409 • Website: www.iwj.org

Interfaith Worker Justice

1020 West Bryn Mawr, 4th floor

Chicago, IL 60660-4627

All illustrations by Rini Templeton

Presbyterian Reflection

Documents

Transcript of Presbyterian Reflection