| How to Engage Your Congregation
in RAN
There are several ways to highlight Africa and the Religious Action
Network in your religious community. One of the most effective is
to hold an Africa Service at least once a year. There are a variety
of materials on this website to help you to craft your Africa Service.
In addition to holding an Africa Service you might consider any
of the following ideas:
- Form a RAN committee at your congregation to foster ongoing
education, outreach and action for just U.S. Africa policies.
Participate in the regular RAN calls to action and other action
alerts posted on the Africa Action website.
- Hold an education hour for members of your congregation before
or after your Africa Service. See Africa Action’s sample
presentations. Ask people
to write letters or take other kinds of action at the end of the
educational hour.
- Offer prayers or reflections during your service on a regular
basis for Africa and for an end to global apartheid.
- Take a second collection or host a fundraiser to support the
Religious Action Network and Africa Action’s work at large.
- Set up a prayer corner in your congregation for Africa and/or
on Darfur, Debt and HIV/AIDS. Put up posters, pictures and news
articles about countries in Africa. Have prayer cards for people
to take with them to remember to pray for an end to global apartheid.
- Do a series of adult education classes or scripture studies
for members of your congregation.
- Pick a country or sister city and learn more about that area’s
specific debt and HIV/AIDS situation. Post information such as
family stories, news articles or debt statistics.
- Bring a speaker from Africa or a representative of Africa Action
to speak to your adult education classes or participate in your
service.
- Invite your Member of Congress to an Africa Service or to an
event at your congregation where you can ask them about their
support for debt cancellation, fighting HIV/AIDS and stopping
genocide in Darfur.
Reaching Out Beyond your Congregation
- If your congregation sponsors mission trips or international
delegations to Africa, encourage these trips to address economic
justice and human rights issues and meet with Africa Action’s
African allies while traveling on the continent.
- Host a public witness event in your community—a candlelight
vigil or other creative actions to draw attention to the goals
of debt cancellation, ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic and stopping
genocide in Darfur.
- Write articles, letters to the editor and op-eds. You can submit
them to your congregation’s newsletter, denominational publications
or a local newspaper.
- Meet with your denomination or religious order’s leaders
to ask for their support on a regional level. Help them to implement
a denomination-wide program to support the RAN.
- Set up an interfaith Religious Action Network meeting in your
community. Work with other contact people from nearby RAN members,
or invite new communities to get involved.
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Religious Action Network
