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Mission |
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Committed to the belief that God calls us to seek redemption
and reconciliation and not revenge, and in accord with the
declarations of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) in 1959, 1977, 1978 and 1985, we are
dedicated to working together to achieve the goals of
abolishing the death penalty in the State of Ohio and in our
nation. |
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Contact
Brian Tansey (Mt.
Auburn) |
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endorsed as mission network Dec09 |
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2009-2010 Annual Report |
A Year in Review
Starting as a small group of concerned congregants of Mt
Auburn Presbyterian in the Spring of 2009, we prayerfully
decided that God was calling us to think bigger; inspired by
the example set by five preceding General Assemblies, we
petitioned The Presbytery of Cincinnati to become a part of
the Presbytery Network and were granted this status in the
Fall. As one of our first acts as a Network, we had the
privilege to host nationally-recognized anti-death penalty
advocate and ordained Presbyterian minister The Reverend
Carroll Pickett as the keynote speaker for our first annual
Day of Witness against the Death Penalty. Joined by over 150
engaged Presbyterians and citizens over the day, we were
energized by the personal witness and testimony of Rev
Pickett excited to see so many interested in ending this
gross social injustice. This shared concern and support
we’ve experienced tabling at Presbytery meetings, attending
execution vigils, and petitioning Governor Strickland for
clemency has been truly blessed.
The Continuing Challenge
While we have enjoyed working with the Presbytery this year,
it remains a challenging political climate. Ohio alone has
executed nine children of God over the past twelve months,
one despite recommendations of clemency from the Parole
Board. Our focus for the coming year remains on building
awareness within the Presbytery and Tri-State more broadly
of the social justice, moral, and spiritual foundations for
opposition to the death penalty with our second annual Day
of Witness event; in addition, we plan to develop materials
to empower others in the Presbytery to make a difference and
advocate for the end of the death penalty in Ohio and our
nation.
We appreciate your continued prayers and support as we share
the good news that “capital punishment cannot be condoned by
an interpretation of the Bible based upon the revelation of
God’s love in Jesus Christ” (Minutes, UPCUSA, 1959, Part I,
p. 384). |
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