The ECM Newsletter
January/February 2007 ecmku.org
Ecumenical Christian Ministries at the University of Kansas
Human Sexuality in Everyday Life
With Dr. Dennis Dailey, KU Professor of Social Welfare Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm. Beginning February1 for 10 sessions At the ECM Center
1204 Oread (1 block north of Kansas Union)
Registration from 10am-4pm at the ECM Center Or call 843-4933 (fee must be paid to complete registration) Students $35 and Non students $45 ($5 late fee for registration after January 26) Non-credit course.
The classes will feature films and slides. There will not be assigned reading for the seminar, but a list of suggested titles will be provided. Week 1 Human Sexuality defined Week 2 Human Sexuality defined (con’t) Week 3 Human Sexuality defined (con’t) Week 4
Physiology and Anatomy Week 5 Human Sexual Response Cycle Week 6 Masturbation Week 7 Homosexuality Week 8 Heterosexuality Week 9 Dyadic Relationships Week 10 Review/Discussion/Evaluation
Ecojustice Opportunities
Wakarusa (Haskell-Baker) Wetland Tour, bison field trip and prairie chicken “booming” are being planned for the semester. Details are available through the Ecojustice Team coordinator. Contact her to find out how you can support these and other activities. There will also be the following conferences and seminars...ECM will provide scholarship assistance for these experiences. Coordinator: Veronique Stough, vstough@ku.edu. Caring for God’s Creation: Stewardship of Land and Water, Feb. 15-17, at Epworth by the sea, at Simon’s Island, Georgia. Workshops and presentations on climate change, river ecology, environmental justice, environmental education with conversation on how the church can best advocate fro ecojustice. (details, go to www.prcweb.org) Earthkeeping: Theology, Spirituality and Practice, June 25-July1, at Ghost Ranch Conference Center, Abiqui, New Mexico (site of an Alternative Spring Break-go to www.ghostranch.org) This seminar will explore how we can link our concerns for the ecological state of the world to our theology and spirituality and in so doing help to mend creation. United Students for Fair Trade, Feb. 16-19 in Boston. ECM will be sending representatives– go to www.usft.org/index.php?=/Convergence Student Trade Justice Campaign Conference, Feb 2-4 in Washington, DC, Check it out at info@tradejusticecampaign.org.
Saving Jesus
Wed., 6-8pm at ECM This series will explore diverse understandings of Jesus through dialogue/discussion in response to DVD presentations by outstanding scholars (name/titles on ecmku.org). Begins Wed., Jan. 24. Come to this orientation– If interested register for series at ECM or call 843-4933. All sessions will include a light meal and community building. Registration is $10 that assists in providing materials and meal planning. Coordinators: Haley Masterson, haley_86@hotmail.com and Beth Ruhl, thebzone@yahoo.com.
Sexuality Education Committee (SEC) Invites Membership
SEC is the sponsor and coordinator of HSEL. Membership includes free registration for Human Sexuality in Everyday Life. Contact Kyle Kitson, coordinator, for details on time, date, place of meetings at kitson@ku.edu. Veggie Lunch Begins Thursday, January 25. Start off the semester with good food/conversation. Chefs needed to prepare food (see below).. Coordinators: Jennifer Beck, jbeck0914@gmail.com or Jennifer Fowler, jenn.c.fowler@gmail.com.
ECM Alternative Spring Breaks 2007
The trips to ElSalvador and Nicaragua are full. No more applicants can be accepted. The following ASB’s will be having informational meetings in February. If interested and need more details, contact the coordinator. Dates of meetings will be posted on ecmku.org or contact ECM office 843-4933. Arizona: This will be with a Navajo family on the Hopi Nation reservation, northeast of Flagstaff. The theme is “Learning What Sustainability is in a Traditional Sense.” Traditional indigenous life ways and issues that threaten indigenous cultures will be the focus of the trip. Coordinator: Lauren Baehner, leb8@ku.edu Juarez: Mexico is the largest border conglomeration in the world, hence the theme, “Border Awareness Experience.” Participants will stay in El Paso and be introduced to the border culture through conversations with Juarez residents and visits to maguilas, gender violence programs, migrants, and resource persons familiar with issues and concerns of human rights. Coordinator: Molly Hoopes,
mollyrimah@yahoo.com. New Mexico: The theme, “My Life as a Pilgrimage” will be addressed as participants are introduced to the unique tri-culture of northwestern New Mexico. This region is known to many because of the artist Georgia O’Keefe who loved and painted the landscape. Activities include working with local folk and experiencing the earth of mesas, high desert, and adobe. Coordinator: Kara Holcombe, a_specialk@hotmail.com New York: ECM and Lutheran Campus Ministry (ECLA), co-sponsor this ASB. The theme of “Urban Immersion” will occur through serving in soup kitchens and homeless shelters while going to plays and exploring the city. Reflection on the issues of poverty, race, and need for advocacy will be on the agenda. Coordinator: Shawn Norris, Campus Pastor, Lutheran Campus Ministry, Lutheran@ku.edu. New Orleans: The focus of the trip is both to aid in the enormous amount of work left in the gulf coast, and to examine our attitudes toward service and volunteer work. With a theme of “Solidarity, Not Charity,” we will address the very political nature of the situation and how Katrina was a very unnatural disaster. Be prepared to work hard, get a little dirty, have a lot of fun, and fall in love with an amazing city. Coordinator: Rachel Huffman, rhuffman@riseup.net
Fair Trade Team
“In today’s world economy, where profits rule and small-scale producers are left out of the bargaining process, farmers, crafts producers, and other workers are often left without resources or hope for their future. Fair Trade helps exploited producers escape from this cycle and gives them a way to maintain their traditional lifestyles with dignity. Fair Trade encompasses a range of goods, from agricultural products from the global South such as coffee, tea, chocolate and bananas, to handcrafts including clothing, household items and decorative arts.”
The Fair Trade Team will be developing, in the spring semester, ways to advocate and educate KU and Lawrence regarding fair trade. Projects suggested include a “fair trade directory” for Lawrence and a fair trade inventory of KU and Lawrence. It will also support KU’s sustainability Task Force. Participation is encouraged and welcomed….check website (ecmku.org) for meeting information. The fall semester activities included being a lead organizer for “Fair Trade in the Heartland Conference” with 73 participants. KU was represented (25 participants) along with registrants from the University of Tulsa, Kansas State, Rock Hurst and Bethany College. The annual Fair Trade Holiday Gift Market resulted in approximately $18,500 being raised. Most of these dollars will support monthly cooperatives in
countries where $2/day pay is the average daily wage. In addition, local vendors were able to provide unique items. Alternative gifts were also available with cards being available to send recipients telling them a contribution had been made to Habitat for Humanity, or the Hefer Project. The market was made possible by 43 volunteers! Coordinators: Michele Tran, michelle.kansas@gmail.com and Brady Swenson, bradyswenson@gmail.com.