Notes on regional parish organizing on the Iraq WAR

Goal: In order to bring about an end to America's military presence in Iraq as soon as possible, we will influence the votes of key legislators who could withdraw their support for military funding.  We believe that these legislators will respond to organized, public, and consistent calls from religious voices in their district to replace military actions in that country with diplomatic efforts (as outlined in HR 3797).  As we organize, we will pay special attention to galvanizing credible, prophetic, and reasonable witnesses for peace who are committed to ongoing engagement with the legislator throughout what we have termed Peace Surge Summer.

Strategy: In order to reach as many religious voices as possible and lend as much credibility as possible to our efforts, we will focus our attention on reaching out to and working with congregational leaders (often pastors).  We believe that these congregational leaders will be the best voices to carry the message of peace to their congregations and directly lobby chosen legislators.

It is important to try and engage congregational leaders as early in the campaign as possible.  CPWI encourages congregations and peace organizations to take three steps for peace in 2008: hosting a worship or witness for peace during Lent, attending a national event in Washington, DC on March 7-9, and participating in regional activities during Peace Surge Summer.  The earlier you begin to organize a region, the more likely it is congregational leaders will be able to sign on to all activities and therefore be invested in doing the regional work required to make real legislative change.

Possible Tactic (first step in organizing): Suggestions from one regional organizer (Courtney Dillard, Portland OR)

In late December, I decided that I wanted to try and organize many of the mainline churches in the Portland metro area.  I really believed in the work that CPWI was doing, and wanted to make sure that the national efforts were being replicated at a regional level so people of faith could effectively apply pressure to their legislators when they were home in their districts.  After talking at some length with my own pastor, it became clear that I would need to have face-to-face time with congregational leaders to encourage their involvement.  There really were only two options: I could schedule coffee with every pastor I wanted to get on board, or I could host a lunch and ask them all to come and discuss it as a group.  I chose the latter both out of concern for time, and my belief that the energy produced by gathering people together would be more conducive to meeting my goal. The lunch was a great success!  25 people, from 15 different congregations and organizations participated.  Best of all, every one of the people who attended left the event agreeing to do either two or three steps in line with the CPWI campaign plan.  Below I wanted to offer some pointers for hosting your own lunch:

·         Hold the event at a well known and well regarded church if possible as it will offer subtle credibility up front.

·         Offer the invitation over the phones where there's an opportunity for dialogue and to answer questions

·         Get on people's calendar early, extend invitations at least three weeks before the date of the event if possible

·         Schedule the event for a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, as pastors are often busy or have their days off on Monday and Friday

·         Bring the right people to the table

o   start by asking 3-5 clergy that you have some relationship with

o   ask the clergy you know to recommend at least one other person you should add to your list

o   if possible, introduce yourself to people you don't know by mentioning a mutual acquaintance they respect

o   once you have a good group going, make sure to mention the positive response to whomever you are inviting.  It might be helpful to stress the wide variety of denominations that will be present and encourage them to represent their denomination.

o   A good number to work with is 10.  If you get more, even better, but it’s best to cap it at 25.

·         Use your time wisely at the lunch

o   spend a few minutes on introductions

o   set the stage by discussing how many people have been active for peace, but note that their efforts have yet to pay off

o   focus on the power of collaborative action

o   introduce CPWI, focusing on the partner organizations which often represent most of the denominations in the room

o   layout CPWI's plan – 3 parts

o   distribute commitment sheets and if possible have another person, hopefully a respected clergy member, walk the group through the commitment sheets to see what people are willing to sign on to

o   be sure to collect everyone's contact information

o   if appropriate, set a date for the next meeting

o   thank people for their time

·         send thank you notes and e-mails shortly after the event

·         follow up with participants as promised

·         Some important considerations

o   You will probably have to pay for lunch up front (pizza is cheaper than sandwiches) but you can put out a basket for people to contribute

o   You will need @ 10 hours over 3 weeks to call through your list, set up the event, an do first phase follow up

o   You should expect to be the contact person for any additional follow-up and coordination

I hope these suggestions help.  Organizing at the regional level is our best chance for success and can be incredibly rewarding.

By Courtney Dillard:  cldillard@gmail.com