National Weekend of Faith in Action on the Death Penalty
Anne Geyer, Coordinator, AIUSA Group 516, The Woodlands, Texas
Last year was the first time Group 516 participated in the National Weekend of Faith in Action (NWFA). It seemed like an ideal activity for our group. We have several members who are passionate about abolishing the death penalty and we live in a community where there are twice as many churches as fast-food restaurants. We felt confident that our outreach efforts would be well received, given the fact that many of our local congregations belong to denominations that have official policies against capital punishment.
Our goal was to raise awareness of these policies at the congregational level, as well as to introduce the general public to some of the main arguments against the death penalty. We did this through:
- A screening of "Balancing the Scales," a documentary on the death penalty, at a local community college;
- Letters to the leaders of all local congregations that belong to denominations with an official stand against the death penalty;
- Two guest columns in our local community newspaper. These included excerpts from the death penalty policies of six major denominations.
The screening was well attended but our outreach to the congregations received a lukewarm response. Most congregations, in fact, didn't even respond, despite our follow-up efforts.
That's when we remembered that we still live in Texas, where anti-death penalty work is always an uphill battle. In our enthusiasm, we had forgotten that abolitionist work - like all human rights work - is a process, not an event. It's all about planting seeds.
So, this year we signed up for the NWFA with renewed vigor! In partnership with AI Group 23 (Houston), several AI campus groups and two other anti-death penalty organizations, we are organizing an even bigger event: an interfaith panel of four prominent clergy (including two bishops) who will speak about their denomination's opposition to capital punishment. We are doing extensive media outreach around the event to ensure a good turnout and, hopefully, some post-event write-ups.
Did we write to our local congregations again? Indeed, we did. And this time,
we're even getting some cordial responses. By next year, we should have them in
the palms of our hands.
Join the Discussion: How can we "plant more seeds" in places like Texas, where support for the death penalty is so entrenched?
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