9to5 Atlanta has recently launched an initiative to connect our work to Atlanta’s vibrant faith-based community. We would love to strengthen our campaigns by connecting with your congregation! By becoming our Faithful Friend, congregations commit to learning and sharing about the work of 9to5. And we commit to highlighting our partnership with your faith community to our audience and membership. Together, we can create a more just world for working women! If you’re interested in being a Faithful Friend or have ideas of a faith-based community we should start a conversation with, contact Charmaine Davis at charmaine@9to5.org.

 

9to5 Atlanta welcomes Central Presbyterian as our first Faithful Friend!

By: Susan Landrum, 9to5 Atlanta MSW Intern and Central Presbyterian member
April 25, 2014

In many ways, Central Presbyterian led me to 9to5. Being a Central member has sparked a personal passion for issues of economic justice. If it weren’t for Central Presbyterian, the beautiful stone church right across the street from Georgia’s Capitol building, I wouldn’t know the love of a strong, inter-generational community. This congregation is incredible! We travel from all over our city to worship, plan, organize and care for one another. We are called through the love of Christ to examine our world and think critically about how to change it. We travel to places far away like Haiti, the US-Mexico border and Israel/Palestine to learn how God works in other communities and in conflict. We offer services to our neighbors experiencing homelessness. We’re on the steps of the Capitol on nights when our state executes prisoners, praying for a day when this isn’t Georgia’s practice. We invite voices into our church to teach us about social, economic and criminal justice issues as often as we can. This is a church that seeks transformative change and justice for all people, made possible by the profound love of God.

In the Fall of 2012, Charmaine Davis, 9to5 Atlanta Chapter Director, spoke in one of my classes at Georgia State University. She talked about the importance of community organizing and the role it plays in movements for social and economic justice. She talked about the ever-increasing reality of income inequality and the impact it has on women. She spoke about the need for a change in policies, a rallying cry from directly-affected women and a growing community of people committed to economic justice. I knew then that I had to be a part of 9to5’s movement. I joined last Spring and also began an internship here last Fall. I have learned so much about community organizing from working with this amazing group of women. From seeing Ms. Marilynn make waves with the Ban the Box campaign to watching a strong collaborative effort move the Family Care Act closer to passage, I have seen first-hand the impact a group of committed citizens can have on policy.

In January, we invited Charmaine to speak at Central on a Sunday morning. She brought Roger Sikes of Atlanta Jobs with Justice and they riled up the room! It was a thrilling moment for me to see these two communities come together and share a passion for change and justice. We need the grassroots organizing of 9to5 and faithful congregations like Central to work together to make Atlanta a more just city. I know that the relationship between Central and 9to5 will continue to grow and I am so proud to be a member of these two amazing organizations!

If you’re interested in learning more about Central Presbyterian, click here. Even better, join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 11am and a delicious lunch to follow at 12pm! Central welcomes ALL to into its community and to the communion table.