Frequenly Asked Questions
Who is Sojourners/Call to Renewal?
What is the purpose of the conference?
Will this conference be like Pentecost conferences in the past?
Why are only three candidates participating in the June 4 candidates forum?
What is the “Covenant for a New America”?
What is the Emerging Leaders Track?
What will happen on Capitol Hill Day?
What does the conference fee cover?
How do I apply for a scholarship?
Can I cancel my conference or housing registration?
Who is Sojourners/Call to Renewal?
Sojourners/Call to Renewal (www.sojo.net)
Our mission is to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world.
In response to this call, we offer a vision for faith in public life by:
· publishing Sojourners magazine, SojoMail, and other resources that address issues of faith, politics, and culture from a biblical perspective;
· preaching, teaching, organizing, and public witness;
· nurturing community by bringing together people from the various traditions and streams of the church;
· hosting an annual program of voluntary service for education, ministry, and discipleship.
In our lives and in our work, we seek to be guided by the biblical principles of justice, mercy, and humility.
What is the purpose of the conference? Who should attend?
We believe that growing a movement to overcome poverty requires people like you who care enough about the biblical call to overcome poverty to put your faith into action. As Christians, we know this will take the hard work of the many parts of the body of Christ. It will take clergy and lay leaders to change hearts and minds in communities of faith to build the political will to end poverty. It will take the hard work of social service providers, who experience firsthand what solutions are working. It will take legislators transcending ideology to enact policies that put real families ahead of partisan sound-bites. It will take the energy and voices of young people who are called to be visionaries and organizers to build a different world. It will take families struggling in poverty to speak truth to power and debunk myths.
At the conference, we will provide trainings on how to organize your community of faith, how to spread the word through the media, how to work effectively with legislators to enact solutions to poverty, and much, much more. At this conference, we hope social service providers, religious and lay leaders, emerging leaders, and low-income people will come together to share experiences and knowledge, and gain useful training to build this movement.
Will this conference be like the Pentecost conferences in the past?
There will be many of the same components of previous Pentecost conferences: training sessions, worship services, opportunities to address congressional representatives, and time to network with others from your region. There will also be some important differences. We have added more opportunities for intensive trainings - offering a "part 2" to some of the basic trainings we offered in the past (as well as offering the "part 1" sessions again).
And as we head toward an election year, we are offering the first nationally-televised forum on faith and values with the leading
Democratic candidates - Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards. We are planning a similar forum with the leading Republican candidates in early 2008. The only way to attend the forum is by registering for the conference, although there is a one-day option for registration.
Why are only three candidates participating in the June 4 candidates forum?
We want to thank those who have expressed their concerns over the format of our upcoming candidates forum.
When we began planning for a Democratic candidates forum, we decided, given the large number of declared candidates and those exploring candidacy, that to have more than a few participants would not be feasible given the time and logistical constraints of our Pentecost event. In order to host a forum that provided enough time for a thoughtful and substantive discussion of faith and values with religious leaders (rather than sound bites and widely known positions as will be the case in numerous other forums and debates), we decided to invite the declared Democratic candidates occupying the top polling positions.
While it is difficult to limit participation, we needed to set objective criteria allowing us to plan and execute a forum that could be unique and successful; a conversation providing a deeper look at faith and public life.
This fall, we are planning to sponsor a similar candidates forum for Republican Presidential contenders. We will again limit our invitations to the top polling declared candidates.
What is the “Covenant for a New America”?
At last year’s conference, we launched the “Covenant for a New America,” a solutions-based agenda for overcoming poverty that transcends ideology. The covenant is based on common-sense ways to end poverty, such as promoting a living family income for all who work, rebuilding neighborhoods and communities, strengthening families and renewing culture, and supporting the Millennium Development Goals to end extreme global poverty. To see the Covenant, click here.
What is the Emerging Leaders Track?
A key part of our past Pentecost conferences has been ensuring that emerging leaders around the country – people of faith age 30 and younger who wish to integrate their faith with their passion for social justice – are equipped and energized to do so. Click here for more information about the Emerging Leaders Track.
What will happen on Capitol Hill Day? Will I get in trouble if I’m representing a nonprofit?
We believe that one of the most important parts of the conference is Capitol Hill Day. This is the day we take our message to our legislators on Capitol Hill and ask for real solutions. This year, we will have a morning training session on how to present the “Covenant for a New America” agenda to legislators, followed by visits to your senators (sorry, D.C. residents!) and representatives. Following your Hill visit, we will offer a hospitality suite in which you can meet with other returning groups and learn to blog, write editorials, and more.
Can employees of a 501(c)3 lobby? The answer is “yes,” but nonprofits can only lobby up to a certain percentage of their expenditures, so if you’re representing a church or a nonprofit, please make sure to check on this first. The policy briefings we’re offering can be an alternative to congressional visits.
Visit the registration page by clicking here.
There are two options for conference-sponsored housing. We have reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Central for the rate of $169 per night. For those looking for a lower-cost option, we have rooms reserved at George Washington University for the rate of $32 for doubles or $55 for singles.
Click here for more information about housing.
What does the conference fee cover?
The registration fee covers the cost of all the events, including dinner on Monday night and a boxed lunch on Wednesday. For those enrolled in the Emerging Leaders Track, there will also be a dinner offered on Tuesday evening. Each morning there will be bagels, muffins, juice, and coffee/tea available.
How do I apply for a scholarship?
We are committed to bringing diverse voices and perspectives to the conference. In that spirit, we are offering a limited number of scholarships to low-income participants, students, individuals who are affiliated with organizations that can’t afford the conference fees, and others with financial hardships. We encourage you first to raise money through organizations with which you are affiliated.
The deadline to apply for scholarships is May 4 . We will notify you of your scholarship status the week of May 8. You can apply online by clicking here.
Can I cancel my conference or housing registration?
You may cancel a reservation for GWU housing or the conference and receive a full refund if you give us a cancellation notice in writing (fax or e-mail is acceptable) by May 4. After that date, we cannot give any refunds for housing or conference fees. For housing refunds with Holiday Inn Central, please contact the hotel directly.