NOTE: Due to setting up our new e-mailing software, the CVA weeklye-newsletter was not sent the last few weeks. We are happy to announce we are resuming it as usual. Thank you for your understanding!
1. Activist Feedback
Suzanne, who leafleted with 6 friends at Winter Jam in Grand Rapids, MI on January 8 writes:
I had a group of 6 (including myself) and we leafleted for 1 hour, which worked out well as there were plenty of people lined up. The line took up probably one city block. We'd like the donation to support the work of the Students for Compassionate Living at Calvin College. They are making a strong effort at Calvin and I really want to encourage them to stay active in promoting this cause! I also thought it was great that our volunteer group was 3 men and 3 women, demonstrating that a vegan diet isn't a "woman" thing.
We were able to pass out about a box and a half [900] of leaflets. Maybe it was just because the weather was so bitterly cold, but people this year seemed less receptive. Typical invitations as leaflets were handed out included, "Compassionate Eating?" or "Honoring God's Creation?"which generally don't rub people the wrong way. Of course we want to be compassionate, and of course it's our job to be good stewards of all creation. At least one woman who we shared a leaflet with asked for several more for her to pass out to friends and family. There were some snide comments, but people like her made up for it.
Thank you again for your work in organizing volunteer opportunities! I appreciate that and am always willing to serve!
Upcoming Outreach Opportunities
02/02/2017 Al, Mobile
Winter Jam 2017
02/02/2017 WI, Milwaukee
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
02/03/2017 TN, Nashville
Winter Jam 2017
02/04/2017 GA, Atlanta
Winter Jam 2017
02/10/2017 IN, Indianapolis
Winter Jam 2017
02/10/2017 PA, Reading
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
02/12/2017 NC, Fayetteville
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
02/12/2017 IL, Peoria
Winter Jam 2017
02/14/2016 FL, Pensacola
Hits Deep Tour (TobyMac, Matt Maher, and/ more)
02/16/2017 GA, Augusta
Winter Jam 2017
02/17/2017 FL, Jacksonville
Hits Deep Tour (TobyMac, Matt Maher, and/ more)
02/17/2017 NY, Albany
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
02/17/2017 SC, Greenville
Winter Jam 2017
02/18/2017 TX, Dallas
Disciple, City Rock Fest 2017
02/18/2017 OH, Columbus
Winter Jam 2017
02/18/2017 PA, Philadelphia
The Very Next Thing Tour, Casting Crowns
02/19/2017 NC, Charlotte
Winter Jam 2017
02/23/2017 VA, Norfolk
Winter Jam 2017
02/24/2017 CO, Denver
Disciple, City Rock Fest 2017
02/24/2016 TX, Tyler
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
02/24/2017 TX, Grand Prairie
Hits Deep Tour
02/25/2017 TN, Memphis
Winter Jam 2017
02/26/2017 TN, Knoxville
Winter Jam 2017
03/03/2017 TN, Nashville
Hits Deep Tour
(TobyMac, Matt Maher, and/ more)
03/03/2017 OH, Columbus
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
03/03/2017 TX, Houston
Winter Jam 2017
03/05/2017 MO, Springfield
Winter Jam 2017
03/10/2017 IL, Chicago
Winter Jam 2017
03/11/2017 OH, Cincinnati
Disciple, City Rock Fest 2017
03/12/2017 OH, Cleveland
Winter Jam 2017
03/16/2017 NY, Albany
Hits Deep Tour (TobyMac, Matt Maher, and/ more)
03/17/2017 AL, Birmingham
Winter Jam 2017
03/18/2017 LA, New Orleans
Winter Jam 2017
03/19/2017 AR, N. Little Rock
Winter Jam 2017
03/19/2017 TX, San Antonio
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
03/23/2017 NM, Albuquerque
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
03/24/2017 PA, State College
Winter Jam 2017
03/24/2017 TX, El Paso
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
03/25/2017 NC, Greensboro
Winter Jam 2017
03/26/2017 TN, Chattanooga
Winter Jam 2017
03/31/2017 CA, Sacramento
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
03/31/2017 KS, Wichita
Winter Jam 2017
04/01/2017 NY, NYC
Hillsong – Colour Conference US 2017
04/02/2017 AZ, Phoenix
Hillsong – Colour Conference US 2017
04/02/2017 OK, Tulsa
Winter 2017
04/03/2017 CA, Los Angeles
Hillsong – Colour Conference US 2017
04/04/2017 TX, San Antonio
Chris Tomlin, Worship Night
04/06/2017 OK, Tulsa
Chris Tomlin, Worship Night
04/07/2017 WA, Seattle
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
04/08/2017 MO, Kansas City
Chris Tomlin, Worship Night
04/09/2017 WA, Spokane
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
04/21/2017 IL, Springfield
Newsboys Love Riot Tour 2017
Tabling
03/18/2017 FL, Tallahassee
North Florida Veg fest
03/26/2017 CA, North Hollywood
Vegan Street Fair
04/01/2017 WA, Seattle
Vegfest 2017
04/01/2017 TX, Austin
Texas VegFest 2017
04/22/2017 MO, Kansas City
Vegfest Kansas City
04/29/2017 NC, Charlotte
Charlotte Vegfest 2017
04/30/2017 MI, Novi
Michigan Vegfest 2017
04/30/2017 CA, Lake Balboa
Vegfest L.A.
05/20-21/17 NY, NYC
NYC Vegetarian Food Festival
06/01/2016 WI, Madison
Mad City Vegan Fest 2017
06/03/2017 OH, Cleveland
Cleveland Vegfest 2017
2. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Six Principles of Nonviolence, part 3, number 2
Recently, I reflected on Dr. King’s conviction that nonviolence aims to defeat injustice and evil, not people. This view presumes that people are not evil, but it is tempting to paint those who seem to lack empathy or concern for others as evil. Do evil people exist?
As I see it, nearly all of us are on a spectrum that includes a degree of altruistic concern for others as well as a degree of selfishness. Nevertheless, we are often tempted to label certain people as evil, particularly those who we believe have harmed us. However, these people usually possess some or many admirable qualities. Categorizing those who we believe have wronged us as evil absolves us of any guilt we share in conflicts and facilitates scapegoating. Regarding one or more individuals as evil presumes that their character flaws are irredeemable. Such people, if they existed, would be dangerous, and we would need to permanently remove them from our community. Cultures differ on how to eliminate “evil” people, including banishment from the tribe, extended imprisonment, or killing.
The problem, as I’ve discussed in prior essays, is that scapegoating is tempting – identifying certain individuals as “evil” and blaming them for the social problems to which we all actually contribute. The end result is excessive punishment, because excessive guilt has been dumped onto them. So, even if it were possible for evil people to exist, the difficulty of correctly identifying them encourages caution in applying the label. I think it is more valid, as well as helpful, to identify harmful behavior and seek to change it. Human motivation is so complex, and our perspectives tend to be so biased, that attempts to discern whether or not a person is evil is not very helpful. If we treat everyone with kindness and respect, we will not engage in evil ourselves and, I think, we will have more success in eradicating the evil in our midst.
Stephen R. Kaufman, MD
3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman