JONAH is in the process of celebrating its 10th anniversary!
The faith-based cross-denominational Chippewa Valley organization will celebrate its first decade – and look ahead – with a Sunday afternoon program at the Oxford Theater, 1814 N, Oxford Ave. The event will run from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Admission is $25, payable at the door.
JONAH (Joining Our Neighbors, Advancing Hope) draws its membership from the interfaith community, at-large members and members of EXPO (Ex-Prisoners Organizing). EXPO provides an opportunity for former prisoners to deal with issues surrounding their re-entry into society and allows them to become part of the solution rather than being part of the problem, according to Sandra McKinney, JONAH’s president.
JONAH is one of 11 affiliates of WISDOM, the statewide umbrella group for organizations concerned with social justice issues, McKinney said. She added that the phrase behind JONAH’s acronym describes the group’s focus well, and provided an example.
“The community and the churches do a great job providing food with multiple food pantries and providing meals at sites like Community Table,” she said. JONAH goes deeper and explores what is the (underlying) need” that leads to meal sites and food pantries.
“Is it a distribution problem, inability to access (food), a living wage issue,” she asked.
Once ways of addressing the underlying causes have been found, JONAH will work with other groups and community members to deal with them, McKinney said.
“JONAH believes in providing training to grow leaders and in the power of knowing our neighbors,” she said.
Sunday’s program will include music, food and a silent auction. David Liners, executive director of WISDOM, will be a featured guest.
JONAH’s institutional membership includes 10 religious institutions from a variety of traditions, and the Eau Claire Catholic Deanery which represents nine parishes. The other religious organizations are First Congregational United Church of Christ, First Presbyterian Church, the Eau Claire Friends Meeting, Grace Lutheran Church, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Spirit Lutheran Church, Temple Sholom, Unitarian Universalist Congregation and Unity Christ Center.
Note: McKinney is a member of the Chippewa Valley Post board of directors.