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Brian Frick is the Associate for Camp and Conferences Ministries with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He has been involved in camp and conference ministry since high school. For the past ten years, Brian has served as program director of Johnsonburg Center in New Jersey, Westminster Woods in California, and Heartland Center in Missouri.

Camp and conference ministry compliments and partners with other ministry aspects of our church to foster faith development and reflection. As our communities and our church changes, our ministries need to grow and adapt with creative and emergent programming and leadership to meet new realities.

These blogs entries, though varied, are intended to spur thought and conversation around the opportunities and challenges before us.

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January 27, 2010

FREEZE!

Brian Frick

Ok.  For those of you who know where I am writing this, it's an ironic title (I'm at the Pastors of Large Churches Gathering at St. Pete Beach.) but that's not what it's about.
Dollar-sign It's about what I read in the paper today.  Tonight Obama gives his State of the Union speech and apparently his going to advocate for a freeze on all government spending to begin addressing the 12 trillion dollar ($40,000 for every man woman and child in the US...) debt - here's the caveat - except defense spending.Tiananmen_Tank_Man_Google_China
What if we froze all spending on defense?  I bet in a few years the debt would go away.
How can a country that calls itself free and caring and compassionate freeze spending on those services that care for those who can't care for themselves, and provide for the common good but keep spending on the military machine be a good and just society?
I wonder how I can pay my taxes but no for the defense side of my taxes.  Some of our churches do it to the national church right?  Why can't we do that?
So a week after Corporations were given the green light to spend as much on advertising during elections as they want in the name of free speech, or President of "Change" and "Yes we can!" tells us the military machine is more important that schools, roads, food stamps, and the myriad other programs that are for the common good.
What do you think?  Can't wait to hear the speech.
Please comment, this is important.
My last comment is where is the Church in this debate?  What are we called to do?  Where is our camp and conference voice? Is there one?