Camden Solidarity Project
St. Joseph's Pro-Cathedral Local Organizing Committee Public Action on Public Safety
CCOP & the Camden Solidarity Project
Who we are: Camden Churches Organized for People (CCOP) is a diverse federation of congregations working to transform conditions for families in one of the most distressed cities in America. Our goal is to change institutions and systems so that they better support families and communities in the city and region. Through a discipline of leadership development, relationship-building, faith reflection and political and policy analysis, CCOP member-congregations have been working effectively for more than 20 years to bring about change in the areas of housing, public safety, recreation, economic security, health care and education. CCOP is affiliated with the PICO National Network, which includes 50 faith-based federations like CCOP, working in 17 states across the country. CCOP is also part of PICO New Jersey, an initiative to engage faith communities across the state in work to bring about state and federal policy change.
Why we need your help: Many of the conditions which shape outcomes for Camden families and communities - poverty and unemployment; drug-related violence; under-achieving schools; an aging housing stock; and lack of neighborhood services - are the product of policies developed and implemented within institutions and systems that extend beyond the borders of the city.
State and regional entities help to provide a blueprint for how resources will flow and where priority will be given. With only 80,000 residents in a state with a population of 8.5 million people, Camden alone is not able to generate the public will needed to re-examine priorities and change policies that work against the most vulnerable. As we have seen in the current economic crisis, federal policy is also critical when it comes to providing a pathway of opportunity for residents of urban centers like Camden.
A new Justice Opportunity for congregations in the region: What if dozens of faith-communities across South Jersey were to stand with CCOP member-congregations in calling for systemic change that promotes greater justice and opportunity for city residents and other struggling populations in the region? What if congregations in the region had the chance to build relationships with city congregations and be part of a dialogue around faith and justice work at the local level? What if a wide circle of congregations learned the tools of community organizing and helped to educate their own members about how Camden is shaped by broader systems, and laid out concrete steps that faith-communities could take together to "let justice roll down like waters" right here in South Jersey?
It is certainly true that Camden relies on the generosity of many congregations in the region to support charitable ministries in the city: food, clothing, money and volunteer labor. These contributions help to meet immediate needs, and we desperately need them. But we believe that it is essential that we also come together to ask the question, "Why is this happening in Camden?"
We are hungry for a new kind of partnership with suburban congregations that will be mutually beneficial: our congregations benefit from the spiritual and practical support of our brothers and sisters in the region as we work to build support for change, and we help to provide an opportunity for suburban congregations to "put their feet to faith" in solidarity with your brothers and sisters in the city.
We invite your congregation to consider becoming an Affiliate Member of CCOP, and we would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about what that would entail. Please call CCOP Director Joshua Chisholm (856) 966-8869 for more information. Thank you.
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.