I recieved this email today, it’s rare to get an actual request to post something and have it put in such a charming way.

J: Could I ask you for a favor, as one progressive Christian blogging activist to another?

Okay, sure. What is a progressive blogging activist?

J:The Progressive Christian Values Conference in DC (for which I’m the organizer of a panel) is having a really hard go, and I’m trying to figure out how to get the word out. I’m desperately hoping to prevail upon your kindness to help me out by posting. If there’s anything you could do, I’d really appreciate it.

I can post and if I can figure out what a progressive blogging activist is I can pass your request onto other progressive blogging activists. Is it okay to pass it on to just progressive bloggers once I figure out who they are?

J: We’ve invited a number of bloggers, but had much less of a response from netroots than from mainstream media (the media are coming, but only 2 posts about us show up on Technorati). I’m near despair, and I’ve gone to a number of Christian Left blogger forums seeking advice about getting the advice out, only to meet with shrugs and condolences.

Shrugs and condolences can be small comfort after long days and near despair, can’t they?

There is room for bloggers.Here is that section of the PR.

One of our three major activism panels is about “New Strategies,” and includes a major representation of net activists like Kaliya Hamlin, one of San Francisco’s major thinkers about new kinds of community structure on the internet. She’ll be giving a talk about the possibilities of linking net communities to real communities through new blog technologies like those from Civic Space Labs (which gives possibilities for sharing calendars, chatspace, etc etc to this kind of a format).

We’ve also wired the conference, and alerted every blogger whose email we could get that we’d like to have them there blogging.

Bloggers, famous or not, are encouraged to come, meet each other, speak out at the discussions of strategies for long-term change, and document the conference real-time. You’re right that the press-release probably doesn’t play up the blogosphere activity as much as it should; alas, our media effort is probably less well coordinated than it should be!

Blogger forums? What is a blogger forum?
I don’t know if:
a) bloggers are invited to attend the complete conference
b) are any being paid to attend and if so, will they disclose?
c) are they considered media and given a pass?

The Conference

A conference on Progressive Christian Values to be held October 13-15 at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC will gather Christians together to actively condemn the moral failures of the right-wing government and issue a comprehensive strategy for reform.

Panelists at the conference will present an array of ongoing faith-based media and policy responses towards Hurricane Katrina, poverty, the war in Iraq, health care, the environment, and racism.

Talks and meetings will take place at the National Cathedral, St. Alban’s Church, and the Marriott Hotel. Registration is $265/head, including all receptions, meals, and a banquet with Jim Wallis. We’ve realized that the cost would be prohibitive for a lot of people we want to attract. The daily door fee is now at $20, or $10 for students, with a “pay what you can” clause attached.

Okay. That’s major bucks, but perhaps not for Washington D.C.

For more on this event information is here.

“Values, Vision and the Via Media” will offer an articulate representation of progressive Christian values held by the majority of moderate Americans, Republican and Democrat alike, offering progressive Christianity a public face. Theologians, activists and lay persons will use case studies, panel discussions and plenary sessions to explore how to make a difference personally, locally and globally in the areas of:

Economic Justice

Environment

Family Values

Peacemaking

Racism/ social oppressions

(sigh)Plenary, seems to be a popular political conference word doesn’t it?
def: adj. full in all respects, decisive procedure.
I’d encourage any bloggers that would like to post the full PR, to drop me a line, or contact the organizers. If they are reaching out to bloggers, we’re top notch at getting the word out quickly, and there is no reason they can’t reach their goals with a bit of help.