Category: James 1:22

“But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers” and 2:26 “Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” Encouragement and resources to be “doers of the word.”

US Disaster Program of Episcopal Relief and Development

As you consider donating to the relief of those harmed by wind, rain, and flood after Hurricane Harvey, check out the work of our own Episcopal Relief & Development.

Begin quoteEpiscopal Relief & Development’s US Disaster Program connects, equips and inspires leaders of US dioceses in The Episcopal Church to prepare for hazards that might affect their communities, to mitigate the impact of disasters and to help vulnerable people make a full and sustained recovery.

Notice: Donate to the Hurricane Harvey Response Fund

The US Disaster Program works with diocesan and congregational leadership in areas that have been affected by disasters. We partner with diocesan leaders by providing technical resources and connections to others around the country who have faced similar challenges, as well as access to the Ready to Serve volunteer database. …

Read more from ERD: US Disaster Program

A Morning of Unity and Justice

Sharing the news from our neighbor, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, CA

Rabbis David Lazar of Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs and Richard Zionts of the Har-El Institute for Study and Worship in the Reform Tradition joined us for worship Sunday Morning, August 20 to celebrate a Morning of Unity and Justice at St. Margaret’s. The day offered a celebration of our unity and God’s grace in […]

via A Morning of Unity and Justice — St. Margaret’s News

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Episcopal Relief and Development Logo

This is the introduction to work of Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD) to promote gender equality, to empower women, and to oppose and heal gender-based violence. The ERD page contains links to specific programs, data about gender-based violence, and an invitation to help heal a hurting world. Read more

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Gender equality, women’s empowerment and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response are cross-cutting themes that shape and inform all of Episcopal Relief & Development’s integrated programs worldwide. In order to sustainably and equitably address hunger, poverty, disease and post-disaster relief and recovery, local attitudes and customs around gender, power and gender-based violence must also be taken into account.

“Unless women fully enjoy their human rights, to which freedom from violence is inextricably bound, progress toward development will continue to fall short.”  USAID

Gender roles and other social norms impact every area of Episcopal Relief & Development’s work, and addressing gender-based violence (GBV) is a major area of focus. GBV affects the health and well-being of women in every country, regardless of socioeconomic or ‘development’ status, and almost all of our partners identify violence against women and girls as a major obstacle to healthy and prosperous families and communities. There is a great need for the voice and action of faith leaders, communities and institutions to prevent and respond to GBV, and to restore the health, dignity and livelihoods of women and girls affected by violence.

Although GBV is often associated with countries experiencing conflict, it is present everywhere, in various forms such as domestic violence, rape and the marginalization of girls and women across cultures and nations. Stemming from attitudes and practices around gender and power that are deeply ingrained in society and culture, GBV is a sensitive issue and often falls by the wayside of community dialogues and interventions. Change must come from within those communities to be lasting and effective, and faith leaders have a unique position of trust and influence at both the individual and community levels to enable and encourage such change. Our programs aim to empower these leaders and to leverage their roles in their communities to become champions for the support, protection and empowerment of survivors of violence, and of women and girls in general. Read more about this on the ERD website.

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Be well. Do good. Pay attention. Keep learning.

 

Commission on the Status of Women 61 in 2017 (UN Women)

UN Women (Homepage)

Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, & GBV (Episcopal Relief & Development)

Women ‘donate themselves’ to help find peace in South Sudan campaigner tells UN meeting

How women are leading the way to peace and reconciliation.

[L-R] Harriet Baka Nathan & Joy Kwaje Eluzai
Photo Credit: ACNS

Originally Posted on: March 16, 2017 3:28 PM by Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS)

Related Categories on ACNS: apjn, iawn, Other News, South Sudan, Sudan, UN, UNCSW

Begin quoteKey Anglican campaigners for peace and justice in war-torn South Sudan have told a meeting at the United Nations in New York about the vital role women and the church have been playing in peace building and supporting the victims of conflict.

Harriet Baka Nathan, from the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Mothers’ Union, and Joy Kwaje Eluzai, a member of the country’s national assembly, were speaking to a packed meeting at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

“Women have become an example to the community,” Harriet told them. “The church has become a role model as we wait for a bigger peace – reconciliation. The women never waited, the Mothers’ Union never waited, the Church never waited. We are donors of ourselves – when the conflict comes, we call a meeting and we give whatever we have.”

Harriet described how the conflict had devastated the country, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. The absence of people to work the land had led to widespread hunger and now there was a famine. She told the meeting how on one occasion, she had been part of a convoy taking aid to displaced people who had fled into the bush.

“God gave me courage to escort 25 tons (of aid) into a camp which was in the bush. This was very dangerous – I could have been raped or killed. But I did not have that fear at all because I was dressed with a spirit of boldness.

“She described how extreme hunger had left many women in the camp bedridden. But once a distribution centre was set up, the atmosphere began to change.

“In a short time there was smoke (around the camp) – people began to make porridge on small fires. Hope came back and then life came back.”

Harriet gave the meeting snapshots of various projects where women were working to bring peace to South Sudan.  She said they had initially been left out of negotiations but were now monitoring the implementation of peace agreements and lobbying hard for the agreements to be honoured.

In one example, she explained the vital role women had played in the diocese of Bor, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting. She had realised that bringing peace – and food – among the women would be a uniting factor.

“Because once you unite the women… where are the husbands who will not follow their wives and their children?  So as the women (from different tribes) got united – their families began to benefit and slowly these fighting men, who were not coming together, slowly they came in too.

“So the project provided food and united these fighting tribes. Now Bor is a role model for the Church. It has really created hope and it has created peace.”

Harriet also described how thousands of women had benefited from projects in literacy, numeracy and income generation and how better education had given them confidence to participate more fully in society. She said they felt inspired and economically empowered.

She thanked Christians around the world for their ongoing support.

“We are not alone with the Anglican Communion behind us,” she said. “If we were all alone, I don’t think we could make it”.Joy Kwaje Eluzai urged the audience to do more.“We are looking for shoulders to help us,” she said. “How can we reach your governments to make sure that peace is reached in South Sudan? How do we get your support and your strength to tell your governments that we are tired of the war?”

Noting that the theme of UNCSW61 is the economic empowerment of women, she said this had been eroded by the conflict in South Sudan. But she said the country had the desire, energy and the capacity to achieve the goals that had been set out by the UNCSW on the opening day.“t is only with peace that we can put the economic empowerment of women into perspective,” she said. “Economic empowerment of women benefits society. If a woman is empowered, that family is empowered…  and her children will never go uneducated.”

The meeting had to be hastily rescheduled by the Anglican Communion team at the UN after a snowstorm hit New York. The UN building was one of many in the city which was forced to stay closed because of the bad weather. Transport was also badly hit. But despite the difficulties, around 60 delegates attended the briefing by Harriet and Joy.

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Source: Women ‘donate themselves’ to help find peace in South Sudan campaigner tells UN meeting

“Welcome the Needy”

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis called for greater compassion for refugees and marginalized people less than a week after President Trump ordered a temporary immigration ban from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

In a video of the pontiff’s prayer intentions for February, the pope does not specifically refer to the president or his policies but emphasizes his concern about large numbers of people who he says are being marginalized and forgotten on the fringes of society.

“Don’t abandon them,” the pope says in the video, which features men and women comforting a homeless man on the street.

“Pray with me for all those who are afflicted, especially the poor, refugees and marginalized, so they may be welcomed and find comfort in our communities.”

Read the entire post

We are all Syrian. We are all Muslim.

This was an email letter sent to members of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego on January 29, 2017 and posted the same day to the Diocesan Facebook Page. 

 

Logo for Episcopal Diocese of San DiegoDear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

 

The last nine days have been a disquieting and dizzying display of presidential action in Mr. Trump’s first days in office. It is difficult for us to find focus as he occupies the media space railing about the size of the inauguration crowd and making unsubstantiated claims regarding voter fraud. From a public policy perspective, there is much to worry about: news blackouts from federal departments, possible trade wars, and comments about illegal torture to name a few.

 

However, Friday’s executive order to halt immigration from seven Muslim countries, including the suspension of refugees from war-ravaged Syria, is an affront to our sense of fairness and equity. Indeed, the president even stated that our nation would give preferential treatment to Christians over Muslims, thereby invoking a religious standard for entry that is anathema to our national creed. Fanning the fears of 9/11 and ISIS, the president wants us to believe that we will be safer because we change who we are as a people who welcome the immigrant and the refugee. But we are the nation of the Marshall Plan, Famine Relief and Tsunami recovery. Our dark chapters of the last century include Franklin Roosevelt’s executive order 9066, which interred Japanese Americans because of their ethnicity. This is too eerily familiar. Surely we have learned from our past and discovered the better angels of our nature.

Please read all of the Bishop’s letter

Archbishop of Canterbury to express remorse over Reformation violence | Religion News Service

CANTERBURY, England (RNS) The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is expected to issue a statement this week apologizing for the violence that followed the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago.

The statement, according to news accounts, will express remorse that the (Protestant) Church of England carried out so many acts of violence — including burning Roman Catholics at the stake.

It will also urge believers to ask for forgiveness for atrocities that happened on both sides during the Reformation and for greater unity between Catholic and Protestant churches today.

The publication of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses on Oct. 31, 1517, is traditionally considered the birth of the Reformation that split Western Christianity into Catholic and Protestant. Celebrations throughout the world will mark the 500th anniversary this year.

Welby’s statement is due to come a month before members of the Church of England’s General Synod discuss the commemoration.

Catholics and Protestants will gather at Lambeth Palace — Welby’s London home — to express remorse and pray for Christian unity.

Although the physical atrocities against Catholics took place during the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Edward VI, Catholics (and Jews) were not allowed to vote, sit in Parliament or attend universities until the middle of the 19th century.

Originally posted by Trevor Grundy on Religion News Service 1/17/17: Archbishop of Canterbury to express remorse over Reformation violence

Networking Hope. Let your light shine.

A candle shining in the darkEarlier I posted a link to an essay by the Rev. Dr. Rachel Marsh about having hope in 2017. Among her “four (hope-giving) things” was this:

Transformational change takes place when individual actions are networked

Often we feel despondent because it feels like our small actions are too small, that they are meaningless. But research shows that although individual changes may not lead to transformational change, networking these individual actions CAN make a difference. This is where social media can be a blessing: a small action on one side of the world can inspire groups of people to take action elsewhere. The effect is multiplied and so my small action gains significance, affirmation and inspires me to do more. —Why I have hope for 2017

Today, via the Christian Science Monitor, I found this sign of hope: From a former sex slave to a climate poet: five unsung heroes of 2016. The article highlights the work of 5 individuals in places most of us will never visit. We know of their work because of the internet/social media.

May those doing similar work, may we who are able to support them by prayer, solidarity, and financial resources, continue to network in hope and courage, and for the common good. ~Fr. Dan

For further reading (keep learning)

Statement of Becca Stevens after CNN Hero Awards

Becca Stevens at 2016 CNN Hear Awards Ceremony
Becca Stevens at the 2016 CNN Hero Awards Ceremony

It was a great honor to represent the women of Thistle Farms on the CNN Heroes Tribute last week in New York. The experience allowed us to make new friends and tell a wider community that love does heal. My favorite part of the weekend was becoming friends with the other honorees. I loved hearing about their work and laughing in the van on the way to interviews and the gala. From voting daily, to telling friends, I’m grateful for everything this community did to make such a big impact. We have a lot more work ahead and many women waiting for us to expand our reach. Love heals for sure–especially through the tireless efforts of everyone in the circle at Thistle Farms. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Becca Stevens, Founder & President

Visit the Thistle Farms Website | Learn about the Mission of Thistle Farms

Mission to Seafarers

Screenshot 2016-08-08 13.40.31

Though Sea Sunday (July 10, 2016) has passed it is always the right time to reflect on the work others (like seafarers) do for the common good. Want to get an idea of how dependent we are on the sea, ships, and seafarers? Start with this article from Vox.com: This is an incredible visualization of the world’s shipping routes. The article features an interactive map that helps you visualize the extent of shipping traffic.

As a church we seek to minister to those who labor on ships and in ports throughout the world (including our own Port of San Diego). Here is more about the Mission to Seafarers (MtS):

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