The Church & The Dreamers #DACA

The Episcopal Church in 2012 passed at its General Convention this resolution:

Resolved, That the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church support the passing of federal legislation that presents a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth and young adults; and be it further

Resolved, That General Convention encourage the providing of scholarships to undocumented youth, also known as DREAMers, to have access to higher education, in the spirit of “responding to human need by loving service,” as stated by one of The Episcopal Church’s Five Marks of Mission; and be it further

Resolved, That congregations, dioceses, and/or provinces of The Episcopal Church be encouraged to research and solicit private donations to fund scholarships for undocumented young adults; and be it further

Resolved, That congregations, dioceses, and/or provinces encourage undocumented youth to apply for such scholarships. Citation: General Convention, Journal of the General Convention of...The Episcopal Church, Indianapolis, 2012 (New York: General Convention, 2012), p. 299.

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry and President of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings have issued the following statement concerning the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). (September 5, 2017)

Today our hearts are with those known as the Dreamers—those young women and men who were brought to this country as children, who were raised here and whose primary cultural and country identity is American. We believe that these young people are children of God and deserve a chance to live full lives, free from fear of deportation to countries that they may have never known and whose languages they may not speak. As people of faith, our obligation is first to the most vulnerable, especially to children. In this moment, we are called by God to protect Dreamers from being punished for something they had no agency in doing.

Since 2012, individuals who are undocumented and who were brought to the U.S. as children have benefitted from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Through this program, those eligible have the opportunity to obtain a work permit and can secure protection from deportation. The nearly 800,000 recipients of DACA have proven that when given the opportunity, they succeed and contribute positively to our country. Without protection afforded by DACA or a legislative solution, these young people will live in fear of arrest, detention, and deportation to countries they may not remember. In six months those fears may become reality, so we must use that time wisely to advocate for their protection.

The Episcopal Church supports these undocumented youth as part of our decades-long commitment to walking with immigrants and refugees. Out of that commitment, we call on our nation to live up to its highest ideals and most deeply held values, and we call on Congress to take action to protect these young people and to formulate a comprehensive immigration policy that is moral and consistent and that allows immigrants who want to contribute to this country the chance to do so while keeping our borders secure from those whose business is in drugs, human trafficking or terror. We are committed to working actively toward both the passage of a bipartisan Dream Act by Congress and comprehensive immigration reform, and we will provide resources for Episcopalians who want to participate in this work.

For those of us who follow Jesus Christ, our Christian values are at stake. Humane and loving care for the stranger, the alien, and the foreigner is considered a sacred duty and moral value for those who would follow the way of God. In his parable of the last judgment, Jesus commended those who welcomed the stranger and condemned those who did not (Matthew 25:35 & 25:43). This teaching of Jesus was based on the law of Moses that tells the people of God: "The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:33-35).

We stand with the Dreamers and will do all that we can to support them while we also work for the kind of immigration reform that truly reflects the best of our spiritual and moral values as people of faith and as citizens of the United States.

The Jesus Statue Comes to St. Peter’s Church

A life-sized sculpture of a homeless Jesus will return to the front of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, as a public witness of St. Peter’s commitment to remember and love all of our neighbors. The sculpture, by Canadian sculptor Timothy P. Schmalz, was inspired by the parable Jesus told to his followers near the end of the Gospel of Matthew. Schmalz titled his sculpture, "Whatsoever You Do."

“This sculpture is a visual representation of charity. We should see Christ in the poor and the hungry. We should see our acts of kindness to them as kindness to Him. It is inspired by the Gospel of Matthew 25:40.” (from Schmalz’s website)

He describes his sculptures “as being visual prayers.”

The sculpture is a poignant reminder of God’s invitation to see Jesus in everyone we encounter.  At the same time, the statue invites us to recall our shared humanity with the homeless we worshipped alongside at Chapel on the Green in New Haven, the hungry we feed through the Monroe Food Pantry, our participation in the Bridgeport Deanery feeding programs, and those strangers in Monroe whose need we do not yet know.  At the very heart of all these ministries, is our willingness to embrace everyone as a child of God.

The statue has been traveling throughout the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. Please do take a few minutes to come by the church to sit with Jesus, who beckons us with sadness and hope as a powerful reminder of our ministry to love our neighbors as ourselves.

To learn more:

Video by the artist concerning the “Whatsoever You Do” sculpture:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sGkDEDPCPI

The artist’s webpage:

http://www.sculpturebytps.com/

“‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “Then he will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’”

(from Matthew 25: 37-40 - Common English Bible (CEB))

Guest Preacher Last Sunday

SW Region Missionary

Southwest Region: The Rev. Carlos de la Torre

Statement: I'm excited to work together on collaborative projects and initiatives in the Southwest Region. The wealth of knowledge and resources are abundant in our region but so are the challenges. I look forward to gathering as body to further engage God's mission and continue to serve God and God's people in our parishes, our region, and the world. 

 

Bio: I am a priest in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. A native of Peru, I was raised in Westchester County, N.Y. In 2012, I graduated from Manhattanville College, Purchase, N.Y, where I majored in philosophy and world religions. That same year, I began a master's program at Virginia Seminary, Alexandria, VA. In 2015, I graduated from Virginia Seminary and was ordained a priest on the Feast of the Presentation of Blessed Virgin Mary. I have worked with parishes and community agencies in Yonkers, N.Y; Houston, TX; Alexandria, VA; Washington D.C; and in Stamford and New Haven, CT. 

 

Currently I serve as a missional curate in ECCT working with parishes, agencies, and community members to engage God's mission in new and creative ways.

Prayers for those affected by Hurricanes/Flooding

Heavenly Father, in your Word you have given us a vision of that holy City where the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea: Behold and visit, we pray, the cities of the earth devastated by flooding. Sustain those displaced by storms with food, drink, and all other bodily necessities of life. We especially remember before you all poor and neglected persons it would be easy for us to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick, and all who have none to care for them; that, among all the changes and chances of this mortal life, we may ever be defended by your gracious and ready help; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN. 

Lord, you who calmed the storm at sea, quiet the fears, ease the pain, tend the grief, and light the darkness of your children affected by Irma. In stunned silence, be their voice. In rages against the night, be their balm. In bewilderment, be their hope. Lead rescuers to the lost, shelter the waiting. Sustain those who work to make life's necessities spring forth in this desert of gloom. Blanket the weary with your tender touch. Shake us from our comforts to share out sisters and brothers' sorrow and burden and assist and pray them into new life. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus, who suffered and was raised to new life. Amen.

Human Sexulaity & #ConnecticutStatement

You may have heard of the Nashville Statement that came out this past week. It was written by the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood "in the hope of serving Christ’s church and witnessing publicly to the good purposes of God for human sexuality revealed in Christian Scripture, we offer the following affirmations and denials."

The reaction from some quarters:

https://www.christiancentury.org/blog-post/born-again-again/opposing-nashville-statement

https://thinkprogress.org/are-evangelicals-inventing-a-new-form-of-christianity-all-about-sex-46ff64454c8f/ 

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/evangelicals.and.the.nashville.statement.what.is.the.point/112827.htm

Other statements have been written:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber/2017/08/the-denver-statement/

http://www.theliturgists.com/statement/  (I am also a signer on this statement)

Several clergy in Connecticut published a response to Tuesday’s release of the “Nashville Statement." The Connecticut clergy group published what they describe as a “much more theologically sound and expansive statement.” The Rev. Adam Yates, rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in East Haddam, wrote, “While it started as a project among some Connecticut clergy, it has now expanded through signers to include people from all over the country," lay and ordained. I helped with the statement and am one of the signers...

"An Open and Affirming Vision for God's People Across the Christian Church"

The Connecticut Statement - https://connecticutstatement.org/

Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

Each year, from 1 September, the Global Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to 4 October, St Francis of Assisi Day, many Anglicans use the Season of Creation – also known as Creation Time – to pray and celebrate with creation, focus on the story of Earth, and commit to a ministry of healing Earth.  In 2017: This year Anglican Communion Environmental Network is partnering 'Green Faith’ with: the Global Catholic Climate Movement, Christian Aid, the Pope’s Prayer network and the World Council of Churches to promote the Day of Prayer and gather resources to assist all faithful people to take part in the Season.

Prayers:

God, creator of the universe,
Fill us with your love for the creation,
for the natural world around us,
for the earth from which we come
and to which we will return.
Awake in us energy to work for your world;
let us never fall into
complacency, ignorance,
or being overwhelmed by the task before us.
Help us to restore, remake, renew. Amen.

Jesus, Redeemer of the World,
Remind us to consider the lost lilies,
the disappearing sparrows;
teach us not to squander precious resources;
help us value habitats: seas, deserts, forests
and seek to preserve this world in its diversity.
Alert us to the cause of all living creatures
destroyed wantonly for human greed or pleasure;
Help us to value what we have left
and to learn to live without taking more than we give.
Amen.

Spirit of the Living God
At the beginning you moved over the face of the waters.
You brought life into being, the teeming life
that finds its way through earth and sea and air,
that  makes its home around us, everywhere.
You know how living things flourish and grow
How they co-exist; how they feed and breed and change
Help us to understand those delicate relationships,
value them, and keep them from destruction. Amen

God, of the living earth
You have called people to care for your world
you asked Noah to save creatures from destruction.
May we now understand how to sustain your world
Not over fishing, not over hunting,
Not destroying trees, precious rainforest
Not farming soil into useless dust.
Help us to find ways to use resources wisely
to find a path to good, sustainable living
in peace and harmony with creatures around us.
Amen

Jesus, who raised the dead to life
Help us to find ways to renew
what we have
broken, damaged and destroyed:
Where we have taken too much water,
polluted the air, poured plastic into the sea,
cut down the forests and soured fertile soils.
Help all those who work to find solutions to
damage and decay; give hope to those
who are today working for a greener future.
Amen.

from Anne Richards, Mission Theology Advisory Group - www.ctbi.org.uk

The world has been created for everyone's use, but you few rich are trying to keep it for
yourselves. For not merely the possession of the earth, but the very sky, the air, and the
sea are claimed for the use of the rich few. ... The earth belongs to all, not just to the rich. 
~ St. Ambrose of Milan (340-397)

JOINT MESSAGE OF THE POPE AND ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH ON THE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR CREATION

The story of creation presents us with a panoramic view of the world. Scripture reveals that, “in the beginning”, God intended humanity to cooperate in the preservation and protection of the natural environment. At first, as we read in Genesis, “no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up – for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground” (2:5). The earth was entrusted to us as a sublime gift and legacy, for which all of us share responsibility until, “in the end”, all things in heaven and on earth will be restored in Christ (cf. Eph 1:10). Our human dignity and welfare are deeply connected to our care for the whole of creation.

However, “in the meantime”, the history of the world presents a very different context. It reveals a morally decaying scenario where our attitude and behaviour towards creation obscures our calling as God’s co-operators. Our propensity to interrupt the world’s delicate and balanced ecosystems, our insatiable desire to manipulate and control the planet’s limited resources, and our greed for limitless profit in markets – all these have alienated us from the original purpose of creation. We no longer respect nature as a shared gift; instead, we regard it as a private possession. We no longer associate with nature in order to sustain it; instead, we lord over it to support our own constructs.

The consequences of this alternative worldview are tragic and lasting. The human environment and the natural environment are deteriorating together, and this deterioration of the planet weighs upon the most vulnerable of its people. The impact of climate change affects, first and foremost, those who live in poverty in every corner of the globe. Our obligation to use the earth’s goods responsibly implies the recognition of and respect for all people and all living creatures. The urgent call and challenge to care for creation are an invitation for all of humanity to work towards sustainable and integral development.

Therefore, united by the same concern for God’s creation and acknowledging the earth as a shared good, we fervently invite all people of goodwill to dedicate a time of prayer for the environment on 1 September. On this occasion, we wish to offer thanks to the loving Creator for the noble gift of creation and to pledge commitment to its care and preservation for the sake of future generations. After all, we know that we labour in vain if the Lord is not by our side (cf. Ps 126-127), if prayer is not at the centre of our reflection and celebration. Indeed, an objective of our prayer is to change the way we perceive the world in order to change the way we relate to the world. The goal of our promise is to be courageous in embracing greater simplicity and solidarity in our lives.

We urgently appeal to those in positions of social and economic, as well as political and cultural, responsibility to hear the cry of the earth and to attend to the needs of the marginalized, but above all to respond to the plea of millions and support the consensus of the world for the healing of our wounded creation. We are convinced that there can be no sincere and enduring resolution to the challenge of the ecological crisis and climate change unless the response is concerted and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable, unless we give priority to solidarity and service.

From the Vatican and from the Phanar, 1 September 2017

[This is an important statement for Anglicans and all Christians!]