The devastating news from Haiti continues to pour in. Let our prayers include careful consideration of what we can do to help. There are many organizations working to provide aid. Once you have determined how much you can give, if you need help deciding where to give, here is a good resource at Charity Navigator:
Help Survivors of the Earthquake in Haiti
Particularly for those of us located far from the epicenter of the disaster, but who feel greatly the pain and suffering of our brothers and sisters in Haiti, remember the words of George Henry Lewes: "The only cure for grief is action."
Friday, January 15, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Happy New Year!
We western Christians have just finished our Christmas season (the twelve days of Christmas). This quote helps me transition from the chaos of the holidays back into the demands of the every-day:
I'm glad and excited to begin the work of Christmas. I'm also glad and excited about the work that's already in process with the IMPACT research committees. I'm grateful for the many hours they've already spent on the issues of early childhood education and interpretive services. I'm confident that we will make real progress this year, thanks to the work of the committee members and all who support IMPACT's efforts.
May our eyes and ears be open to the truth, may our hearts be open to God's will, and may we all have the strength and courage to work for justice and peace in 2010.
When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace ... to make music in the heart.- Howard Thurman, American author, civil rights leader, and theologian (1899-1981)
I'm glad and excited to begin the work of Christmas. I'm also glad and excited about the work that's already in process with the IMPACT research committees. I'm grateful for the many hours they've already spent on the issues of early childhood education and interpretive services. I'm confident that we will make real progress this year, thanks to the work of the committee members and all who support IMPACT's efforts.
May our eyes and ears be open to the truth, may our hearts be open to God's will, and may we all have the strength and courage to work for justice and peace in 2010.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Civic duty and our call to do justice
I don't think I need to remind you of the importance of voting today.
IMPACT is non-partisan.
Our civic duty calls us to vote.
Our faith calls us to do justice.
Please pray and reflect and choose the candidates you feel best represent the issues of justice on which IMPACT has been focusing. Remember, these are the leaders with whom we'll be dealing come next March and the Nehemiah Action. The wonderful, non-partisan site Charlottesville Tomorrow has voter guides available.
IMPACT is non-partisan.
Our civic duty calls us to vote.
Our faith calls us to do justice.
Please pray and reflect and choose the candidates you feel best represent the issues of justice on which IMPACT has been focusing. Remember, these are the leaders with whom we'll be dealing come next March and the Nehemiah Action. The wonderful, non-partisan site Charlottesville Tomorrow has voter guides available.
To refuse to participate in the shaping of our future is to give it up ... Each of us must find our work and do it. Militancy no longer means guns at high noon, if it ever did. It means actively working for change, sometimes in the absence of any surety that change is coming.
- Audre Lorde, from her book Sister Outsider
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Year of the "Unthinkable"?
The article in yesterday's Daily Progress titled "County mulls once 'unthinkable' cuts" got me thinking about the term "unthinkable."
I accept that we're in uncharted waters, economically. I also understand that the county is faced with some very difficult work in the days ahead. But proposing cuts to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund is very "thinkable," and it is one of the reasons IMPACT is so important.
We're all trying to cope with uncertainty these days, and it is certainly pushing us out of our comfort zones to contemplate job loss (our own or our neighbor's), high mortgages and rent, the increasing cost of health care. The list is long. But it's our responsibility to think - think long and hard - about what kind of world we want to create out of this fiscal ruin.
Do we want a return to the policies and attitudes that deny basic human rights of affordable shelter and reasonable access to health care, or basic services and safety, to people in Charlottesville and Albemarle County?
The possibility that we will retreat to the self-preservation bunker is very "thinkable." We need to be brave, to trust in God's abundance, and to continue to press forward to build the foundations of a community where justice is not only "thinkable," but essential.
A reminder - and this is going to be in a large font:
We'll be choosing an issue to focus on for the year, in addition to pre-school education. Please come and let your voice be heard as part of this important process!
I found this quote interesting on a number of levels:
I accept that we're in uncharted waters, economically. I also understand that the county is faced with some very difficult work in the days ahead. But proposing cuts to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund is very "thinkable," and it is one of the reasons IMPACT is so important.
We're all trying to cope with uncertainty these days, and it is certainly pushing us out of our comfort zones to contemplate job loss (our own or our neighbor's), high mortgages and rent, the increasing cost of health care. The list is long. But it's our responsibility to think - think long and hard - about what kind of world we want to create out of this fiscal ruin.
Do we want a return to the policies and attitudes that deny basic human rights of affordable shelter and reasonable access to health care, or basic services and safety, to people in Charlottesville and Albemarle County?
The possibility that we will retreat to the self-preservation bunker is very "thinkable." We need to be brave, to trust in God's abundance, and to continue to press forward to build the foundations of a community where justice is not only "thinkable," but essential.
A reminder - and this is going to be in a large font:
IMPACT Annual Assembly
Tomorrow night - October 19
6:30pm
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church
Tomorrow night - October 19
6:30pm
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church
We'll be choosing an issue to focus on for the year, in addition to pre-school education. Please come and let your voice be heard as part of this important process!
I found this quote interesting on a number of levels:
See you tomorrow night!When I feed the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why so many people are poor they call me a communist.
- Dom Helder Câmara, late archbishop of the Brazilian diocese of Olinda and Recife. Wednesday, Oct. 13 was the 10th anniversary of his death. (Source: Guardian)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Justice, Awareness and Memory
I was struck by the article in the Daily Progress yesterday on Charlottesville City Council's consideration of making an apology for it's former participation in the Massive Resistance pro-segregation movement 50 years ago.
This gesture has meaning. It's a position on justice. It says, "Charlottesville is a different city than it was 50 years ago. We find the actions and attitudes of the past reprehensible, and we are committed to a higher standard of justice." It's commendable.
Now, an advantage of writing about yesterday's news is seeing all the comments made by online readers. Calumny and praise in more or less equal measure. Standard stuff for the internet, I suppose. But the strong feelings elicited by this topic - recognition of past errors - reinforces my belief that the dialogue on justice must continue - respectfully, plainly, strongly.
This gesture has meaning. It's a position on justice. It says, "Charlottesville is a different city than it was 50 years ago. We find the actions and attitudes of the past reprehensible, and we are committed to a higher standard of justice." It's commendable.
Now, an advantage of writing about yesterday's news is seeing all the comments made by online readers. Calumny and praise in more or less equal measure. Standard stuff for the internet, I suppose. But the strong feelings elicited by this topic - recognition of past errors - reinforces my belief that the dialogue on justice must continue - respectfully, plainly, strongly.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Great News! Charlottesville Free Clinic Expansion Completed
The Charlottesville Free Clinic, which was a key player in the 2008 IMPACT issue of expanded dental care for the uninsured and under-insured, has moved into its expanded space. This is excellent news for ALL those earning between $10,000/year (for individuals) and $20,000 (for a family of four) in need of health care.
It's really great to see that we're making such progress in this important area. There's still much we can do at a national level (no further comment necessary), but for folks in Charlottesville and Albemarle County (and beyond!), this is significant.
This quote really struck me:
It's really great to see that we're making such progress in this important area. There's still much we can do at a national level (no further comment necessary), but for folks in Charlottesville and Albemarle County (and beyond!), this is significant.
This quote really struck me:
“[Patients] were delaying care because they couldn’t afford it and they were suffering from it. The response from local [medical personnel] in setting up the clinic and in volunteering was amazing,” said Dr. Mohan Nadkarni, whom clinic officials credit as the clinic’s founding father. “It’s really taken off, but I have mixed feelings about it. I wish it didn’t have to be here. We had no idea in 1992 that 15,000 people would be served. We thought it would be a short-term solution.”Access to health care really is a justice issue - and I like to think we are making progress. And it's good to remember that there is still much to do:
To attain the promises of God, we need above all continuous exercise in the virtues; for however firm one’s commitment to some good may be, if it is not renewed daily, it quickly dies out.
John Trithemius
from the 'Rule', quoted in Essential Monastic Wisdom: Writings on the Contemplative Life by Hugh Feiss.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
IMPACT Listening Process for 2009/2010
The listening process for the 2010 Nehemiah Action has begun. Each congregation, through a series of house meetings, gathers input to identify a issue of justice in our community which we believe would be well served by the IMPACT method of seeking a commitment from critical stakeholders on that issue. In addition, there's time to discuss IMPACT's evolving process, successes, and opportunities for development.
This year, we're trying something new. In addition to the congregational meetings, we'll also hold interfaith meetings, where different faith communities can share ideas and gain insight into the problems affecting different populations. St. Paul's has been teamed with Evergreen Ministries and Holy Comforter Catholic Church.
I am excited about this process - introspection, action, progress, justice. The interfaith side is a welcome addition. It reinforces the connection between the individual and their faith community, the connection between all faith communities united for justice, and the connection between all of us as residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
Here's a very nice quote:
This year, we're trying something new. In addition to the congregational meetings, we'll also hold interfaith meetings, where different faith communities can share ideas and gain insight into the problems affecting different populations. St. Paul's has been teamed with Evergreen Ministries and Holy Comforter Catholic Church.
I am excited about this process - introspection, action, progress, justice. The interfaith side is a welcome addition. It reinforces the connection between the individual and their faith community, the connection between all faith communities united for justice, and the connection between all of us as residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
Here's a very nice quote:
Maybe I’m not making big changes in the world, but if I have somehow helped or encouraged somebody along the journey then I’ve done what I’m called to do.
- Sister Thea Bowman
African-American Franciscan (1937-1990)
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