As we strive for justice and peace, we can learn from what each other are doing. We can share in our successes and collaborate on our challenges. Post your stories - from everyday advocacy (the little things that sometimes happen and you even don't realize they're advocacy until it's over) to parish and community efforts that you are a part of. This is the place for Episcopalians to share how we are striving for justice and peace! Take a few minutes to tell us how you've made a difference in your community. You'll be amazed at how just one story – yours – could inspire people around the world. We welcome your contribution!
In considering the question of teaching and learning, I am moved by the deep dilemma faced by the people in my diocesan community, who despair at the lack of response they experience when trying to engage their parishioners in concerns about the environment. Most are discouraged as they plod along, with a clear conviction that they need to do something. We are taking on this new challenge by becoming a support group for each other. Under the leadership of a seminarian from the Cathedral, We have created an Easter follow up, much like Lenten commitments we so often do in the church...
"Do all you can for other people," he says. "That's what makes the world go round." I enjoy volunteering at The Kentucky Refugee Ministries in Louisville as time permits. KYRM helps in the resettlement of refugees from many places around the globe...
In considering the question of immigration and refugee status, I am moved by the deep dilemma faced by the people who live in the Mexico border settlements adjacent to affluent US towns. When my tree-trimmer comes to prune my trees, I often have a chance to talk with his workers and find myself wondering whether I am contributing to their poverty, or providing them with a job they desperately need...
Shortly after purchasing a condo in Tucson, AZ, and joining a progressive Episcopal Church (GraceSt.Paul's) our associate rector intoduced us to Samaritan of Tucson and Humane Borders. One trip into Nogales, Sonora with a delegation from GSP Church was enough to persuate us that the alarming number of deaths in the borderlands was a matter that we could not ignore.
I have always been proud to mention my family's history when a discussion turns to ethnicity or background. My grandparents experienced a true American Dream story. My grandfather, a World War II veteran who went ashore on the Normandy beaches, often worked two jobs as a broadcast technician. My grandmother, a Canadian immigrant, held a retail job while overseeing their home. My grandparents only possessed high school diplomas, but they managed to send their four children to college.
My grandparents' story of hard work and perseverance makes me proud of my background. I knew my family's struggles, but I was unfamiliar with problems faced by current immigrants to the United States. I had the opportunity to learn about the drastic need for immigration reform when I attended the Interfaith Immigration press conference and prayer vigil on Wednesday, June 17th.
