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April Irony, Maybe?Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on this day - April 4, 1968 - 55 years ago and today, America’s former president and patriarchal figure of white supremacy is being arraigned (and indicted).
As I begin to reflect, near to date five years ago, with the blessing of my church Pastor (at the time), I joined members of the NIC UMC on a 10-hour bus trip to Washington, DC’s National Mall. We gathered with ecumenical groups in prayer and reflection of this sad, dark and violent day in history that occurred 50 years ago in America. This MLK 50 rally challenged and inspired us, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ to A.C.T. (Awaken. Confront. Transform.) to end racism. On that very day, my “A.C.T.” became visiting the newly built National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) - which was located right behind me - with a Garrett Theological Seminary student. |
Also, around this time last year God blessed me with a deeply sacred, emotional and inspiring experience while visiting the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama with my mom. This month, faith-based guided trauma healing and training begins for me.
Irony or not, God certainly moves in wonderous and mysterious ways.
* * * * * * * *
People of faith, hope and love: racism and too many social injustices persist, and I invite you to gain deeper perspective of what it means to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. As a believer and servant in Christ, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote this spiritually profound, insightful, and relevant book of sermons entitled, "Strength to Love" during the Civil Rights era. The title itself is explanatory of what we need to possess and persistently ask of God to help us overcome hate, racism and various traumas to achieve a beloved community (Deuteronomy 6:4). I pray a beloved community is truly our desire, and that the Word of God and this book of sermons will impact and empower you to make it a reality.
- Alison Jenkins
Irony or not, God certainly moves in wonderous and mysterious ways.
* * * * * * * *
People of faith, hope and love: racism and too many social injustices persist, and I invite you to gain deeper perspective of what it means to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. As a believer and servant in Christ, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote this spiritually profound, insightful, and relevant book of sermons entitled, "Strength to Love" during the Civil Rights era. The title itself is explanatory of what we need to possess and persistently ask of God to help us overcome hate, racism and various traumas to achieve a beloved community (Deuteronomy 6:4). I pray a beloved community is truly our desire, and that the Word of God and this book of sermons will impact and empower you to make it a reality.
- Alison Jenkins
March Social Action
The One Earth Film Festival ended today, March 12, 2023. The one I recall best is Utama, which in the local Indigenous language of Bolivia means “My Home.”
As the director told us after the film, the lives that Indigenous live in the south of Bolivia is unknown to major cities in Bolivia. I know that one of our districts, maybe Elgin, was supporting church building in Bolivia. Bolivia’s capital is in La Paz and many in Bolivia rely upon glacial melt, but the glacier is disappearing.
In the film an elderly couple are raising llamas. But how to allow them to persist when it has not rained for a year? They naturally live in a desert-like area. Almost all are heading to “the city” to survive. The dire circumstances of their lives and how similar they are to the condor is a theme. The story of how a condor will go to a high place and throw himself off to the rocks when he is dying is told to their grandson. So the grandfather wants to do the same thing, as he has some unmentioned disease, which I suppose is cancer.
This just goes to show how our lifestyles are impacting people worldwide.
Secondly, President Biden has allowed Title 42 to persist until May 11, 2023. This is the policy of making people wait in Mexico at our southern border that the Trump administration implemented. But on that date, Biden plans to eliminate all people at the southern boarder without first appearing before a judge to present an asylum case. Biden has already had many planeloads of refugees to board planes taking them back to death in Haiti. One cannot earn a living there and I read of one who does not even speak or understand Haitian Creole whom Biden deported.
Remember the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882? Then there was an immigrant exclusion act in the early 20th century for those from southern and eastern Europe. You know, people of color are not welcome here. And the boat from Nazi Germany full of Jewish refugees was refused entry into our ports in the 1930s. But if you come from Ukraine, the United States says “Welcome.” We will make immigration easy for you, Biden stated last year.
Now is the time to contact your Senators Durbin and Duckworth and your member of the House, as well as President Biden.
Contact Us | The White House
Contact Dick Durbin | Contact | U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois (senate.gov)
Email Tammy | How Can I Help? | U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois (senate.gov)
If Bill Foster is your member of Congress:
Address Lookup | Congressman Bill Foster (house.gov)
For Sean Casten: Address Lookup | Representative Sean Casten (house.gov)
For Jonathan Jackson: Address Lookup | Congressman Jonathan Jackson (house.gov)
Finally, I searched the UWF website but nothing is there for 2023.
UWF Climate Justice is working somewhat though. Here is a link of Climate Justice Indices. I found out that where I live is in the 80 to 90th percentile for toxins. How close to hazardous waste is measured. Air Toxins Respiratory hazard Index is available. Ilka Vega is the UWF Environmental Justice Coordinator at National. You might have seen her article in the most recent response as she attended an environmental event in Egypt recently.
EJScreen (epa.gov) - link from UWF Climate Justice email message.
---In Mission for a better world
Janice Gintzler
Social Action Coordinator
As the director told us after the film, the lives that Indigenous live in the south of Bolivia is unknown to major cities in Bolivia. I know that one of our districts, maybe Elgin, was supporting church building in Bolivia. Bolivia’s capital is in La Paz and many in Bolivia rely upon glacial melt, but the glacier is disappearing.
In the film an elderly couple are raising llamas. But how to allow them to persist when it has not rained for a year? They naturally live in a desert-like area. Almost all are heading to “the city” to survive. The dire circumstances of their lives and how similar they are to the condor is a theme. The story of how a condor will go to a high place and throw himself off to the rocks when he is dying is told to their grandson. So the grandfather wants to do the same thing, as he has some unmentioned disease, which I suppose is cancer.
This just goes to show how our lifestyles are impacting people worldwide.
Secondly, President Biden has allowed Title 42 to persist until May 11, 2023. This is the policy of making people wait in Mexico at our southern border that the Trump administration implemented. But on that date, Biden plans to eliminate all people at the southern boarder without first appearing before a judge to present an asylum case. Biden has already had many planeloads of refugees to board planes taking them back to death in Haiti. One cannot earn a living there and I read of one who does not even speak or understand Haitian Creole whom Biden deported.
Remember the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882? Then there was an immigrant exclusion act in the early 20th century for those from southern and eastern Europe. You know, people of color are not welcome here. And the boat from Nazi Germany full of Jewish refugees was refused entry into our ports in the 1930s. But if you come from Ukraine, the United States says “Welcome.” We will make immigration easy for you, Biden stated last year.
Now is the time to contact your Senators Durbin and Duckworth and your member of the House, as well as President Biden.
Contact Us | The White House
Contact Dick Durbin | Contact | U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois (senate.gov)
Email Tammy | How Can I Help? | U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois (senate.gov)
If Bill Foster is your member of Congress:
Address Lookup | Congressman Bill Foster (house.gov)
For Sean Casten: Address Lookup | Representative Sean Casten (house.gov)
For Jonathan Jackson: Address Lookup | Congressman Jonathan Jackson (house.gov)
Finally, I searched the UWF website but nothing is there for 2023.
UWF Climate Justice is working somewhat though. Here is a link of Climate Justice Indices. I found out that where I live is in the 80 to 90th percentile for toxins. How close to hazardous waste is measured. Air Toxins Respiratory hazard Index is available. Ilka Vega is the UWF Environmental Justice Coordinator at National. You might have seen her article in the most recent response as she attended an environmental event in Egypt recently.
EJScreen (epa.gov) - link from UWF Climate Justice email message.
---In Mission for a better world
Janice Gintzler
Social Action Coordinator
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A Brief View of the 2020 Census
The history of the United Methodist Women is replete with global work that uplifts children, youth and women. This work extends back to 1869 when Dr. Clara Swain arrived in India to deliver quality health care to women and children. As we know, many children and youth remain the most vulnerable and underserved on all levels. Low socioeconomic status is noteworthy in at-risk populations of children. |
Poverty data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2018 showed roughly 12.8 million American children lived in poverty in 2017. According to Child Poverty in America 2017: National Analysis, nearly 5.9 million children – about 1 in 12 – lived in extreme poverty, defined as annual income of less than half the poverty level, or $12, 642 for a family of four. The number of children living in extreme poverty was 5,864,000. The percentage of children living in extreme poverty was 8.0 percent, a slight decrease in 2016.Why is the Census important?
The United States Census is important because there is a need for an accurate and complete count of the number of individuals in this country and five of its territories. It is important to the formation of our local, state, and national democracies. Communities are shaped based upon the decennial census. Your Response Matters at 2020census.gov states Health clinics. Fire departments. Schools. Even roads and highways. The census can shape many different aspects of your community.
a) Young children are undercounted in the census at a higher rate than any other group
b) Some young children are especially at risk of being missed
c) The young child undercount is getting worse
d) Why are young children missed so often in the census?
e) What does under counting young children cost communities?
What is the deadline for the 2020 census process?
The COVID-19 Pandemic has required a change in the 2020 census deadlines. The final phase of counting has been extended to September 28, 2020. 0ur governmental representation will be determined through redistricting and cause legislative districts to be redrawn based upon population change. By law, the Census Bureau will deliver the local counts that each state needs to complete legislative redistricting by July 31, 2021.
The 2020 Census matters because our children are vulnerable. Far too many children are dependent upon the benefits that will be derived from its accuracy, such as defining existing congressional districts and fair distribution of federal funds.
For a more in-depth review of these 2020 census and young children documents, please go to 2020census.gov. and childrensdefense.org.
Lillye Hart
The United States Census is important because there is a need for an accurate and complete count of the number of individuals in this country and five of its territories. It is important to the formation of our local, state, and national democracies. Communities are shaped based upon the decennial census. Your Response Matters at 2020census.gov states Health clinics. Fire departments. Schools. Even roads and highways. The census can shape many different aspects of your community.
- Census results help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year.
- The results determine how many seats in Congress each state gets.
- It’s mandated by the U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 2: The U.S. has counted its population every 10 years since 1790.
a) Young children are undercounted in the census at a higher rate than any other group
b) Some young children are especially at risk of being missed
c) The young child undercount is getting worse
d) Why are young children missed so often in the census?
e) What does under counting young children cost communities?
What is the deadline for the 2020 census process?
The COVID-19 Pandemic has required a change in the 2020 census deadlines. The final phase of counting has been extended to September 28, 2020. 0ur governmental representation will be determined through redistricting and cause legislative districts to be redrawn based upon population change. By law, the Census Bureau will deliver the local counts that each state needs to complete legislative redistricting by July 31, 2021.
The 2020 Census matters because our children are vulnerable. Far too many children are dependent upon the benefits that will be derived from its accuracy, such as defining existing congressional districts and fair distribution of federal funds.
For a more in-depth review of these 2020 census and young children documents, please go to 2020census.gov. and childrensdefense.org.
Lillye Hart
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PUSHOUT - Book Review
I can’t deny the fact that Mission U training was cancelled, especially due in part that this year studies as always were right in time. No one imaged being placed in a stay at home order, no one expected that children would be e-learning and some people were astonished at the disparities within communities but these things were present before and this pandemic has just shown its light on the issues. We see again there are children that are not equipped with the necessities to further their education, not to overlook the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. Monique Morris’ book Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools begins with a journey stories of young black girls from the age of kindergarten to high school. She opens up the world of these girls as she talks about their survival, classroom discrimination and relationships. |
She carries us back in history as we hear of strength of black women in becoming educated against the likes of people who are not of color, we continue to travel with her as she lays out the foundation and history of the first Sunday school in New York, and of others who knew the importance of education for black girls. She dives deep into the rationale behind Brown and the Board of Education.
With this knowledge in hand she points out that: “The central argument of this book is that too many Black girls are being criminalized ( and physically and mentally harmed) by beliefs, policies and actions that degrade and marginalize both their learning and their humanity, leading to conditions that push them out of schools and render them vulnerable to even more harm” (page 8 Pushout).
A review from Kirkus states “A persistent theme that emerges from the narratives relates to the unique ways that Black girls are exposed to an increased multiplicity of pathways to confinement: a) school dress code policies that often slut-shame Black girls, cast them as deviant, and thus serve as grounds for punishment; b) sexual violence and exploitation; c) the reproduction of societal views on Black femininity that are reproduced in the classroom; and d) bullying and perceptions of unfair treatment by peers and teachers based on gender and ability status.
Morris argues that the public school system participates in their further marginalization through zero-tolerance–type discipline policies such as detention, suspension, and expulsion. It also hurts them by reducing black girls to their sexuality and/or understanding them according to race and gender stereotypes that characterize them as loud, aggressive, and disrespectful. So girls are not pushed into jails or the streets to be exploited and abused, schools—including those at juvenile detention centers—must become “bastions of community building, where healing is the center of…pedagogy.” (Kirkus book review service 2016)
With this knowledge in hand she points out that: “The central argument of this book is that too many Black girls are being criminalized ( and physically and mentally harmed) by beliefs, policies and actions that degrade and marginalize both their learning and their humanity, leading to conditions that push them out of schools and render them vulnerable to even more harm” (page 8 Pushout).
A review from Kirkus states “A persistent theme that emerges from the narratives relates to the unique ways that Black girls are exposed to an increased multiplicity of pathways to confinement: a) school dress code policies that often slut-shame Black girls, cast them as deviant, and thus serve as grounds for punishment; b) sexual violence and exploitation; c) the reproduction of societal views on Black femininity that are reproduced in the classroom; and d) bullying and perceptions of unfair treatment by peers and teachers based on gender and ability status.
Morris argues that the public school system participates in their further marginalization through zero-tolerance–type discipline policies such as detention, suspension, and expulsion. It also hurts them by reducing black girls to their sexuality and/or understanding them according to race and gender stereotypes that characterize them as loud, aggressive, and disrespectful. So girls are not pushed into jails or the streets to be exploited and abused, schools—including those at juvenile detention centers—must become “bastions of community building, where healing is the center of…pedagogy.” (Kirkus book review service 2016)
What makes this book stand out is the fact that she lays out the narrative, speaks of past and current laws as well as the injustices concluding with a plan of action. One can hear and see her speak on this topic at the following:
The public broadcast service (WTTW) March 2020 debuted a documentary on her book.
https://www.pbs.org/show/pushout-criminalization-black-girls-schools/
Ted talks: Why black girls are targeted for punishment at school and how to change that (January 2019)
https://www.ted.com/talks/monique_w_morris_why_black_girls_are_targeted
Monique Morris is the Co- founder of the National Black Woman’s Justice Center Law Center, she is active in NAACP Legal Defense Fund, African American Policy Forum, and Human Rights for Girls Project, Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, and Foundation for Women.
Additional books by Morris: Black Stats: African Americans by the Twenty –first Century, Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues: Education for the Liberation of Black and Brown Girls ad Too Beautiful for Words
.
Diana Davis
The public broadcast service (WTTW) March 2020 debuted a documentary on her book.
https://www.pbs.org/show/pushout-criminalization-black-girls-schools/
Ted talks: Why black girls are targeted for punishment at school and how to change that (January 2019)
https://www.ted.com/talks/monique_w_morris_why_black_girls_are_targeted
Monique Morris is the Co- founder of the National Black Woman’s Justice Center Law Center, she is active in NAACP Legal Defense Fund, African American Policy Forum, and Human Rights for Girls Project, Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, and Foundation for Women.
Additional books by Morris: Black Stats: African Americans by the Twenty –first Century, Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues: Education for the Liberation of Black and Brown Girls ad Too Beautiful for Words
.
Diana Davis
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What’s Ailing the United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS) is committed to delivering mail to every person in the United States, no matter whom or where they are located. Because of this commitment, FedEx and the United Parcel Service (UPS) routinely offload packages to the USPS for delivery to areas or addresses that these companies deem unprofitable to sustain as a delivery route. |
During 2020, the importance of the USPS is amplified as this is the year in which the Census Bureau is required to collect census data, and it is also an election year. There is a segment of the population that either has no access to, or chooses not to use electronic mail delivery systems. Without access to the USPS delivery system, this segment would be unable to submit important population data that is used to allocate the seats of the United States House of Representatives, and help in the allocation of federal funds. Also, it is highly likely that on November 3, 2020, the date of the next presidential election, we will still be in the midst of a pandemic which for health purposes will compel many voters to opt for voting by mail.
So how did the USPS get to where it is today?
It is true that with more and more people using electronic communication systems, the volume of mail handled by the USPS has decreased; however, that is not the reason behind the need for a federal bailout. Have you heard of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (the Act), which was implemented in December of 2006? There are many provisions within the Act that impact the operations of the USPS. However in my opinion, the primary reasons for the USPS’s current dilemma are directly related to the following:
Paulette Myrie-Hodge
So how did the USPS get to where it is today?
It is true that with more and more people using electronic communication systems, the volume of mail handled by the USPS has decreased; however, that is not the reason behind the need for a federal bailout. Have you heard of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (the Act), which was implemented in December of 2006? There are many provisions within the Act that impact the operations of the USPS. However in my opinion, the primary reasons for the USPS’s current dilemma are directly related to the following:
- Under the Act, the USPS is the only provider of daily mail delivery services, but it must do so at flat postage rates regardless of where.
- The Act forced the USPS to prefund decades of pension and retiree health costs by investing in low-yield government bonds. This put a severe financial burden on a system that was already experiencing income loss due to reduced mail volume. It should be noted that in 2006, the USPS was still profitable. However in 2007, immediately following the implementation of the Act, the USPS operated at a loss.
Paulette Myrie-Hodge
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Do we now hear the cries of the vulnerable?
Our first half of 2020 has brought a global pandemic that is impacting America the hardest to date. John Hopkins’ Coronavirus Resource Center reports a total of 6,804,044 confirmed cases and 396,699 deaths across 188 countries/regions. The USA tops this list of countries with 1,909,077 confirmed cases and 109,497 deaths. Initially perceived as a mild threat and inadequately prepared to address this public health crisis, contention arose among our federal, state and local governments. While our nation shifted into a state of emergency, causing us to redefine normal and cope with an unprecedented anxiety, the disinherited was left at an even greater disadvantage. |
As evidence continues to emerge, ample data and research is pointing out that the coronavirus is disproportionately affecting minority communities. Pew Research reports that nationally, black Americans account for about 13% of the US population but 24% of the coronavirus deaths for which racial or ethnic information was available, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
In our state of Illinois, African Americans make up 14.6% of Illinois’ population, Latino 17.4% and Caucasians 76.9% according to Census.gov. Taking that into consideration - 5,864 coronavirus deaths have been reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health to date. African Americans account for roughly 30% of these deaths and Latino 20%. Just two months ago in April, 70% of covid-19 deaths in Chicago were African Americans.
The coronavirus clearly is not discriminatory. Every human life is at risk. However, this pandemic has spotlighted and magnified long existing disparities across America’s socio-economic structure. Minority and low-income communities, particularly in urban settings are being disproportionately impacted.
Factors that increase minority communities’ risk of exposure point toward densely populated family homes and neighborhoods, the need to ride public transportation, and working in public interactive service and factory jobs that prevent social distancing and in which sick leave may not be provided. Social distancing is not an option for all. The working poor are not likely afforded the privilege to isolate safely at home, work remotely with full technological access and sustain a monthly income.
Sexual and reproductive rights are in grave jeopardy by policymakers exploiting the pandemic to restrict or outright ban abortion care and access to contraception for vulnerable populations. Chronic stressors in communities of color are being intensified due to covid-19 and the call for access to inner wellness (mental health) resources have gone long unheard before the pandemic hit. Chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension, obesity, kidney and heart disease are more prevalent in African American than white populations and have all been linked to worse outcomes in covid-19.
Loss of employment during this pandemic translates for many in the middle to lower rung of the class structure loss of health care insurance, substandard quality of care, higher rates of food insecurity for families and single women with children, and housing insecurity.
Schools were closed all over America to keep our children safe and mitigate exposure. With the rapid shift to at-home learning, lower income school districts faced an overwhelming challenge of access and availability to educational materials while wealthier school districts were able to easily transition to online learning platforms that were already in place.
American capitalism doesn’t work without its middle class, working class and working poor, which broadly include our essential workers. Where would America be during this pandemic without them? As our nation reopens and sifts through the pandemic that has changed how we all live our everyday lives, a greater sense of empathy may be ingrained in some.
Hope can never be lost, nor can the desire and action to advance equality, rights and justice for the good of all humankind.
Alison Jenkins
In our state of Illinois, African Americans make up 14.6% of Illinois’ population, Latino 17.4% and Caucasians 76.9% according to Census.gov. Taking that into consideration - 5,864 coronavirus deaths have been reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health to date. African Americans account for roughly 30% of these deaths and Latino 20%. Just two months ago in April, 70% of covid-19 deaths in Chicago were African Americans.
The coronavirus clearly is not discriminatory. Every human life is at risk. However, this pandemic has spotlighted and magnified long existing disparities across America’s socio-economic structure. Minority and low-income communities, particularly in urban settings are being disproportionately impacted.
Factors that increase minority communities’ risk of exposure point toward densely populated family homes and neighborhoods, the need to ride public transportation, and working in public interactive service and factory jobs that prevent social distancing and in which sick leave may not be provided. Social distancing is not an option for all. The working poor are not likely afforded the privilege to isolate safely at home, work remotely with full technological access and sustain a monthly income.
Sexual and reproductive rights are in grave jeopardy by policymakers exploiting the pandemic to restrict or outright ban abortion care and access to contraception for vulnerable populations. Chronic stressors in communities of color are being intensified due to covid-19 and the call for access to inner wellness (mental health) resources have gone long unheard before the pandemic hit. Chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension, obesity, kidney and heart disease are more prevalent in African American than white populations and have all been linked to worse outcomes in covid-19.
Loss of employment during this pandemic translates for many in the middle to lower rung of the class structure loss of health care insurance, substandard quality of care, higher rates of food insecurity for families and single women with children, and housing insecurity.
Schools were closed all over America to keep our children safe and mitigate exposure. With the rapid shift to at-home learning, lower income school districts faced an overwhelming challenge of access and availability to educational materials while wealthier school districts were able to easily transition to online learning platforms that were already in place.
American capitalism doesn’t work without its middle class, working class and working poor, which broadly include our essential workers. Where would America be during this pandemic without them? As our nation reopens and sifts through the pandemic that has changed how we all live our everyday lives, a greater sense of empathy may be ingrained in some.
Hope can never be lost, nor can the desire and action to advance equality, rights and justice for the good of all humankind.
Alison Jenkins
Social Action
Greetings Chicago Southern District United Methodist Women
The past few Sundays we have been learning about justice and joy if your church is following the lectionary. Last week the lectionary spoke of learning to do good seeking justice and knowing where our treasure lies. I believe we should treasure the least and the lost therefore taking action in gun control is a must. If you have any media running in your household you could not have missed the number of gun violence occurrences around the world as well as the number of shootings that did not make the news in the neighborhoods close to us.
The past few Sundays we have been learning about justice and joy if your church is following the lectionary. Last week the lectionary spoke of learning to do good seeking justice and knowing where our treasure lies. I believe we should treasure the least and the lost therefore taking action in gun control is a must. If you have any media running in your household you could not have missed the number of gun violence occurrences around the world as well as the number of shootings that did not make the news in the neighborhoods close to us.
The United Methodist Church and Society has release the following action alert. “We are calling on United Methodists in the United States to email their senators to pass the 2019 Background Check Expansion Act.
The bill was passed by the U.S. House in February. In order for it to become law, it needs to pass the Senate and be signed by the president. Sen. Mitch McConnell has a lot of power as majority leader to decide what bills will be considered by the Senate. And thus far, he has shown no interest in having this bipartisan, commonsense bill brought before the Senate. Tell Congress inaction is not an option. Tell them to pass the Background Check Expansion Act.
Currently, 22% of all guns sold in the U.S. are purchased through unlicensed and private sellers without a background check. H.R. 8 and S. 42 would close that loophole, which currently allows people who are ill-advised or barred from buying and owning guns to go around the national background check system.
The United Methodist Church calls on its congregations to advocate at the local and national level for universal background checks as part of our call to pursue “the reality of God’s dream of shalom” in Micah 4:1-4. (Book of Resolutions, 3428)” Church and Society.
Go to: https://www.umcjustice.org/what-you-can-do/advocacy/take-action/universal-background-checks
You may read the full article on its website. Another resource available for us is the Community Renewal Society. You can also read our stance as a conference from Bishop Sally Dyck at the Northern Illinois Conference website.
On July 13, 2019, I was able to participate in the Immigration March held at Daley plaza in Chicago. Immigrants and supporters turned out in great numbers to hear and march about the detention centers. First United Methodist church at Chicago Temple was a gathering place for
the interfaith churches to meet and several members from the church volunteered to be the host.
Diana Davis
The bill was passed by the U.S. House in February. In order for it to become law, it needs to pass the Senate and be signed by the president. Sen. Mitch McConnell has a lot of power as majority leader to decide what bills will be considered by the Senate. And thus far, he has shown no interest in having this bipartisan, commonsense bill brought before the Senate. Tell Congress inaction is not an option. Tell them to pass the Background Check Expansion Act.
Currently, 22% of all guns sold in the U.S. are purchased through unlicensed and private sellers without a background check. H.R. 8 and S. 42 would close that loophole, which currently allows people who are ill-advised or barred from buying and owning guns to go around the national background check system.
The United Methodist Church calls on its congregations to advocate at the local and national level for universal background checks as part of our call to pursue “the reality of God’s dream of shalom” in Micah 4:1-4. (Book of Resolutions, 3428)” Church and Society.
Go to: https://www.umcjustice.org/what-you-can-do/advocacy/take-action/universal-background-checks
You may read the full article on its website. Another resource available for us is the Community Renewal Society. You can also read our stance as a conference from Bishop Sally Dyck at the Northern Illinois Conference website.
On July 13, 2019, I was able to participate in the Immigration March held at Daley plaza in Chicago. Immigrants and supporters turned out in great numbers to hear and march about the detention centers. First United Methodist church at Chicago Temple was a gathering place for
the interfaith churches to meet and several members from the church volunteered to be the host.
Diana Davis
Mission U Experience |
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After hearing the announcement that the studies at Camp Reynoldswood would end this year and I would need to go to another location to continue my studies, I began to compare the feelings and memories, I experienced at the end of high school and college. It meant leaving the familiar places that I shared conversations with classmates, enjoyed the silent spaces, contemplated and tried to process new information, challenged old ideas and became inspired with new knowledge about myself and the world around me. I will especially cherish the “dorm room like “chats with my roommates and the visits to the snack table, where there were always new treats to try out. It was a chance for me to forsake my kale chips, seeds and nuts, for some real “pleasure.”
This year's Mission u, 2018, was the very best. I felt a sense of security with the familiarity of the procedures of checking in, finding the space where I would end the day's activities and meeting up with everyone at the first evening meal. Yes, it was different from my freshman year (2014), where I was given a special cheery greeting for being a first time attendee and receiving my special, permanent name tag, along with being surrounded by many unfamiliar faces. Those faces have become very familiar and I now have a name to go with most of the Mission u team. I offer my deep gratitude to all who make it possible for these powerful weekends to happen. Each year the studies have given me inspiration and motivation to move forward in my spiritual growth and knowledge. 2018's studies seemed to be more “hands on.” It was my second opportunity to be under the leadership of Rev. Danita Anderson. I felt a continuity between last year's study with her. I knew her style so I didn't need to “warm up” to what we would be discussing and how she managed our participation. She kept just the right balance between small/whole class participation, direct instruction and the inclusion of well-chosen multi-media. In My class with Peggy Hansen, on the study, What About My Money, Peggy gave us an opportunity to work with a different group at each session. This made it easier for us to share our personal thoughts and ideas. I especially enjoyed the skits that each group presented. The room roared with laughter. Now, with my attendance at Assembly 2018 and my classes at Mission u, I am ready to begin by work on my Master's Degree in fulfilling the mission of the UMW. My first bold step will take place in December when, along with Yvette-Harris Black, I will accompany Dr. Sam and Mary Kormoi on a mission trip to Sierra Leone. The Kormois are originally from Sierra Leone and are founders and heads of the PRHeSS (Pan-African Rural Health and Social Service) non-profit organization. I met Mary Kormoi in May, as we traveled together to the Assembly in Ohio. The current focus of the organization is to support and maintain the newly constructed thirty-bed PRHeSS community clinic. I am looking forward to having a very exciting and rewarding experience. Yes, I am making plans to attend the week-end Mission u, July 2019. I will miss looking up at the starry sky, hearing the sounds of the birds in the trees at Reynoldswood, but there new experiences to be had. Doris Foster |