Promised Land or Land of Promise

A Call to Action
By Mary Pneuman

As Christians, we are deeply committed to compassion and justice in the belief that all of God’s children have the right to live in safety and freedom from oppression and violence. Yet, we often underestimate the role we can play as peacemakers and reconcilers in the midst of conflict. Here are some steps we can take to help bring hope and peace to our brothers and sisters in Christ:

Read the Kairos Palestine and the Call to Action, a US Response to the Kairos Palestine Document (kairosusa.org). On December 11, 2009, the leaders of 12 Christian denominations sent a plea from Bethlehem to the churches of the world. The theological context of this document, Kairos Palestine—A moment of truth: A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering, is God’s desire for life with love and dignity for all people. Kairos Palestine does not argue with Israel’s right to exist, but it calls for an end to Israeli occupation because it deprives Palestinians of dignity and basic human rights.

Become informed. Seek sources of information that reflect Palestinian concerns as well as those of Israelis. Favoring the Israeli narrative, the popular U.S. has often failed to connect the conflict with underlying root causes brought on by nearly 50 years of military occupation. 

Sign up for information or action alerts. Check out the following websites: Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (j-diocese.org); American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (afedj.org); Churches for Middle East Peace (cmep.org); Episcopal Peace Fellowship-Palestine Information Network (epfnational.org/palestine-israel-network); Friends of Sabeel - North America (fosna.org); Sabeel – Jerusalem (sabeel.org); Holy Land Trust (www.holylandtrust.org); Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding (emeu.net); Jewish Voice for Peace (jewishvoiceforpeace.org); Mondoweiss (mondoweiss.net); IFAMERICANSKNEW.org; Mideast Focus (saintmarks.org/justiceministries).

Participate in a parish study group using the Episcopal curricula Steadfast Hope, the Palestinian Quest for Just Peace or Zionism Unsettled, a Congregational Study Guide.

Develop a companion relationship with one of the parishes, educational or healthcare ministries of the Diocese of Jerusalem. Contact with churches and friends help reassure our Christian companions that they have not been forgotten. (St. Thomas’s companions are the Arab Episcopal School in Jordan and the Evangelical Home for Children in Ramallah.)

Speak up. Do not be afraid to talk about the issues. It is not “anti-Semitic” to take a stand against the actions of the Government of Israel when her policies and actions fly in the face of basic Judeo-Christian values. Engage in interfaith dialogue; seek common ground with Jewish people who desire a just peace.

Contact your representatives in Congress. Ask them to stop giving unconditional military and financial support to Israel and to address the underlying causes of the conflict. Let them know that you object to using your tax dollars to support military solutions that create more human despair and an endless spiral of violence. Ask them to attach conditions that will encourage Israel to end the occupation.

Visit the Diocese of Jerusalem. Be sure your pilgrimage is conducted by a Christian tour leader. Take a course St. George’s College in Jerusalem, located on the grounds of the Anglican Cathedral (sgcjerusalem.org). The college, only few minutes walking distance from the Old City, provides year round pilgrimages that combine site visits with lectures and spiritual reflection. Come and see.

Participate in the BDS movement (Boycott, Divest, Sanction). Mainstream Christian churches are beginning to view economic pressure as the most effective non-violent means to encourage serious peacemaking efforts on the part of the Government of Israel. In June, 2014, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA voted to divest pension funds from stock in Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard and Motorola, three US companies that profit from Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. In May, 2014, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church called for boycott of all Israeli companies “operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.” To learn more about BDS, go to bdsmovement.org.

Pray unceasingly. "For his is our peace; the one who made both groups into one and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility, when he nullified in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man, out of two, thus making peace and to reconcile them both into one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed." (Ephesians 2:14-16, from Bishop Greg Rickel’s blog during his visit to the Holy Land in January, 2014 - bishoprickel.com). Our bishop plans to lead a group of seminarians and clergy to the Holy Land every two years.

Skagit Valley Mission Trip - Day Six

Today was our last full day on our mission trip.  We went to help with Resurreccion's last day of their Day Camp.  We set up and were stationed at the different booths of their closing carnival and street fair.  We were put in all of the carnival booths.  Our youth did a great job of interacting with the kids and helping the fair run smoothly. 

After the street fair we all had Eucharist together and celebrated the end of camp.  Each of the students at the Day Camp received a backpack folk of school supplies to help them start the school year well.  

After the Day Camp ended, we had a BBQ lunch with the community.  We ate hamburgers and watermelon and then began the hard job of cleaning up the entire camp.  We took down tents, collected trash, vacuumed, swept, mopped, collected chairs, put away tables, and organized the supplies that will be used for next year's Day Camp.  Our youth groups worked with Rescurreccion's volunteers and got the whole place put away in about 3 hours.

We ended our night hosting dinner at Resurreccion with staff and several of the youth from Resurreccion. Our cook, Missy, made a fabulous dinner and we all enjoyed a meal and fellowship together.  Several of our youth became quick friends with some of the youth from Resurreccion and had a great time at the park across the street with them.  We came back to the campsite and moved into small group time where we debriefed our week together.  We discussed highs and lows and where we saw God in our midst.  We had a full week together and are so thankful for all we got to experience.

Tomorrow morning we will have breakfast and pack up our campsite.  Although, we are sad to leave I believe everyone is excited to sleep in a bed tomorrow night!
S

Skagit Valley Mission Trip - Day Five

It is hard to believe that our mission trip is coming to an end.  We only have one more day here in the Skagit Valley.  Today was a great day of going a bit deeper and experiencing broader things than we had anticipated.

The day started with some more work on farms and in fields.  We split the group up to two different work sites: another farm with Small Potatoes Gleaning Project and the Western Washington University Outback Garden.  The group with Small Potatoes Gleaning picked, well...potatoes.  They were on a commercial farm that had an additional potato harvest to donate to the Bellingham Food Bank.  I wasn't there, but the reports are they pulled two TONS of potatoes (they had the help of a tractor to unearth the potatoes, so there job was following behind and picking them up from the ground).

The Western Washington University Outback Garden is an educational farm on the campus of WWU that teaches students about sustainable agriculture and land use.  All of the produce grown on the farm is also donated to the Bellingham Food Bank.  The youth in this group weeded around the compost pile to ensure that weeds didn't find their way into the soil and cleared blackberry brambles from a newly planted fruit orchard.  While this work seemed a bit disconnected from our initial understanding of why we are here, our time yesterday serving at the food bank reminded us that even small jobs like weeding can make a big difference in helping those in need.

This afternoon we visited a ministry in Mount Vernon called Tierra Nueva.  Tierra Nueva was founded in Honduras and has been in the Skagit Valley for 20 years.  Their two primary ministries are with farmworkers and people in prison.  We met the head of staff, Mike Neelly, and he told us about the various work Tierra Nueva does in the community.  On top of their work with farmworkers and in prison, they have recently begun a ministry to the gangs in the Skagit Valley and an addiction recovery ministry.  Tierra Nueva has a small coffee rousing operation that employes several people who have come out of their jail ministry.  People with criminal backgrounds almost always have a difficult time finding work which does not help break the cycle of addiction and crime.  So Tierra Nueva runs a small coffee plantation in Honduras and roasts the beans in the Skagit Valley to employ several people at a higher level and with more dignity than they would be able to find elsewhere.

Mike telling us about the Tierra Nueva coffee roasting operation and showing us their roaster.

One of the highlights for our youth was hearing from a man named Kevin who shared his story of addiction and the beginnings of recovery with our youth.  Kevin has recently come to Tierra Nueva for help as he tries to be free from drugs.  Mike is 60 days clean and is getting married next month.  He shared with us how his faith in Jesus has carried him through a very hard time in life and has made the difference between him choosing life over death.  Kevin prayed for our youth and we had the honor of praying for him, his fiancé Danielle, and the baby they are expecting named Asher. Our youth had a lot of wonderful things to say about caring for all people, not judging people who make mistakes in life, and trusting in Jesus to get us through hard times as we debriefed our day this evening.

Our group with Mike (bottom left), and Kevin and Danielle (top center) at Tierra Nueva

Tomorrow we will be at the Resurreccion Day Cmap for their last day (and ours).  We'll be running a carnival and street fair and assisting with their closing celebrations.  Our youth are really looking forward to being at the day camp and the children!

Skagit Valley Mission Trip - Day Four

We hear it rained a lot in Bellevue last night!  While it did rain here, from the looks of pictures we have seen of flooding in Bellevue, it didn't rain as much here as it did back home.  A few of our tents had puddles in them this morning, but Missy, our camp cook, spoiled us by doing some laundry to wash and dry wet clothes and dry several sleeping bags.  We also had two parents drive up with more tarps, dry towels, and a lot of other items to make sure we get through the next few days comfortably, rain or shine.  After drying out this morning, we had a great day!

This morning we headed up to Bellingham to pick blueberries with Small Potatoes Gleaning Project - part of the Bellingham Food Back that picks excess crops from both commercial and home farms.  They pick over 60 tons of food annually from local farms and make it accessible to families in need.  Our job today was picking blueberries at a home orchard that were distributed to families in Bellingham this afternoon.  You won't get produce that fresh at the grocery store!  It was a bit cold and wet in the orchard, but we still picked over 500lbs of blueberries and felt very proud of our work!

This afternoon we worked at a mobile medical clinic and health fair put on by an organization called Sea Mar.  Sea Mar in Skagit County serves a lot of the Hispanic migrant and farm working families   The clinic was held at St. Charles' Catholic Church in Bellingham which also runs a food bank out of their property.  We split the youth up to serve in many different capacities. We helped to set up the fair, passed out donated items to families, assisted with the food bank, did arts and crafts, and played soccer with the kids.  It was a joy to not only serve the community, but also to spend time in play and conversation with both the children and parents who attended.  

Over 150 families attended the health faith and received a meal and fresh food from the food bank.  There was fun for the kids, dentists, doctors, health education, and even a work out was offered for the participates.  This was truly a community event.  It was so fun to watch our youth engage the kids and hear a little bit about their lives.  As we debriefed the day with our youth, many of them saw God's provision and presence during our time at the health fair, and were able to give and receive God's love in meaningful ways.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we want to finish this mission trip strong: that the youth would love each other well, be kind and generous to one another, get plenty of rest, and continue to work hard serving this community.  Thank you!  

Skagit Valley Mission Trip - Day Three

Well today was a fun day!  "Fun" was not our primary intent as we left on this mission trip - it was to experience God in new places, new ways, and new people.  We came to serve and to be in solidarity with a community.  But sometimes fun and all those other things happen together!

Each week, the Resurrección Day Camp takes a field trip.  This week, it was to Birch Bay Water Slides just north of Bellingham.  Our team accompanied them on their field trip this week and had a chance to spend some time playing with the students at the day camp - many of which are the same ages as our youth.  It was wonderful to see many of our youth spending time with the youth from the Day Camp in the water and over lunch.  As soon as we arrived, several of our girls went over to a group of girls from the Day Camp and encouraged them to join them at the top of the water slides.  Over lunch, several of our youth split off from the rest of our group to sit and talk with the Day Camp students.  As they have told us about the conversations they had, it is very apparent that our youth have a larger understanding of God and the world - even after a day of play.

Our team at the water park

This afternoon was a time of rest...something we all needed.  It was very apparent that we were all exhausted after a long day yesterday and a night of sleep that was cut short by a spectacular thunderstorm.  After some naps and quiet time, we gathered this evening for journaling time, some discussion about what we have seen and experienced, and Compline.

Tomorrow is another full day of work in fields (not at 5am this time) and assisting at a medical clinic for the farm working community.  Make sure you check the blog tomorrow evening as we will have a lot to share!

Skagit Valley Mission Trip - Day Two

Today has been full.  Starting at 4am this morning and working until 11am in the fields.  Our two wonderful cooks (from St. Margaret's) made us breakfast and all the youth and volunteers were up and out the door by 4:45.  Not sure how we made that happen but I'm sure all the parents reading this are impressed!  We were met at the fields by Salvador (pictured below with two of the youth from St. Margaret's) who spoke with the youth about the life of migrant workers in the Skagit Valley area and how they are up at this time daily doing the work we were about to do.  He was also gracious to let our youth experience this work, while we got to help Salvador by pulling rows and rows of weeds.

We had a lot of great conversations around the corn and squash and tomatillos about our gratitude for the privileges we have to simply sleep in, go to school, and get an education that leaves us with choices when we graduate.  Leaving us grateful for the work that La Iglesia Episcopal de la Resurrección Day Camp is doing to help prepare children and youth for their upcoming school year, so that they don't get behind in their classes.  With the realization of how fortunate we are, we challenged them to begin thinking the rest of the week about how they could shift their hearts and their minds back to the one's we are here to serve.  Too often, mission trips and other encounters with communities in need simply become object lessons for learning about ourselves.  We encouraged our youth to think this week about how they can use their privilege and good fortune in service to others.

The youth worked hard today in the early morning until the sun started to heat up the day.  They were also able to build relationships through break times and conversing while picking weeds.  Did I mention that it is also beautiful here during sunrise? 

After lunch we had some downtime and then left to go swimming in a nearby lake.  The youth had a great time bonding while swimming, playing cards, and reading.  It was clear that everyone was exhausted from the early morning wake-up, but managed to play and relax well.  We ended our evening with journal time, small groups, and compline.  It was a great time for final reflections on how we were touched by our early morning and our work in the fields.  Many youth recalled being surprised that there hands were still hurting from their work this morning and by how many weeds one field can have.  This was not easy work, but it helped us understand why it also so important that the Day Camp offers time of play and fun for the children.

Tomorrow we will spend the day with La Iglesia de la Resurrección Day Camp at a water park.   We are looking forward to being around the people who live in Skagit Valley, hopefully learning some about their lives, while playing along side of the them.   May we continue to be open to God as he reveals himself to us through the workings and people of Skagit Valley. 

Skagit Valley Mission Trip - Day One

We made it safe and sound!  All 36 people on our team (18 from St. Thomas and 18 from St. Margaret's) have settled into our camp site and are getting ready for our first big day tomorrow.  The purpose of our mission trip is to support, serve, and partner with La Iglesia Episcopal de la Resurrección - an Episcopal congregation in Mt. Vernon, WA that serves the Hispanic population in the Skagit Valley.  Many of the families of Resurrección work as laborers on the many farms here.

After we settled into our campsite this afternoon we went to Resurrección to share a meal with their youth group and several other youth groups from churches around the diocese.  Following the meal we attended Resurrección's worship service and shared Eucharist with the community.

This is the second summer Resurrección is running a day camp for the children of this community in partnership with the school district.  The purpose of the day camp is to provide children from kindergarten through eighth grade with academic help during the summer so they have the tools needed to move out of grueling farm work.  This year,  Resurrección is hosting 100 children at their day camp!

During our time here, we will be supporting the Resurrección community.  Initially, that meant volunteering at the day camp as classroom aides, recess helpers, and kitchen staff.  But over the last several weeks of the day camp, the professional staff in the classrooms has provided feedback that too many volunteers is actually detrimental to the learning environment. That provides us with another opportunity to serve, support, and partner with this community.

So tomorrow morning, instead of heading to the day camp, we will be heading out into the fields to work with Salvador - one of the members of Resurrección.  Unlike many of the members of Resurrección who work on farms owned by landowners not connected to Resurrección, Salvador has his own farm that helps support Resurrección.  Many children - even young children - work with their parents in the fields to help make ends meet for their families.  With the children attending the day camp this summer, there is an added burden on both the families and the community to provide.  Our work with Salvador will not only give us a glimpse of what life is like for children, teenagers, and adults in the Skagit Valley, it will also be our way of partnering with this community to provide even a small portion of what is needed.

Farm work means rising early in the morning - in our case we will be meeting Salvador at 5am!  As we discussed it with our youth this evening, they were excited about the opportunity and (not surprisingly) wary of the early morning.  A lot of our discussion in preparation for our trip and again tonight was what it means to be in solidarity with others. What our youth articulated was that solidarity means "togetherness" - present with others in their experiences. Tomorrow we will be present with Salvador as we work together, but we will also be present in the experience we are sharing with countless other adults and youth the same age as ours as we wake up early to go out and work.

We'll update more as the week goes on, including pictures of our time working in the fields.  Your prayers for strength, open hearts, busy hands, and true "togetherness" with this community are much appreciated!

Vacation Bible Camp: Day Four

Welcome:  Give and Receive 

God’s Great Love! 
St Thomas Vacation Bible Camp, Thursday, July 31, 2014

Today was a great day at St Thomas Vacation Bible Camp!  It was a day to learn about being peacemakers in the world.  The Bible story woven through our day today was a special story because it was an Old Testament story with a woman, Abigail as the main character!  That didn’t happen much in those old stories!  David (before he becomes King David) is living on the run, but when he finds himself in a wilderness filled with sheep and not enough shepherds (you might remember that David started out as a shepherd), he goes to work.  But Nabol is angry and stingy and refuses to pay or even feed David and his men.  David becomes very angry and wants to attack!  But Abigail gets wind of all this, gathers bread and meat, raisins and figs, and many other provisions for David and his men, and rides off to find him.  She offers him wonderful food and asks for forgiveness on behalf of her foolish husband.  David responds that he has met God in her.  Abigail put her own life at risk in order to keep the greater peace.  And while we don’t have to go to such extreme measures, we can find ways to make peace in our homes, our schools, and our communities.  When we’ve done something hurtful and ask for forgiveness, we are peacemakers. When we refuse to fight back, we are peacemakers.  When we forgive someone who has hurt us, we are peacemakers.  When we love instead of hate, we are peacemakers.  The story shows us that peacemaking begins inside each one of us and that when we are peacemakers, we make the world a better place.

VBC campers added to the peace on the planet today by sharing their own ideas about love
by making cards for the men from Congregations for the Homeless and designing quilt squares for the Love Quilt project.  There are more than 2 million AIDS orphans in South Africa, and the government there is working hard to build homes for these children so that they can live in family groups in their own towns with a house mother.  Love Quilt squares made by our VBC campers will be sewn into quilts by quilters at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia and hand carried to the children in South Africa.  To be wrapped in a Love Quilt is to be wrapped in God’s love and in the love of all the little hands that contributed.  If you are interested in learning more about the Love Quilt Project or the South African home-building project, we’ll be happy to talk further with you.  We’re still collecting food for Bellevue’s Renewal Food Bank, and we thank you for your generous donations.  The VBC campers are coming to understand that they really can make a difference in the world, and that they are doing precisely that!

Many thanks and blessings on you and yours, Karen †

Vacation Bible Camp: Day Three

Welcome:  Give and Receive God’s Great Love! 
St Thomas Vacation Bible Camp, Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Another fantastic day at St Thomas Vacation Bible Camp!  Today was a bit different from our other VBC days because we had a church service with Holy Communion.   

The youth Story-tellers told the story of Zacchaeus and his quest to see Jesus.  Zacchaeus was a first century tax-collector, and at the bottom of the barrel as far as nice guys go!  He stole from the people he collected taxes from and was a most notorious sinner!  But when Zacchaeus climbed a tree to be able to see Jesus, Jesus took notice, and invited himself to dinner at Zacchaeus’ home.  Can you imagine?  Knowing that you’re not actually a very good person and yet you’re the person God chooses to be with?  As it turns out, when we invite God to be with us, we are changed!  Zacchaeus became a kind and generous person after spending some time with Jesus… it’s what happens for us too.  The story shows us that there is goodness in all of us, that every single one of us precious to God, and that when we let God in, life can change pretty dramatically. 

Tomorrow is our last day to host Congregations for the Homeless as the men will be moving to another church on August 1.  The youth brought your donations of clothing and toiletries to the altar during our church service today, and all of those items, along with the breakfast muffins the children made yesterday, were blessed and sent on their way.  Thank you again for sharing what you have with those less fortunate.  Although our collections for CFH are over, we continue to collect food for Bellevue’s Renewal Food Bank.  Six hundred children need snacks during summer school and we can help!  Your gifts of food will help insure that children who often receive their most nutritious meal of the day through public school lunch programs, will have nourishing food during the summer months when school is not in session.

We are delighted to be sharing this time with your children… they are surely a blessing to us!  Many thanks and blessings on you and yours, Karen †