Chapel Post

Paul Egertson: Former Professor and Advocate, Dies

2011-01-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

Paul Egertson, Former ELCA Synod Bishop, Professor and Advocate, Dies
11-003-JB

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Dr. Paul W. Egertson, a former synod bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), college professor and advocate for full inclusion of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender in the life of the ELCA, died Jan. 5 after suffering a heart attack. Egertson, 75, died at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
A memorial service will be held Jan. 15 at California Lutheran University's Samuelson Chapel. The university, located in Thousand Oaks, is one of 26 ELCA colleges and universities.
He served as bishop of the ELCA Southern California (West) Synod -- now called the ELCA Southwest California Synod -- from 1995 to 2001. He resigned as bishop after participating in the 2001 ordination of Anita C. Hill, who was not eligible at the time to be on the ELCA clergy roster. After his resignation, Egertson continued to advocate for change in ministry policies, which occurred after the decisions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
Hill was formally received as an ELCA pastor in 2010 and serves at St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minn.
Egertson also served many years as a professor in the Religion Department at California Lutheran University. He was a full- and part-time teacher in the university's Religion Department since 1984, and was preparing to teach in the upcoming semester in his role as senior lecturer.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, said Egertson was doing what he loved to do -- "engaging students in a way that deepened their understanding, broadened their vision, sometimes challenging their convictions, but always trying to instill an unquenchable curiosity about faith and life."
"I witnessed those same qualities when Paul was a member of the Conference of Bishops," Hanson said. "His deeply held passionate commitment to a church in which lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people are welcomed fully into mission, membership and leadership remains as a defining mark of his leadership." He added that
Egertson and wife, Shirley, have been "loving, supportive parents and gracious in their hospitality."
Emily Eastwood, executive director, Lutherans Concerned/North America, St. Paul, Minn., said Egertson "stood up" for people who were not eligible to serve as ELCA professional leaders. His witness and commitment "are a shining beacon of prophetic righteousness in the face of determined opposition, and he did it with grace and eloquence, as befits a follower of Christ," Eastwood said in a news release from Lutherans Concerned. "He was a friend and mentor -- always available, with words of calming wisdom. He made a profound difference. He will be missed."
The Rev. Dean W. Nelson, bishop of the ELCA Southwest California Synod, said that in addition to his teaching duties at California Lutheran University, Egertson was a faithful parish pastor and committed to continuing education for pastors and lay members.
"Much of his life was dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge on behalf of the faith both for rostered leaders and lay leaders," he said. "He did a Bible survey class for our very successful program called Equipping Leaders for Mission." The course was well-received by students, Nelson added.
The Rev. Howard "Howie" E. Wennes, former bishop of the ELCA Grand Canyon Synod and former acting president of California Lutheran University, knew Egertson well, and is a first cousin. Egertson had a significant impact on many people through various ministries during his life, Wennes said.
"Pastor and preacher, professor and prophet, bishop and servant leader -- take your pick," Wennes said. "In each role he made a deep impression on people's faith. He inspired faith with his preaching. He informed faith with his teaching. He modeled faith with his prophetic witness. For this gifted and dedicated man of faith we join in a chorus of 'Thanks Be to God.'"
Egertson was born in Litchville, N.D. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1955 from Pepperdine University, Los Angeles, and a master of theology degree in 1960 from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, one of eight ELCA seminaries. In 1976 he earned a doctoral degree from the Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, Calif.
Prior to his election as bishop, Egertson taught religion at California Lutheran University, and during that time, he served a shared-time appointment as pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, North Hollywood, Calif.
For 13 years, Egertson was director of the Center for Theological Study, a continuing education program for Lutheran pastors at California Lutheran University. He also served as pastor at ELCA congregations in Lakewood, Calif., Las Vegas and Hollydale, Calif.
Egertson is survived by Shirley, a former teacher at California Lutheran University's Early Childhood Center, and their sons Gregory, Scot, Steven, Glen, Jon and Jordan.
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More information about Paul Egertson and California Lutheran University is athttp://www.callutheran.edu on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elcanews
Twitter: http://twitter.com/elcanews

Praise in an awe-deficient world

2011-01-11T20:58:00.000-08:00

A Lutheran Christian life for today:Praise in an awe-deficient world
A Story by Peter W. Marty

Reproduced by permission of Augsburg Fortress Publishers.

Worship is a weekly opportunity to practice not being God
If you've checked out local or national news coverage recently, you probably haven't seen much eyewitness reporting on worship. Unlike college football highlights, convenience store robberies and lottery winner announcements, Christian worship doesn't make the news. For one thing, it's tough to report on. It's a bit like trying to get compelling footage of a nice family meal where grace is spoken over turkey tetrazzini and beneath warm candlelight. Worship isn't easy to grasp from the outside. You have to experience it.

To plenty of skeptics and distant observers, Christian worship is useless behavior. Who would participate except dreamy-eyed believers, full of patience for invisible things and strangely willing to endure hard pews for an hour at a stretch? Never mind that many other facets of a meaningful life could come under similar scrutiny for being useless. Why kiss someone you love? What's the point of staring through wired safety glass at a newborn in a hospital nursery? What is the value of giving a gift to someone who has no intention of repaying you, much less expressing thanks?

Still others shrink from worship because mystery baffles them. So does that ornate cross with the gold trim paint, mounted on the wall. So does that assembly of people who seem to embrace wonder as if it were their sixth sense. Many of these unwilling participants turn first to nature: "Oh, I can worship God much more meaningfully outdoors than I can stuck indoors with a group of people singing some half ancient song."

Yet where is that Ponderosa pine that will tell you to "love your neighbor as yourself?" If Yosemite's Half Dome reminds us to love our enemies, it could only be through graffiti carved somewhere in its granite face.

Nature may be the handiwork of God. But nature doesn't pass an offering plate to help feed the hungry, clothe the poor or meet the needs of cholera-stricken refugees. Nature gives no clue as to how sinners might be reconciled to God and invested with a hope in Christ. The best-looking tulip garden in the Netherlands can't declare the forgiveness of your sins.

The great choral conductor Robert Shaw once commented that "the absolute minimum conditions for worship are a sense of mystery and an admission of pain." People incapable of handling either one will shy away. They will not thirst to know the sweep of salvation. Praise will never emerge as their mother tongue. The personal hang-ups, anxieties and broken shards of sin that can't be airbrushed from their life will have to be shoved under the couch. Unless we're willing to lose ourselves in the unfathomable mystery of God and the unsearchable pain that goes with being human, worship may always prove too much to bear. We will never get to enjoy the gospel of Jesus Christ coursing through our veins.

Lutheran Christians turn to worship as the central melody for their lives because they want a place where God is taken seriously and where they can be taken seriously. For them, worship is their weekly opportunity to practice not being God.

Faithful worshipers are those who get tired of living paltry lives in an awe-deficient world. They know that the activities we undertake in life in repeat fashion always possess the greatest potential to shape us in a long-term way.

So faithful people return time and again to communally confess sin, eat gratefully from the communion table, and sing the spirited liturgies and songs of the church. These recurring commitments add up to great significance. They become our human response to a "for us" God who keeps acting so graciously in our favor.

If we stay away from worship too long, we start to make God into our own image. The privatization of our spiritual journey only transforms God to be virtually anything we want. Once back in the habit and flow of worship, however, and surrounded by a mix of people who don't mirror every facet of our life, something delightful happens. We discover God to be quietly remaking us into God's own image. We encounter a rhythm stronger than our heartbeat. We find ourselves full of more joy than we can contain.

Stephen Ministry Workshop

2011-01-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

Join More than 10,000 Congregations in Providing Care
Are there hurting people in your church or community whose needs are going unmet? Can you imagine the difference it would make to have 10 or 20 lay caregivers in your church who are well-trained and ready to respond to people in need? More than 10,000 churches have learned an effective, proven strategy for equipping laypeople to provide high-quality, distinctively Christian care.

On Saturday, 1/29/2011, Epworth United Methodist Church in Berkeley, CA is hosting a Stephen Ministry Workshop from 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. Registration begins at 8:00 A.M., and refreshments will be served. This workshop is an excellent opportunity for church leaders and other members to learn about the Stephen Series, a ministry system that equips and mobilizes laypeople for effective caring ministry.

Practical Ministry Skills
At the workshop, you will experience a sample of the training Stephen Ministers (lay caregivers) receive, and you will take home practical knowledge and skills on “Ministering to Those Experiencing Grief” and “How to Care in a Distinctively Christian Way.” You will also learn why churches from more than 150 different Christian denominations use the Stephen Series for training and organizing laypeople for one-to-one caring ministry.

A Highly Affordable Workshop
The cost of the workshop is $15 per person or $50 for a group of four or more from the same congregation. For more information, or to register for the Stephen Ministry Workshop, call Stephen Ministries at (314) 428-2600.
You can also register online at www.stephenministry.org/workshop.
We hope to see you at the workshop!

Remembering the Four Churchwomen

2010-12-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

Remembering the Four Churchwomen
by Steve Schultz

If you’ve had the privilege of traveling on a delegation to El Salvador, you quickly become aware of the significance of martyrdom in Salvadoran culture and theology. Those who have given their lives in the struggle of the powerless for dignity are continually honored and called to mind. Archbishop Romero may be the most prominent example of this tradition, but we also have the six Jesuits at the University of Central America, Father Rutilio Grande, the more than 70,000 whose names cover the Wall of the Martyrs in downtown San Salvador, and the Four Churchwomen whom we recognize in our liturgy on December 5th.

While we have our own fallen heroes, most recently Martin Luther King, and John and Robert Kennedy, North American culture has no obvious parallels to the Salvadoran veneration of those who have died for the cause of justice. Thus it may seem like a morbid obsession to find the blood-stained vestments of Monsignor Romero or the bullet-riddled Bible of one of the Jesuit theologians on display when you visit El Salvador.

And yet, on spending time with people and hearing their expressions of gratitude, it becomes clear that these sentiments are far from morbid. What comes through instead is a sense of remembrance, in the face of great loss, of the presence and the goodness of this beloved person, whose life continues to inspire and illuminate the lives of others. We are brought back to the theme of accompaniment, a posture of ministry in which one walks with others, seeking to share in their lives and suffering. In this, Jesus represents the ultimate example, as one who was executed for joining with the cause of the marginalized in his society.

As we remember the Four Churchwomen, whose deaths contributed to a growing opposition to American participation in the war in El Salvador, we can seek to learn from their example of accompaniment. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer has written:

Christ, so the scriptures tell us, bore the sufferings of all humanity in his own body as if the were his own—a thought beyond our comprehension—accepting them of his own free will. We are certainly not Christ; we are not called on to redeem the world by our own deeds and sufferings, and we need not try to assume such an impossible burden. We are not lords, but instruments in the hand of the Lord of history; and we can share in other people’s sufferings only to a very limited degree.

We are not Christ, but if we want to be Christian, we must have some share in Christ’s large-heartedness by acting with responsibility and in freedom when the hour of danger comes, and by showing a real sympathy that springs, not from fear, but from the liberating and redeeming love of Christ for all who suffer.

Mere waiting and looking on is not Christian behavior. The Christian is called to sympathy and action, not in the first place by his or her own sufferings, but by the sufferings of his brothers and sisters, for whose sake Christ suffered.
From Letters and Papers from Prison

World Aids Day

2010-11-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 6:00 pm

St. Mark's Lutheran Church San Francisco

The Rev. Mark Holmerud, Bishop, Sierra Pacific Synod,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, presiding

The Rev. Maggi Henderson, Pastor,
Old First Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, preaching

Dr. Timothy Zerlang, St. Mark's Lutheran Church,
San Francisco, Director of Music

On World AIDS Day on December 1, join leaders and clergy from the community in a day of prayerful remembrance, repentance for our part in creating stigma, joy with the enhanced access to essential medications and a deeper understanding of prevention, care and greater knowledge about this global epidemic.

HIV and AIDS are viruses that the United Nations has named the single largest obstacle to global development. Affirmed by the new ELCA HIV and AIDS Strategy, the church has renewed our collective commitment to love, care for and walk with those living with HIV or AIDS and help protect those most at risk of new infection.

St. Mark's Lutheran Church

1111 O'Farrell St. | SF | 415.928.7770 | www.stmarks-sf.org

Interfaith Action Conference

2010-11-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

If you haven't yet registered for the conference, PLEASE DO! It is going to be an amazing event that we'll look back on as the start of something really special and we want YOU to be a part of it! Please register and encourage others in your congregation or organization and your students to do so as well. It is important we make every voice heard!

Join us for the Interfaith Action Conference on November 13th in the MLK Student Union! (UC BErkeley Campus)The conference will last from 3:00 to 7:30 followed by a wonderful dinner and dialogue provided by Bears Breaking Bread. We will be having multiple breakout sessions and will send a questionnaire shortly for you to sign up. Be sure to register ASAP and join the interfaith revolution as spots are already filling up!

Again the conference and dinner is completely FREE of charge and we'll be giving out a lot of personalized material, so it is important for you to register! Here is the link to register:

Conference Registration Form

Thanks and please don't hesitate to email us about anything!

Best,

Interfaith Action Initiative

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant Annual Dinner

2010-11-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

Twenty eight years ago, the Chapel helped to found the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant. This Sunday, they are celebrating their anniversary with an annual dinner honoring:
Catherine Eusebio, UC Berkeley student and DREAM Act Advocate
Bill Ong Hing, USF Law professor
Sylvia Rosales Fike, Founder and CEO of AnewAmerica
Tessa Rouverol Callejo, San Francisco Foundation

Sunday, November 14, 2010
Wine and Cheese & Silent Auction 5:15pm - 7:00pm
Dinner 6:00pm
Key Note Speaker Bill Ong Hing 7:00pm

St. Johns Presbyterian Church
2727 College Avenue, Berkeley
For reservations, call (510) 540-5296 or email maureenduignan@yahoo.com orceusebio1@gmail.com
A donation ($25-$200) is requested for this event; however, all are welcome, regardless of ability to contribute funds.

Thoughts on Prayer from Pr. Sanna

2010-10-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

I’m reading a small book by Sr. Joan Chittister in which she reflects on prayer. She writes, “Prayer as we know it and talk about it can be very seductive.” “O God, let there be a parking space”—as if God were our own personal parking valet. “Pray for a nice day” as if the local meteorologist hasn’t already told us what tomorrow’s weather will bring. We use prayer to forgive ourselves, to let us off the hook, for being less than we are meant to be. Too often “I’m praying for it” means I don’t intend to do anything else but pray that someone else will do something. Or we make prayer a child’s game, one step beyond magic or fantasy. Then when we don’t get what we “prayed” for, we disconnect from God.

Frederick Douglass, escaped slave, is quoted as saying, “I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.” What we need to pray for is the strength to be what we are intended to be, to do what we are meant to do, for the courage to face the challenges that come our way, for the endurance to keep going even when there is no apparent change. We must pray that the Spirit of God is with us as we do what must be done whether we succeed in the process or not.

The ancients talked about four purposes of prayer: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, supplication. Supplication, what we beg from God, reminds us of our dependence on God. Adoration, contrition, and thanksgiving remind us that this God is our beginning and our end—all we are, all we have comes from God.

Prayer: O God, give me the qualities of character I need to do what it is you have put me here to do in your name. Amen.

All Saints Sunday

2010-10-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

Next Sunday Nov 7 is All Saints Sunday

Bring with you photos of family members and loved ones who have died to place by the columbarium during the November month of remembrance.

"In Jesus' time and sometimes in our own, it was commonly believed that misfortune was a sign of God's disfavor. Here, Jesus says differently: "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled" (Luke 6:21). Just as Mary sings in her song of praise at the beginning of Luke's Gospel (Luke 1:46-55), everything in God's kingdom seems to be upside-down from people's expectations: being rich, full, or laughing now is not a sign of God's blessing after all. Instead, Jesus says, God's kingdom belongs to those who long for it.

"Ephesians elaborates: the kingdom means "the riches of [God's] glorious inheritance among the saints" and the working of God's power to bring new life out of death. In this lifetime the kingdom is not yet fulfilled among us, and our longing for it continues, but in worship we already gather for a "foretaste of the feast to come." In the feast to which Jesus invites us, we gather with the whole "communion of saints," which includes the living, made saints through baptism, as well as those who have died but live eternally. On All Saints Day we remember the good news that even beyond this life we remain united in the body of Christ as ones who share an inheritance: "But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever—forever and ever," we read in the book of Daniel (7:18).

"As part of the communion of saints, we share communion with all the saints, remembering again the hope to which we are called: the hope of God's kingdom of which we experience now only a foretaste. We are sent out from worship knowing that through Jesus, we too are saints as well as sinners, called and empowered to live according to God's kingdom even now, until we too participate fully in the everlasting feast."
(from the ELCA’s website, sundaysandseasons.org)

Reformation Day

2010-10-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday is Reformation Sunday at the Chapel.

Wear red to church in celebration of this Lutheran festival!

“The desire to privatize the free love of God for all creation seems stamped on the human soul. While Lutherans learn early on in their faith formation about the abuses of the church through the sale of indulgences in the sixteenth century, the scriptures for Reformation Day remind us that the desire of religious people to claim ownership of what God freely gives is nothing new.

“We hear the self-righteous bickering of the Israelites behind the prophet Jeremiah's declaration of a new covenant between God and humanity, one that erases any claim to special access, because we shall all know God. For the early church the question was whether there was any longer a need to observe the religious laws and customs of Israel, and the inclusion of Gentiles in the Christian community. Paul reminds us that we are justified by faith in who God is, a God of grace, not by virtue of who we are.

“Yet we forget this fact over and over again, like the Jews who insisted to Jesus that they had "never been slaves to anyone," forgetting their bondage in Egypt (John 8:33). We, too, lose sight of our bondage to systems of oppression and the unjust hierarchies they create. We, too, fall prey to thinking we are better or less than others because of arbitrary categories assigned to us at birth.

“Reformation Day reminds us that our impulse to contain God's grace in structures of our own making cannot hold back God's determination to claim the whole world in a love as encompassing and intimate as words written on our hearts. That was good news for the Israelites in exile, for the early church in Rome, for those living during the Reformation, and for us today. Reformation Day reminds us that the words God spoke at creation when God made the world and called it good, become good news for us each time we hear them.”

(from the ELCA’s website, sundaysandseasons.org)

Sun Oct 17 2-5pm District C Conference (ELCA)

2010-10-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

Join us for a regional gathering for District C (San Francisco, East Bay, South Alameda Conference). The meeting will include a presentation from the Sierra Pacific Youth Committee Rwanda Delegation, a conversation with Bishop Mark Hansen, special music, conference elections, the election of a new East Bay Dean, and breakout groups around the issues of leadership, children's education, the struggle for lgbt equality, finances (auditing the congregational books), social ministry, outreacy in a digital, 2.0 world.

For more info, email East Bay Conference Dean Pr. Katie Hines-Shah

2010 Chapel Support: YEAH

2010-10-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

University Lutheran Chapel supports many non-profit organizations in the Bay Area and throughout the world. In 2010, ULC will contribute a total of $8,900 to the following organizations: YEAH, SHARE, Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, Bread for the World, East Bay Lutheran Parish, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Lutheran Volunteer Corps.

This week we are featuring the YEAH Shelter and their important work.

Berkeley’s homeless population is estimated to be 1,200, about 225 of whom are youth aged 18 to 25. YEAH’s mission is to support young adults (18-25) in Berkeley who are currently homeless. They provide basic necessities, offer case management and counseling, linkages to education, employment and housing, and opportunities for meaningful community involvement. YEAH grew out of the "Chaplaincy for Homeless Youth" which was housed at the Chapel for years. YEAH is the result of the vision and leadership of a group of dedicated, long term volunteers including Pastor Sarah Isakson of Lutheran Church of the Cross.

The YEAH! Shelter is open seven nights a week between November and May. It is staffed each night by a trained supervisor and a team of volunteers. The youth are served a hot dinner and in the morning receive breakfast and a bag lunch. They sleep on mats with fresh sheets. Clean socks and underwear are provided when available. They have access to a shower nightly.

With YEAH’s help, some of the youth have been reunited with family, or moved into permanent housing. In addition, they provide medical referrals and on-site therapy. They also provide year-round, intensive case management and counseling to a select group.

Survey: ELCA National Advocacy Priorities

2010-10-01T10:46:00.001-07:00

Beginning today, the ELCA’s office of advocacy has opened up the ELCA National Advocacy Priorities Survey to solicit your input about priorities important to members of this church.

How are you engaged in service? What issues are important to you? How can we be more intentional in helping you?

The ELCA Washington Office works hard to make space in our public debate for people who are not heard. They lead this church's advocacy witness in Washington D.C., and collaborate closely with colleagues at the United Nations, with corporations and in state capitols around the country.

ELCA advocacy ministry speaks for biblical values such as peacemaking, hospitality to strangers, care for creation, and concern for people living in poverty and struggling with hunger and disease. We can't do it all at once. Your opinions in this survey will help to prioritize the work for policy change to improve the lives of people not heard in our public decision-making processes.

"Ecology, Theology, & the Church: A Liturgical Manifesto!"

2010-09-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Founder's Day at PLTS (8:30am - 2:30 pm) with The Rev. Dr. H. Paul Santmire (Registration here)

How is the Church to respond to today's global eco-justice crisis? This presentation cautiously steers around both the torrents of crisis-talk and the urgent claims of environmental ethics on the life of the Church. The argument focuses on the Church's own Liturgy, and on the Eucharist in particular, with this manifesto: unless the Church's own Liturgy is right, ecologically, the Church will not be fundamentally equipped to respond to the greatest crisis of our times. To this end, several proposals are made for liturgical renewal. A Lutheran pastor with experience in academic, inner-city, and metropolitan settings, the Rev. Dr. H. Paul Santmire has also pursued a scholarly vocation in the discipline of ecological theology and environmental ethics for more than forty years. Much preoccupied with social justice issues throughout his career, Dr. Santmire responded to the church struggle against apartheid in his book South African Testament: From Personal Encounter to Theological Challenge (1987) at the height of the crisis in that country, when there was little hope for peaceful transformation. During his 13-year inner-city pastorate in Hartford, CT, he was a founder and "the godfather" of a grass-roots community organization that mobilized low-income and minority constituencies. He also regularly addressed social justice issues as an Op-Ed columnist for the Hartford Courant.

Dr. Santmire outlined his own theology of nature in his book Nature Reborn: The Ecological and Cosmic Promise of Christian Theology (2000), in which he presents a "revisionist" testament of ecological theology, ranging through topics such as creation and cosmology, Christology and mission, spirituality and liturgy, ecological ethos and environmental ethics, and drawing on witnesses as diverse as Augustine and the classical Celtic saints, St. Francis and Luther, Martin Buber and John Muir.

Dr. Santmire's most recent book is Ritualizing Nature: Renewing Christian Liturgy in a Time of Crisis (2008), in which he explores Christian ritual as the matrix for the Christian community's renewed life with nature and with the poor of the earth. Dr. Santmire's Theological Autobiography appeared in Dialog 48:3 (Fall 2009), pp. 267-278.

Dr. Santmire graduated from Harvard College (1957) and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (1960), before completing his doctoral studies at Harvard Divinity School (1966), with a dissertation with systematic theologian Gordon Kaufman focusing on Karl Barth's theology of nature. He brought these learnings to bear in the wider church as a theological writer for the statements on the environment of the Lutheran Church in America (1972) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1983).

Mott’s Boycott

2010-09-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

“Mott’s is a bad apple” is the title of a new boycott campaign called this week by the Interfaith Committee. The Chapel is a member of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice and supports workers in their ongoing struggle for just employment, living wages, and fair benefit packages.

Because of a forced labor action, we are being urged to support the workers by boycotting Mott’s products which include:

Mott's Apple Sauce
Hawaiian Punch
Margaritaville Margarita Mix
Mr. & Mrs. T Drink Mixes
Welch's Grape Juice (64 oz.)
Rose's Lime Juice
Snapple cans
Mott's Fruitsations
Mott's Garden Cocktail
ReaLime Juice
ReaLemon Juice
Holland House Cooking Wines
Clamato

On May 23, more than three hundred workers and members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) Local 220 were forced to strike at the Mott's apple juice plant in Williamson, New York.

The plant is owned by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS). Mott's/DPS has demanded that each employee at the plant accept a $1.50-per-hour wage cut. Moreover, the company wants to reduce its contributions to the workers' 401k plans by 20 percent, freeze the pensions of current employees, eliminate pensions entirely for future employees, and require that workers contribute toward health care premiums and co-pays.

DPS has been tremendously profitable in recent years, owing in large part to the hard work of its employees, like those at the Williamson plant. The three highest-paid executives at DPS have doubled their personal income between 2007 and 2009. DPS's stock value has increased by 28 percent, according to a February 2010 earnings announcement.

Nevertheless, Mott's is insisting on wage and benefit cuts from the workers at the plant in Williamson.

Please join Interfaith Worker Justice in supporting the striking Mott's workers. There are several ways you can help:

1) Help to educate your community about what is happening at Mott's. Talk with members of your faith community about this injustice. Organize a prayer vigil in support of the workers.

2) Discontinue buying Mott's products; organize a leafleting action in front of a local grocery store that sells Mott's products (see list below) urging members of your community not to buy the following items:

Mott's Apple Sauce
Hawaiian Punch
Margaritaville Margarita Mix
Mr. & Mrs. T Drink Mixes
Welch's Grape Juice (64 oz.)
Rose's Lime Juice
Snapple cans
Mott's Fruitsations
Mott's Garden Cocktail
ReaLime Juice
ReaLemon Juice
Holland House Cooking Wines
Clamato

3) Request that your faith community's meetings and activities be Mott's-free until the workers are treated fairly.

4) Write Letters to the Editor of your local newspapers voicing your support for the Mott's workers.

5) Pray for Mott's workers in Williamson and all workers suffering injustices in the workplace.

Summary of Council and Congregational Action

2010-09-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who stayed after liturgy last Sunday for our congregational meeting to consider recommending a call to Pastor Sanna Reinholtzen. Unanimously, the congregation voted on the following motion:

"In keeping with ELCA Guidelines Related to Non-Stipendiary Ministry as set forth in the Roster Manual 2009, page 39, University Lutheran Chapel of Berkeley recommends to the Synod Council of the Sierra Pacific Synod that the Synod Council extend a part-time, non-stipendiary call to the Rev. Sanna Reinholtzen to be an associate pastor at the Chapel for a one-year term."

From here, this resolution goes to the Synod Council meeting at the end of September, and then to the Council of Bishop's meeting in October. Hopefully by All Saints Day we will have a reason to throw a party to welcome Pr. Sanna here at the Chapel officially as a part of our pastoral staff!

In other news, the Congregational Council met on August 24th. Here's a summary of some of the actions/discussions prepared by Council secretary, Jacob Ruff.

Episcopal Chaplain Tom Poynor joined the Council meeting to discuss the launch of the partnership between Lutheran and Episcopal campus ministries. The Chapel is hosting this joint ministry this year and Chaplain Tom and Pastor Jeff will be sharing the lead on this outreach. (Tom will preach at the Chapel on 9/19)
Thursday campus ministry evenings will include creative worship building on the traditions and experiences students bring from congregations across the country. "Open Space" will be an opportunity for practice and discussion in the middle of the eveng's structured activities. The first campus ministry night will be Thursday the 2nd at 6:30 followed by dinner at 7:30 pm.
Council considered the specific plan for Pr. Sanna Reinholtzen's ministry if her call is approved by the congregation, synod council, and the conference of bishops.
The Chapel is building up its Web 2.0 communication by making fuller use of Facebook, Twitter, and online video. At Work in the World's upcoming transformation will make it easier to access! It will continue to be available in print, but the electronic form will be integrated with the website and easier to connect to Facebook and Twitter.

New Chapel Fund to Support Seminarians

2010-09-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

Part of the Chapel's mission is to accompany students in their discernment in ministry and work in the church. We are honored to be a place where students, faculty, and staff from PLTS and the seminaries of the GTU worship and build community. And we are blessed to be able to support students and seminarians on their journey.

The Council has become aware of special financial needs that these students encounter as they engage the candidacy process within the ELCA and therefore has established a Seminary Students' Designated Fund to provide loans in support of the journey. Chapel members are invited to contribute money to the fund. Seminary students will be able to request the fund for needs related to their education and professional development. The money will be granted to the seminarians with the agreement that they will repay the money to the fund as they are able.

The Pastor will have authority to distribute the funds, the Council will oversee the fund's use. Contribute by check to the Chapel with Seminary Students' Fund in the memo line.

Chapel 2.0

2010-09-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Chapel has a few new/revisited web presences. If you are reading this, then you might take note of the new newsletter. We are hoping this will provide a better newsletter experience as well as allow better management of our email lists. Feel free to forward this to your friends and spread the word! Email comments about our new style to Pastor Jeff.

Visit us at Facebook.com/ulcberkeley
Twitter users can follow us @ulcberkeley
Pastor Jeff also has blog which you can visit at revjohnson.blogspot.com

Martin Marty at PLTS in September

2009-06-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Save the Date: Founders' Day 2009

Dr. Martin Marty will be the keynote speaker at Founders' Day, September 23, 2009. We also gather to celebrate and remember the important history of Seminex. Please join us!

Founders' Day
9:30 - Registration and coffee
10:00 - Keynote presentation
11:15 - Eucharist
12:30 - Lunch, award presentations
1:45 - Q&A

Christ Seminary-Seminex Celebration
2:30 - Hymn Fest and organ music
3:15 - Refreshments at the President's residence
5:30 - Seminex celebration banquet

Registration details to follow.

Follow this link the join the PLTS email list:

http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0012su5kPS-3mu89Oo2C2QY-g%3D%3D

Woodfin Picket June 24th

2009-06-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Subscribe | Donate | Tell A Friend

Join Us for a Picket at the Woodfin!
Wednesday, June 24th
5:00-6:30 PM
5800 Shellmound, Emeryville, CA
It's been a while since we've had a themed picket at the Woodfin, so here we go: SUMMER! Bring your sunglasses, beach balls, popsicles, and anything else that will get you in the summer spirit while we picket the Woodfin!
Summer's the season for vacations, so let's make sure that anyone spending their vacation at the Woodfin knows that the hotel is under a boycott. The worst way to celebrate summer is by staying at a hotel that owes over $200,000 in backwages to their workers and refuses to do the right thing.
Also, be sure to check out the article on the Woodfin in the latest issue of Race, Poverty, and the Environment.
If you have questions, or to let us know that you're coming, contact Elizabeth at 510-893-7106 x 328 or Elizabeth(at)workingeastbay.org.
EBASE Email News and Updates
1814 Franklin Street - Suite 325 Oakland, CA 94612 : 510.893.7106
To subscribe, visit http://www.workingeastbay.org/subscribe.
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(Note: The first time you go to update your preferences, you must first create a login and password.)

ICWJ Speech

2009-06-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Part I

Part II

Easter Muse

2009-05-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here is an article that my mom posted in her blog. I thought you might like it:

Kate Braestrup is the author of a book about her experiences as chaplain for the Maine Warden Service.

"Here If You Need Me" starts as a chronicle of her life leading up to her decision to become a Unitarian Universalist Minister and a Warden Service Chaplain. Her husband, who had plans to go to seminary, was killed in a car accident. She makes a decision to carry on where he left off and attends seminary herself. In the book, she describes in detail her grief experience. She doesn't sugarcoat the pain. It is tough to keep reading at times due to the deep sadness she describes both with the grief she felt at the sudden loss of her husband and the grief she witnesses time and again in her work as a chaplain.

This past Easter week-end I read an interview done with her on NPR's "Speaking of Faith." When asked about her work, one of her quotes was this, "Sometimes the miracle is a life restored, but the restoration is always temporary. At other times, perhaps most of the times, a miracle can only be the resurrection of love beside the unchanged fact of death."

Easter celebrates the miracle of bodily resurrection after death. Christian hope is in the belief that one day we'll be reunited with loved ones who have died. I think for most people that means a physical, bodily presence of some sort. But, who knows? Sometimes I need a "God with skin on". Often, I'm not spiritual enough to find much comfort in "some days", as in "some day we'll be with God". I get impatient in the waiting room that life is. Braestrup, in her book, explores powerful ideas about comfort and the power of presence. As a chaplain she is to many suffering folks, "God with skin on". She doesn't provide false hope or meaningless platitudes and cliches. She sits with humans in their pain and despair. She serves as a channel for healing to begin. I think that's what she means by "a miracle can only be the resurrection of love". Healing begins and is nurtured with love and healing is always a miracle.

That, for me, is the Easter Story.

By Pam Brewer

http://pamsnewsmuse.blogspot.com/

Easter Vigil 2009 Video Excerpts

2009-04-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

Check out excerpts from the Chapel's 2009 Easter Vigil on youtube:

The Rev. Gus Schultz Memorial Award in Peace & Conflict Studies

2009-04-04T18:13:00.001-07:00

The Reverend Gustav H. Schultz Memorial Award Fund was established in 2008 with a gift from student alumni of the Committee for Korea Studies, an ASUC organization of Korean undergraduate students at UC Berkeley.

The award will be made to outstanding UC Berkeley undergraduates who have successfully organized a public program or are engaged in public service promoting peace and reconciliation. The award will be administered by the Peace and Conflict Studies program in International and Area Studies.

Reverend Gustav H. Schultz served as pastor of University Lutheran Chapel, Berkeley, from 1969 – 1997. Through his ministry Reverend Schultz sought to provide hope and refuge for the less fortunate, playing an integral role in starting the Berkeley Emergency Food Project that provided meals to those in need. As an anti-war activist he played an important role in the sanctuary movement. Under his leadership the University Lutheran Chapel received national recognition for offering sanctuary for American soldiers during the Vietnam and first Gulf Wars and to Central American refugees.

In response to increasing repression of popular movements for democracy and economic reforms in Central America in the 1980s, Reverend Schultz was a founder and President of the Board of the SHARE (Salvadoran, Humanitarian, Aid, Research and Education) Foundation, founder and Board President of the National Sanctuary Defense Fund and founder of the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant - all providing aid, comfort and often seeking to protect the lives of Central American refugees.

In support of the Korean people’s struggles for democracy and peaceful reunification, Reverend Schultz helped organize, in 1980, a successful international campaign to save the life of South Korean dissident leader, Kim Dae Jung. He was invited to attend Kim’s presidential inauguration in 1998 in appreciation of his efforts. Reverend Schultz also traveled as part of delegations to North and South Korea to promote dialog on reunification among American and Korean churches, and in partnership with Korean students of the Committee for Korea Studies at UC Berkeley he helped raise awareness of, and advocated for, the reunification of Korea by hosting public forums on reunification inviting speakers from both North and South Korea to campus.

As a leader in the religious community, Reverend Schultz worked for progressive social change within the Lutheran Church. He helped found the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) in 1976 to which he was elected Bishop. Among many other accomplishments the AELC opened the doors to the ministry for women and elected the first African-American to serve as a Bishop in a Lutheran Church body. The AELC also served as a catalyst for unity by initiating dialog with two other Lutheran bodies leading to the merger of all three in 1988 as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest and most liberal Lutheran Church body in the U.S. today.

A recipient of the Berkeley Peace Prize, Reverend Schultz was highly regarded for his ability to work with diverse groups of people in order to forge practical solutions to challenges facing the community and for his support of charitable organizations and advocacy for peace and social justice.

To make an online contribution to the Reverend Gustav H. Schultz Memorial Award in Peace and Conflict Studies, please click here.

Eyewitness Report: ELCA Church Council

2009-03-31T10:52:00.000-07:00

The ELCA Church Council met in Chicago this past week. I made the trip to sit in as a visitor on the Plenary sessions (March 28-30), and it wasn't what I expected, but it was, umm, an adventure, with snow and everything.

My main interest was to see how the Church Council would make decisions about the proposed ELCA social statement on sexuality (Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust) and recommendations on rostering for LBGT pastors that accompanied the social statement. Both these documents are the work of an ELCA task force that was established in 2001. For any of these proposals to become church policy, they must be adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The next assembly is in August, and this Church Council meeting would decide how these issues would be presented to the assembly.

This was not my first Church Council meeting, and I expected this one to be like the meeting I attended in 2005: differences of opinion among council members would be clearly visible and the discussions might be contentious.

But before the council could talk about either the social statement or the rostering recommendations, they had to revisit a procedural decision made last year.

In November, 2008 (before the task force had released any of its conclusions), the Church Council recommended procedural rules for the 2009 Churchwide Assembly, and it recommended that a simple majority (anything over 50%) be enough to pass the recommendations on rostering. (ELCA bylaws require that social statements must pass by at least a two-thirds, a "super majority", but the rostering recommendations are not part of the social statement.)

Since November, the church council had received resolutions from 18 synod councils regarding that decision: 15 synods encouraged the church council to reconsider and to require a two-thirds majority for the rostering recommendations; 3 synods encouraged the church council to stand by its original decision.

A 20 minute debate ensued that centered on fairness: was it fair to change the rules now that the task force had published its findings? What did it mean that 47 synods had not responded? When the vote was taken, the council rejected the super-majority proposal (10 in favor; 21 against; 2 abstentions). It's worth noting that the Church Council can only pose this as a recommendation to the assembly: the voting members at the assembly have the final say on their procedural rules.

On Saturday afternoon, the social statement came up for consideration, and the speeches introducing it took more time than the debate. Various speakers talked about how the social statement had evolved (Restructured! Shorter by 1000 words!), the exact moment at which it was handed over from the task force to a committee of the church council (10:26AM on March 27), "responsibility ethics", and "left hand governance".

After the speeches, the council went into a 30 minute "committee of the whole" session from which visitors were excluded. When the open session resumed, the council approved en bloc a set of friendly amendments (minor editorial changes) and then, without further discussion, voted unanimously to recommend the social statement to the Churchwide Assembly.

It was snowing on Sunday when the council took up the rostering recommendations. The rostering recommendations are a set of four resolutions intended to be considered in sequence.

The first resolution says that the ELCA will commit itself to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support, and hold publicly accountable life-long monogamous, same-gender relationships.

The second says that the ELCA will commit itself to finding ways for people in publicly accountable, life-long, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as rostered leaders in the ELC.

The third resolution says that the ELCA will commit itself to the sharing of burdens, love of the neighbor, and respect for the "bound consciences" of all.

The fourth, finally, outlines the changes that would allow people in publicly accountable, life-long, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve. This resolution has 7 "resolved" clauses which together call for the removal of the current prohibitions for non-celibate gay or lesbian candidates for ministry and describe a candidacy process that would facilitate "structured flexibility" (an approach to the call and candidacy process that is intended to protect any of the participants from being compelled to make any conscience-violating decisions).

The stage was set for this to be a more complicated discussion and it was. At the start, the committee chair who introduced the resolutions suggested an abbreviation ("PALMS") for "publicly accountable, life-long, monogamous, same-gender relationships". The chair ruled against the use of abbreviations, so speakers were lumbered with having to say the entire 20 syllable phrase over and over.

Again there was a 30 minute committee of the whole from which visitors were excluded (timed perfectly so I could print my boarding pass for the Monday flight back), and it was followed by another 30 minute committee of the whole for which visitors were re-admitted.

The unusual thing is that the discussion was not about LGBT people and ministry standards. It was chiefly about ethical reasoning (how do Lutherans make ethical decisions when they don't all agree?) and what on earth "bound concscience" could possibly mean. Really: most of the discussion time was spent on the third of the resolutions mentioned above, the "bound conscience" resolution. After that, the next most prominent topic was speculation on how "structured flexibility" might work and that was less a debate than getting churchwide staff to clarify the fine points of the proposed system.

Each of the four resolutions was considered separately and amendments to make minor clarifications to resolutions 1 and 4 were proposed and adopted. By a large margin (there was only one council member who felt the resolutions were not in the church's best interest), the council voted to transmit each of the four resolutions to the Churchwide Assembly.

So that was that and it was not so contentious after all, though I suspect that things will be more hotly contested at the Churchwide Assembly.

It's worth reporting that I spent the entire weekend seated next to Pr. Mark Chavez of Lutheran CORE (which has lobbied vigorously against both the proposed social statement and the rostering recommendations). There are not many topics on which he and I agree, but we managed to be cordial throughout the weekend. I introduced myself as the publisher of Lutheran (True!) Confessions and he mentioned that he'd always wondered who was behind that.

At one point Presiding Bishop Hanson led a Bible study and Bishop Hanson ALWAYS asks you to turn to your neighbor and discuss something, so Mark Chavez and I talked about various features of Acts 3: 1-16. At the end of the study, Bishop Hanson asked us to turn to our neighbor, trace a cross on their forehead, address them by name and say "Child of God, you are marked with the cross of Christ forever." And there we were, two people with profound disagreements, touching each other and pronouncing a blessing.

Easter Vigil 2009

2009-03-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

Easter Vigil
Saturday, April 11th at 9pm
Potluck Midnight Brunch following (bring something delicious to share!)

2425 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA
www.ulcberkeley.org

In Memoriam: Esther A. Ulmer

2009-03-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

+ IN MEMORIAM +
Esther Anna Ulmer
June 4, 1924 – March 17, 2009

The following was prepared by Nancy Ulmer in memory of her mother.

Esther Anna Meta Mahler, the eleventh of 13 children, was born on June 4, 1924 to Carl and Elsie Mahler. She grew up on a farm in Fairmount, North Dakota. She is described as a quiet, unassuming child, who had a lively imagination, intense curiosity, and compassionate heart. She loved learning and formally earned her high school diploma and completed several semesters of college.

On September 3, 1949 she married Milton Ulmer and they welcomed two daughters, Nancy and Barbara. Esther loved being a mother and home maker, but her commitments were not contained to home. She was an avid church volunteer, focusing her energies in the Lutheran Womens’ Missionary League and on issues of social justice. Her volunteerism culminated in her founding the Our Redeemer Lutheran Outreach Ministry in the early 1990’s.

In 1996 Esther suffered a major stroke. Through the loving support of friends and family she made a recovery that was lauded by her doctors. She was able to move back home with her beloved Milton and continue attending Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. After Milton’s death in 2002, Esther moved to assisted living in Berkeley, California to be near Nancy and family.

During her last years in Berkeley, Esther’s main joys were Sundays and family occasions with Nancy, several trips back to the Midwest with her sister Hilda, and attending church and Bible Study. She died peacefully on March 17, 2009.

Esther is survived by her daughter Nancy and son-in-law Steven Schultz, granddaughters Sara and Rachel Schultz; daughter Barbara and son-in-law, Denis Kitayama; brothers Arthur Mahler and the Rev. Kenneth Mahler, her sister Hilda Danowsky, the rest of her large family, and many loyal friends.

Donations in memory of Esther may be made to a memorial fund at University Lutheran Chapel which will support the YEAH shelter at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Berkeley and other social justice projects at the Chapel in keeping with the spirit of Esther's activism.

LVC Appoints New Oakland/Bay Area Coordinator

2009-03-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Lutheran Volunteer Corps has named Rae Chen Huang its San Francisco Bay Area Coordinator, responsible for LVC’s program in Northern California. LVC Volunteers, staff and local leaders are excited that Rae will bring her skills, passion, and commitment to LVC. Rae has experience in social justice work, multi-ethnic ministry and young adult servant-l eadership, as well as volunteer program administration and recruiting.

Most recently Rae has worked at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Athens Greece, leading a study on Wholeness and Healing, as well as contributing to research regarding human trafficking in Europe. Previously she served as director of youth ministries at 4th Presbyterian Church in Boston. She incorporated community organizing, retreats, a civil rights pilgrimage, and social justice education into the young adult and youth ministries.

Rae graduated from Boston University with a master of divinity degree in 2007 and received her bachelor’s from Boston College in 2004.

“I am excited about the Bay Area Coordinator position and the opportunity it affords to present volunteers with the opportunity to learn from, grow with, and serve others,” says Rae, while “providing hope and spiritual guidance for those journeying in life, and to aid LVC in pursuing its mission to create a just, peaceful, and inclusive community and environment.”

Rae will begin LVC work on April 1. The SF Bay Area Coordinator office is located at University Lutheran Chapel, 2425 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704. Rae’s office telephone is 510-528-4479. The email will be BayArea@LutheranVolunteerCorps.org.

4/22: Hein-Fry Lecture @ PLTS

2009-03-18T10:46:00.001-07:00

The Hein-Fry Lecture Series 2009

"Interpreting the Bible Lutheranly: Between the Undertow and a Tsunami"
Lutheran Perspectives on Biblical Interpretation

Wednesday, April 22, 10 am - 2:30 pm
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (2770 Marin Avenue, Berkeley)

...The interpretation of the Bible has always been and continues to be a contest among rival interpretations. The church is called to confess Jesus Christ as the living Word of God in every generation. This lecture contributes to a constructive approach to interpreting the Bible as the book of faith in our time.

Speaker: The Rev. Dr. Craig Nessan,
Academic Dean and Professor of Contextual Theology,
Wartburg Theological Seminary

Respondent: The Rev. Dr. Moses Penumaka,
Assistant Professor of Contextual Theology, PLTS;
Director of Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM), Western Mission Cluster

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Light refreshments and lunch will be catered on the PLTS campus for $12 per person.

Please RSVP by April 15, 2009. Include your name, the names of your guests, your telephone number and email address, and whether or not you intend to stay for lunch.

FMLN Wins El Salvador Presidential Elections

2009-03-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

From our friends at the SHARE foundation:

The FMLN won Sunday's Salvadoran presidential elections 51.3% to 48.7% for ARENA. As predicted by almost all public opinion polls Mauricio Funes was elected president in one of the most highly contested elections that the country has experienced. These results mark an important turning point in Salvadoran history, with the left gaining power for the first time ending twenty years of ARENA party rule.

Election Day went on smoothly despite widespread rumors that violence could break out given the polarization that had characterized the presidential campaign. However a festive ambience ensued as FMLN supporters came out to the streets to celebrate as exit polls and preliminary results by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal indicated that the FMLN was leading.

Rodrigo Avila, the ARENA candidate conceded defeat even though party members had been showing optimism on the television. President Saca congratulated Funes after his speech and Funes offered to work together with him to ensure a smooth transition.

"My government will be inspired by the spirit of national unity and this requires from this moment on to leave behind confrontation and revenge" said Funes, referring to the dirty campaign in which he was the victim of attacks and accusations that that he would bring socialism to the country and that Hugo Chavez would be in control. In his speech Funes made a commitment to respect the Constitution and the rule of law. "I want to be become the president of peace, unity and progress, I want to be the president of social justice and work for the true reconstruction of the country" he added.

Check US and international coverage of the Salvadoran election results:
The New York Times: Lesftist Party Wins Presidency in El Salvador
Reuters: El Salvador ex-rebels win power through ballot vote
BBC: Left-winger wins El Salvador poll
The Washington Post: Leftist declares victory in El Salvador election

3/13: SHARE URGENT ACTION ALERT!

2009-03-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

Contact State Department to Stop US Intervention in Sunday's Salvadoran Presidential Elections

Last Monday the SHARE Foundation urged you to contact Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to support US neutrality in the Salvadoran Presidential elections.

NOW more than ever your ACTION IS NEEDED! On Tuesday March 11, three Republican Congresspeople spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives threatening that if the FMLN wins remittances sent to El Salvador should be cut off and Salvadorans should lose their immigration status.

Below are their statements:

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) said, "El Salvador's election is on Sunday. If an ally of Al-Queda and Iran comes to power in El Salvador, the national security interests of the United States will require certain immigration restrictions and controls over the flow of the $4 billion of annual remittances sent from the U.S. back home to El Salvador.

Let me note, that my purpose is not to punish Salvadorans, but if a pro-terrorist government takes power, it will be imperative to review our policies in order to protect the national security of the United States."

Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) said, "…should the pro-terrorist FMLN party replace the current government in El Salvador, the United States, in the interests of national security, would be required to reevaluate our policy toward El Salvador, including cash remittance and immigration policies to compensate for the fact there will no longer be a reliable counterpart in the Salvadoran government."

Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) stated, "They get 4 billion dollar a year in money coming from the United States into their country to help out the people who live down there. And that money in my opinion, will be cut dramatically if they elect a leftist government. Those monies that are coming from here to there, I am confident will be cut, and I hope the people of El Salvador are aware of that because it will have a tremendous impact on individuals and their economy."

These extremist arguments are reminiscent of the statements that the Salvadoran Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marisol Argueta, issued in October 2008 when she was lobbying for US intervention during a visit to Washington DC. These statements also are a repetition of the interventionist statements issued by US officials in the 2004elections.

In addition, according to the Salvadoran newspapers, 46 Republican Congresspeople recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling a potential FMLN win a security threat to the United States.

Although these Representatives' pronouncements have little significance in the US, they have a tremendous impact in El Salvador as the statements have made headlines in the Salvadoran media. The threats are perceived as US intervention and generate fear among Salvadoran voters. It is important to understand that these statements carry considerable weight in El Salvador as about a quarter of the population has migrated to the United States and the remittances they send constitute about 20% of the country's GDP.

PLEASE ACT NOW! Call the State Department or e-mail Christopher Webster, Director of the Office of Central American Affairs at the State Department, and urge him to issue a public statement reassuring the Salvadoran people that the United States will remain neutral in the Salvadoran Presidential elections and the US government is committed to working with any political party that has been elected freely and fairly by the Salvadoran people.

Click here to contact Director Webster
Or call the Office of Central American Affairs:
Director Christopher Webster 202-647-4087
Deputy Director David Wolfe 202-647-3543
El Salvador Desk Officer Hillary Thompson 202-647-4161
For more information, contact
sharedc@share-elsalvador.org
PLEASE CONTACT THE STATE DEPARTMENT BY FRIDAY, MARCH 13

"Defending Marriage" as Religious Violence

2009-03-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

-- Jon Pahl

A recent article in The Atlantic and recently released Lutheran documents give good reasons to revisit the status of gays and lesbians across American society. Unfortunately, few commentators to date have addressed the most troubling development of the past few years: the growth of DOMA Laws, or "Defense of Marriage Acts." These laws are forms of religious violence.

The Federal Defense of Marriage Act, passed in 1996, stipulates that for the purpose of federal laws and operations, "the word 'marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife." According to domawatch.org – a website sponsored by supporters of these laws – thirty-seven states now have some form of DOMA Laws on the books. The rationales for such defensive laws are often couched in neutral, "secular", or "naturalist" language. But the move to establish such laws came from religious groups, notably conservative Protestants, Catholics, and Mormons. And the logic and appeal of these laws also originates in religion, and functions as a form of violence. Six theses can clarify the contours of the religious violence embedded in these laws.

1) DOMA Laws violate sacred texts. Many of the arguments against gay and lesbian civil unions or marriage appeal to biblical texts from Genesis, Leviticus, Romans, or I Corinthians. But such arguments impose upon the texts a twentieth century understanding of sexual identity alien to the Jewish or Hellenistic cultures in which these texts arose.

2) DOMA Laws elevate heterosexual marriage to idolatrous status. In some communities of faith, defending "marriage" has become all but an item of confessional status (it is absent from any historic Christian Confessions). This arrogates to a majority – heterosexuals – special privileges (economic, social, and spiritual) not available to sexual minorities.

3) DOMA Laws scapegoat gays and lesbians. As Rene Girard argues, scapegoating is a chief manifestation of religious violence. It is difficult to see what real threat is posed to heterosexual intimacy, much less to civil society, by the desire of homosexuals for similar rights. It is easy to see how DOMA laws organize consent over and against a relatively voiceless and powerless group.

4) DOMA Laws sacrifice homosexual rights, and damage civil society, in the interest of religious purity. One measure of the justice in any society is how well it cares for vulnerable members. Sexual difference marks individuals as both vulnerable and "dangerous." And as Mary Douglass showed, any "danger" against which a law must defend is invariably constructed around some purity interest. DOMA Laws require gays and lesbians to sacrifice rights others take for granted, and render them subject to legalized forms of exclusion and discrimination. They damage the deep trust that is the most important social practice in civil society.

5) DOMA Laws confuse legislation with religion, and violate the First Amendment, as Ann Pellegrini and Janet Jakobsen have argued. It is entirely permissible (although ethically subject to scrutiny) for private communities to shape the boundaries of association in whatever ways members agree upon. It is a violation of the First Amendment's protection of free association to inhibit by law some forms of association that pose no harm to the common good, and a violation of the freedom from an established religion when religiously-inspired exclusions are written into law.

6) DOMA Laws perpetuate an association of sex with power, and thereby do damage to any sacramental sensibility that might remain in association with even heterosexual marriage. As Hendrik Hartog and other historians have shown, marriages have shifted in the modern era from patriarchal patterns of coverture to social contracts in which couples seek mutual fulfillment. Such contracts might be compatible with a sacramental sensibility, since they entail pledges of sexual fidelity and commitments to share social resources and responsibilities, along with (one might argue) other gifts of God. DOMA Laws associate sexual fidelity with legislated forms of coercive power, and inhibit the deep trust and mutuality intrinsic to modern (and sacramental) marriage. They establish hierarchies of relationships, and associate heterosexual unions (and sexual practices) with dominance.

DOMA Laws have been passed with the support and lobbying of religious groups. Such laws point, unfortunately, to a deep tendency of religions to consolidate power through exclusion, as Miroslav Volf has so cogently shown; these laws have no rationale for their existence apart from that exclusion. People who wish to "defend" corrosive influences on marriage – and I count myself as one – might actually find allies among gays and lesbians who desire public recognition for their pledges of fidelity and their commitments to share resources and responsibilities with one another. A true defense of marriage would not involve mean-spirited exclusions, but would embrace practical policies that strengthen deep trust and support families facing economic challenges.

References:

Paul Elie’s article in The Atlantic,"God, Grace, and Sex," is online as "The Velvet Reformation" at http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903/archbishop-canterbury/2.

The Social Statement "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust" and the ECLA’s recommendations on ministry practices are online at http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements-in-Process/JTF-Human-Sexuality.aspx.

Jon Pahl is Professor of the History of Christianity in North America at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He recently edited and published An American Teacher: Coming of Age and Coming Out, the Memoirs of Loretta Coller (Infinity Publishing, 2009).

----------

In conjunction with the upcoming conference, “Culturing Theologies, Theologizing Cultures: Exploring the Worlds of Religion,” April 22 and 23 at the Divinity School, this month’s Religion and Culture Web Forum features conference participant Alain Epp Weaver’s exploration of “how the arboreal imagination animates Israeli and Palestinian mappings of space and landscapes of return.” Trees are at once contested political and religious symbols and concrete means of claiming the land. Via a close reading of Palestinian theologian Elias Chacour’s writings, Weaver examines the rhetorical role and weight of trees in Israeli and Palestinian thought. “Is the arboreal imagination necessarily bound up with exclusivist mappings of erasure only, mappings which encode given spaces as either Palestinian or Israeli Jewish?” Weaver asks, or, “might the arboreal imagination animating the imagined landscapes of Palestinian refugees also produce cartographies of mutuality which accept, even embrace, the complex character of shared space?”

Visit the Religion and Culture Web Forum:
http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/webforum/index.shtml

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Sightings comes from the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Submissions policy

Sightings welcomes submissions of 500 to 750 words in length that seek to illuminate and interpret the forces of faith in a pluralist society. Previous columns give a good indication of the topical range and tone for acceptable essays. The editor also encourages new approaches to issues related to religion and public life.

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Columns may be quoted or republished in full, with attribution to the author of the column, Sightings, and the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Contact information

Please send all inquiries, comments, and submissions to Kristen Tobey, managing editor of Sightings, at sightings-admin@listhost.uchicago.edu. Subscribe, unsubscribe, or manage your subscription at the Sightings subscription page.

Proposed ELCA Sexuality Statement

2009-03-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

Proposed Social Statement
Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust

http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements-in-Process/JTF-Human-Sexuality/Proposed-Social-Statement.aspx

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This letter introduces the proposed social statement entitled Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, which fulfills the 2001 Churchwide Assembly mandate “to develop a social statement on human sexuality.” (CA01.06.45)

Another mandate was received in 2007, assigning us the task to address and make recommendations on ministry standards. That mandate is addressed in a separate document under the title of “Report and Recommendations on Ministry Policies.”

We of the task force have been continually humbled by the trust our church has placed in us as stewards of ELCA Studies on Sexuality. As a Christian community, we have engaged in a remarkable and challenging journey of claiming one Lord, one faith, and one baptism while differing, sometimes passionately, with one another on issues surrounding human sexuality.

We knew when we accepted the call to serve on this task force that we would face challenges and controversies. Each one of us had experienced them in our local settings. However, the task of representing this church has increased the weight of responsibility and deepened our understanding of this church's differing convictions. The hope of finding a clear path to full consensus among us on what was most controversial has not been realized. We have worshipped, prayed, reflected, argued, sung, laughed, sputtered in anger, dissolved in sorrow, fallen prey to discouragement, and been surprised by joy and hope.

God has used this calling to bind us to each other in surprising ways, despite our disagreements, and to change us all.
God has used this calling to bind us to each other in surprising ways, despite our disagreements, and to change us all. In our efforts to contribute to this difficult journey you share with us, we have clung tenaciously to Paul's exhortation to rejoice and pray in all circumstances and to his conviction that we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:4–6; 4:13).

In that confidence and hope we commend for consideration to this church the proposed social statement, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. It addresses a broad spectrum of concerns relevant to human sexuality from a distinctively Lutheran perspective. It is sourced by deep Scriptural insights about the character of right relationships, God’s work in creation, use of the Law and grace-filled dealings with us. It juxtaposes those insights with awareness of new knowledge about sexuality and gender and forty years of changes in cultural practices and attitudes. It seeks to spell out guidance for discerning what love of neighbor means for responsible action today.

This proposed social statement reflects careful attention to the many voices lifted across this church over the past six years. In 2008 alone, we have participated with you in over 110 synodical hearings. Each written communication has been read individually by at least several members of the task force. We have sought to understand the reasons behind different and, often, contrasting opinions so as to create a strong proposed social statement.

This proposed social statement received nearly unanimous support by the task force, though several members could not concur with all sections for various reasons. While these reservations exist, all affirm that it has been crafted through open and respectful dialogue in which every member has contributed significantly to the outcome. Grounded in our experience of strengthened community and faith through this deliberative process the task force has full confidence that this church, despite our disagreements and differences, will continue to live faithfully together for the sake of the gospel.

As we conclude our work we want to indicate our lasting gratitude to this church. We are grateful for the perseverance and commitment shown by the ELCA as a whole in this ongoing journey. You have encouraged us to believe that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is able to find ways to speak powerfully when it has consensus and to find ways to live together faithfully when it does not.

We are also indebted to so many for the countless prayers and expressions of care that have sustained us over these years. These expressions of Christian love have sometimes been shared amid anguish, disappointment, and sharp disagreement. They have encouraged us in our weariness to remain in good faith.

On behalf of the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality,

Rev. Peter Strommen, Chair
Pastor, Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, Prior Lake, Minnesota

Sierra Pacific Synod March Newsletter

2009-03-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

http://www.spselca.org/current_newsletter.htm

Asthma Clinic Success

2009-03-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

East Bay Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice

Asthma Clinic and Press Conference a Huge Success....

Dear ICWJ Friends:

The recent asthma screening brought together health care professionals, city officials, and clergy to expose the effects that diesel emissions are having on the West Oakland community and the 880 corridor. With over 100 people screened this action, brought together medical professionals, labor, and the faith community to show the Oakland Port Commission first hand the health impacts the port is having on local health. There was ample media coverage of the event to help get our point across.

I would like to thank those who supported the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice's involvement with the screening. We would particularly like to thank Servant Brian Woodson for his fiery proclamation that the air belongs to God, Pastor Clarence Johnson's timely closing prayer for the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports moral and endurance, and Archbishop Aurora Lewis' and Rev. Kurt Kuwald's pastoral support for those being screened. The CCSP's struggle for a Clean Trucks Management Program has been a long one. We appreciate everyone who has supported the struggle and welcome those who are interested but have not been active thus far.

We will be organizing a walk the lines event on the 18th of this month. Please join us as we talk to the truckers personally at the port. We will email you more information soon.
You are invited in playing a historic role in transforming the Port of Oakland by pushing a Clean Trucks Management Program.

Peace be with you,

Pastor Eric Gabourel, Organizer
Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice

East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
1814 Franklin Street, Suite #325
Oakland, CA 94612

EMAIL: eric@workingeastbay.org
WEB: http://www.workingeastbay.org
PHONE: (510) 893.7106 x. 319
FAX: (510) 893.7010

3/16: Road to Backwages Picket

2009-03-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

NEXT PICKET:
Monday, March 16th from 5-6:30 PM (St. Patrick's Day themed!)
Woodfin Suite Hotel, 5800 Shellmound, Emeryville

Dear friends -

Dozens of courageous current and former Woodfin workers are now one step closer to justice in their 1,188-day quest for backwages and justice.

On Tuesday, March 3rd, the Emeryville City Council voted unanimously to finalize the ruling that the Woodfin owes workers some $200,000 in backwages for the nearly year-long period when the hotel refused to comply with the city's living wage ordinance, Measure C. The Council had previously completed 5 nights and 18 hours of testimony and deliberations, concluding with a voice vote in support of full backwages for workers. Tuesday night's vote adopted the written findings of that ruling. We expect City staff to send a written order for the backwages to the Woodfin soon, including a deadline by which the Woodfin must pay up.

In the meantime, until workers have checks in hand, the boycott and pickets continue. Especially in this time of economic crisis, it is unconscionable for a corporation like the Woodfin to refuse backwages to its workers, who earned every penny of it with their own sweat and back-breaking labor. Thankfully, the workers continue to count on the support and solidarity of an amazing community of worker justice activists - you!

Join us for a picket on Monday, March 16th from 5-6:30 PM outside the Woodfin Suite Hotel to celebrate this most recent victory and to remind the Woodfin that la lucha sigue. On this eve of St. Patrick's day, wear green for good luck and for our hope that justice is on the way!

To RSVP for the picket, please contact Elizabeth Henry at 510-893-7106, ext. 328 or at Elizabeth@workingeastbay.org.

EBASE

P.S. to view some of the media coverage of Tuesday night's decision, visit:
-- Oakland Tribune
-- KPFA (minute 28:48)
-- People's Weekly World
--The San Diego Daily Transcript, a business publication in the Woodfin's home town, also ran on article this Thursday entitled "Emeryville council tells S.D. hotel developer to pay up."

3/18: Come Walk the Lines for Worker Justice!

2009-03-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

East Bay Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice
Come Walk the Lines for Worker Justice!

Dear ICWJ Friends:

I would like to invite you to support, encourage, and inspire low wage truckers in the Port of Oakland as they strive for economic justice. The campaign for clean air and better jobs for truckers has been in full swing for over two years now. During this time of struggle truckers have faced intimidation in the port when they seek to organize to win better wages, working conditions, and environmental protections.

Despite the long duration of this campaign, these courageous truckers continue to fight for their rights. Please come show that our support will not waver! The faith community will stand with truckers until victory is won. We will be at their side until the Port institutes a program to protect the truckers right to organize, improve health in the West Oakland community, and open doors for local hire. Your presence is vital. Many truckers attribute their staying the course because of the support they receive from you in the faith community.

Join us!
When: Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Time: 11:45am Sharp
Where: Middle Harbor Shoreline Park
Middle Harbor Road @ 7th St.
Oakland, CA

Please contact Pastor Eric Gabourel to RSVP at Eric@workingeastbay.org.
1814 Franklin Street • Suite 325 • Oakland, CA 94612 • p. 510.893.7106 ext.314 • f. 510.893.7010
icwj@workingeastbay.org