Episcopal Diocese 

of Northern California

Beloved Community

Resource Newsletter

Published by

The Commission for

Intercultural Ministries

March 2023 

Episcopal Church Becoming Beloved Community

Newsletter Highlights:

• Check Your Parish Information on the Episcopal Asset Map
• The Mission Institute Distributes Racial Justice Audit Survey to Diocesan Leaders
• I Will, With God's Help: Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice Upcoming Workshop at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Auburn
• Racial Healing Workshops Held at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Sacramento, and Church of St. Martin, Davis
• House of Bishops Appoint Bishop Barry Beisner as Bishop Provisional for Navajoland Area Mission; House Reaffirms Commitment to Transgender People and Their Families
• Incarnation Director of Spiritual Formation Highlighted by Redbud Resource Group as Ally in Support of Native Sovereignty and Community Well Being
• Resource Spotlight from the Commission on the Environment: Creation Justice Ministries
• Simple Installation of Thermostat Timer Saves Energy and Money for Grace Church, Wheatland
• Kick Off Your 2023 Earth Day Celebration - The Ants & the Grasshopper
• A Special Opportunity: Dr. Catherine Meeks Speaks at Sonoma County NOW

On International Women’s Day

I give thanks for all those women, God,

who have borne witness to your grace,

like the Samaritan woman—

the first Christian evangelist!—

women who have been slighted, ignored,

silenced, disappeared, ghosted, betrayed,

yet who have borne witness.

Priests and healers, prophets and leaders,

they have embodied your love.

In their courage, outspoken or quiet,

in their tenacity, their wisdom and their love

your grace has shone.

In their work for mercy and justice

your Word has resounded.

We have belittled them, silenced them.

And still they persevere.

May we honor those women,

listen to the voices of women,

and in their company bear witness faithfully.

Unfolding Light I Steve Garnaas-Holmes I Posted March 8, 2023

Filmmakers release ‘The Philadelphia Eleven’ documentary trailer

Episcopal News Service I Posted March 10, 2023

The producers of a documentary on the 11 women who broke down barriers in The Episcopal Church to become its first female priests have released a trailer for the film, as they work to raise the remaining money needed to complete it in time for the 50th anniversary of the church milestone next year.

In 1974, no canon specifically forbid women from becoming priests in The Episcopal Church, but diocesan standing committees and bishops to that point had almost uniformly rejected women’s requests for ordination to the priesthood. Only one of the Philadelphia Eleven had received the backing of her standing committee, and their bishops refused to ordain them.

The Vote

American Experience I Aired July 7, 2020

One hundred years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, The Vote tells the dramatic culmination story of the hard-fought campaign waged by American women for the right to vote, a transformative cultural and political movement that resulted in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.

Quote of the day

If I’m not willing to be upset and rearranged and taken apart, then how willing am I really to be redeemed?

Barbara Brown Taylor, Author and Episcopal priest

Guideposts Magazine I Posted March 10, 2023

Update Your Parish Information on the Episcopal Asset Map

The Messenger, the newsletter of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York, recently posted a helpful article about updating your parish information on the Episcopal Asset Map.The map provides important information about all Episcopal churches to people who may be looking for a church to visit.

The Asset Map has more visitors during Lent and Holy Week than during any other time of the year. Please take a few moments to check to make sure that your parish's information, including service times, phone numbers, website, etc., are up to date on the map.

You can learn how to update your parish's page through this helpful set of videos.

Reflecting on Beloved Community

Becoming Beloved Community - The Episcopal Racial Reconciliation, Healing & Justice Newsletter I Dr. Catherine Meeks I Posted February 2023

I wonder at times if we are not more in love with the idea of beloved community than we are with the work that needs to be done to achieve it? It is a concept similar to love that is overused and gravely misunderstood. We use this phrase to name our gatherings, such as having the beloved community day when churches swap pastors, or for our committees that are designed to address racism. But it is very critical that we stop and take many deep breaths as we interrogate ourselves about what we hope to achieve by what we are saying and doing.

A Theology of Social Justice

Grace Cathedral Blog I The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young

Posted February 19, 2023

“And Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid…” (Mt. 17).

Last week in an email my friend Hugh Morgan observed that when it comes to social justice the Old Testament prophets sound strikingly modern to him. He wonders if the Old Testament has a stronger social justice message than the New Testament.1 Today we consider this question.

But first let’s define social justice as equality in wealth, political influence, cultural impact, respect… in opportunities to make a difference, to love and serve others. It involves creating a society in which every person is treated with dignity as a child of God, as bearing God’s image. Jesus calls this the realm of God. Martin Luther King calls it “the beloved community.”

Today we celebrate the Last Sunday of Epiphany. Epiphany means a shining forth. You might call it a realization that utterly transforms us. The culminating story of this season occurs on a mountain top when Jesus’ friends experience a mystical encounter with God.

The Center for Anglican Learning and Leadership at Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) offers affordable online learning opportunities throughout the year. Each class is designed so that you can participate at your own pace and at your own time.

Each course is seven weeks, each week a separate lesson. Continuing Education Units are offered at the rate of 2 CEUs per course. Students from across The Episcopal Church and beyond join experienced online instructors in creating a classroom environment of respect and mutual learning. Courses are open to anyone, lay or ordained, of any denomination or none.

In this course, students will be introduced to theological-ethical perspectives from liberation traditions with attention to various cultural, social, ethnic, and political contexts that have emerged from historically marginalized communities, with a focus on the United States and Latin America. This course places scholars from various liberation traditions (Latin American/Latinx, Black/Womanist, Indigenous, Asian American, Feminist, Queer, Working-Class) in conversation with each other and highlights the necessary interrelationship between liberation theologies and liberation ethics. Throughout the course, attention will be given to practical applications for ministry in diverse contexts within the Episcopal/Anglican tradition as well as in ecumenical, interfaith, and community settings.

Register Today >>

The Mission Institute Distributes Racial Justice Audit Survey to Diocesan Leaders

The Commission for Intercultural Ministries is working with The Mission Institute to implement the first year of the Racial Justice Audit at Diocesan level in accordance with Resolution R3-2021 in support of the audit which passed with a majority of votes at the 2021 Diocesan Convention.

Current Diocesan governing leaders and participants on Diocesan commissions and committees received the online survey on March 13, 2023. Leaders and participants are encouraged to set aside time to complete the audit in a timely manner. Responses go directly to The Mission Institute and are anonymous.

Keeping Track of Sacred Ground

Are you forming a Sacred Ground Circle? Let the Commission for Intercultural Ministries know by registering it here: https://forms.gle/hriHCPKmLwjUHEyEA

Are you interested in joining a Sacred Ground Circle? Sign up here: https://forms.gle/G26EPxDzEFSpnsZW7

I Will, With God's Help: Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice Upcoming Workshop at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Auburn

These one-day in-person workshops were specially developed for the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California by the Commission for Intercultural Ministries. Renew your Baptismal Covenant as we learn about forms of historic and contemporary racism and how to engage in ministry with sensitivity and respect for all.

Please note that due to the nature of the program, attendance is limited to 30 participants.

Saturday, April 29, 2023

9:30 am - 4:30 pm

St. Luke's Episcopal Church | Auburn

Register: https://forms.gle/YCgcdyRvdHWJfLBB8

Registration fee of $15 (cash or check) on day of workshop.

Contact Diane Williamson for questions:  dianewilliamson864@gmail.com 

Watch for registration links in the Diocesan E-News and in the Beloved Community Resource Newsletter for these upcoming workshops:

• Saturday, September 9, 2023 - Virtual online workshop
• Saturday, October 7, 2023 - St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Napa
• Saturday, October 28, 2023 - St. John's Episcopal Church, Roseville

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Sacramento

Dean Matthew Woodward and workshop participants listening to presentation.

Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento, hosted 20 participants at the "I Will, With God's Help: Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice" one-day workshop on Saturday, January 21, 2023. Many of the participants were from the Cathedral and several others were from St. Martin’s, Davis, and St. Timothy’s, Gridley.

The Very Rev. Matthew Woodward, Dean of the Cathedral, warmly welcomed everyone to the workshop. The Commission for Intercultural Ministries workshop facilitators, Michael Adams, Diane Williamson and Jo Ann Williams, presented historical and current information and examples of racism regarding the Indigenous, African American, Latino and Asian American/Pacific Islander communities. Participants discussed challenging materials and actively engaged in the table discussions. They reckoned with racism in the Episcopal Church, ways they might address these issues, and the goal to become the Beloved Community, all within the context of the Baptismal Covenant.

The facilitator team appreciated the warm hospitality provided by Dean Matthew, Operations Manager Clint Pyeatt and church staff, and for providing lunch and for the thoughtful engagement by the participants.

(L-R) Workshop facilitators Michael Adams and Diane Williamson present workshop materials.

The Episcopal Church of St. Martin, Davis

The Episcopal Church of St. Martin hosted 32 participants at the "I Will, With God's Help: Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice" one-day workshop on Saturday, March 18, 2023. Most of the participants were from St. Martin’s in Davis, but the Incarnation/Santa Rosa, Trinity Cathedral/Sacramento, St. Luke’s/Woodland, Epiphany/Vacaville, St. Luke’s/Auburn, and Our Saviour/Placerville were also represented.

The Rev. Dr. Pamela Dolan welcomed everyone to the workshop. The Commission for Intercultural Ministries workshop facilitators, The Rev. Canon Tina Campbell, The Rev. Tom Gartin, and Michael Adams presented videos and spoke with prepared talks on the history and current information about Indigenous, African American, Latino, and Asian American/Pacific Islander communities as well as the source and impact of white privilege on American society. The workshop was framed by worship at the beginning and end of the day. Participants broke out into small groups for table discussions following each section. The workshop was held within the sanctuary of St. Martin’s, emphasizing this work's spiritual nature.

We owe special thanks to Gabe Avila, who managed each presentation's video portion, and Janet Lane, whose creative assistance leading up to the day was invaluable. Gabe and Janet are members of St. Martin’s staff.

House of Bishops Appoint Bishop Barry Beisner as Bishop Provisional for Navajoland Area Mission; House Reaffirms Support for Transgender People and Their Families

Episcopal News Service reported that at The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops spring gathering, 122 bishops gathered March 8-13 at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, Alabama, for a time of retreat.

During the business meeting, the House of Bishops confirmed the recommendation of the people of the Navajoland area mission to appoint the Rev. Barry Beisner as their bishop provisional. Beisner served previously as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, and, since 2019, has served as assisting bishop in Navajoland with a focus on the formation of new clergy—in collaboration with his wife, the Rev. Ann Hallisey.

The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, bishop for pastoral development, referenced Resolution D080 from the 80th General Convention, which calls for the empowerment of The Episcopal Church in Navajoland to call its own leadership, including any necessary amendments to church canons at the 81st General Convention.

Congratulations to Bishop Beisner!

Also, recalling its March 2022 statement of love and continued support for transgender people and their families, the House of Bishops reaffirmed its commitment in a resolution responding to current legislative actions in 41 states targeting trans people. “We urge all in our church, in all the countries in which The Episcopal Church is found, to create safe spaces and shield all people from harassment based on gender identity, and to join in advocacy to protect them from discriminatory laws,” the resolution states.

Incarnation Director of Spiritual Formation Highlighted by Redbud Resource Group as Ally in Support of Native Sovereignty and Community Well Being

Daphne Vernon, Director of Spiritual Formation at the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa, was featured on the Redbud Resource Group Facebook page as a participant in Redbud’s Going Beyond Land Acknowledgments (GBLA) program. She shared how the program transformed her understanding of what it means to be an ally:

“The Going Beyond Land Acknowledgements program helped me transition from a person who wants to be a good ally to someone who understands how to be an active participant in allyship. Redbud’s leadership also created a safe learning experience for story sharing and truth telling… I am forever changed by this journey, and I am looking forward to building relationships.”

Are you interested in learning how to become an active ally within Native communities? Attend Redbud’s Going Beyond Land Acknowledgements workshop by clicking the link and registering today.

Deputies of Color release letter urging rejection of Diocese of Florida bishop election

Episcopal News Service I Posted February 28, 2023

The umbrella group known as Deputies of Color, which includes the House of Deputies’ four ethnic caucuses, released a letter Feb. 28 addressed to the bishops and diocese’s standing committees of The Episcopal Church outlining their concerns about the Diocese of Florida bishop coadjutor election and calling for denial of consent for the election.

The letter is signed by the steering committees of the four member caucuses, the Asian/Pacific Islander Caucus, the Black Caucus, the Indigenous Caucus and the Latino Caucus. It comes after a churchwide Court of Review filed an investigatory report questioning the integrity of the November 2022 election of the Rev. Charlie Holt as Florida’s next bishop, citing anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in the diocese that may have tilted the roster clergy delegates in favor of Holt and disparities in how lay delegates were deemed eligible to vote.

The Deputies of Color also highlighted earlier concerns that were raised about Holt’s fitness to serve as bishop, after he was first elected in May 2022. Holt later withdrew his acceptance of that result after the Court of Review’s previous investigation found flaws in how the election was conducted.

The following is the text of the Deputies of Color’s letter:

We have the opportunity to reflect and to integrate creation care into our Lenten practices. The following resources offer an invitation into daily practices of meditation, prayer, and action. Share these resources with your congregation or creation care committee, or use them for your own personal Lenten journey. May they help us move towards a loving, liberating, and life-giving relationship with one another and with all of God’s creation.

One of the primary goals of our Commission is to seek out and provide to you the best resources we can find in the areas of creation care, environmental justice, and related topics.

If you are looking for both spiritual and practical encouragement, one great resource is Creation Justice Ministries. Their mission is to protect, restore, and rightly share God’s creation through policy action and theological education. Their website has a wealth of information on a wide variety of topics, from climate resilience to engagement with youth and young adults.

It is very easy to get regular updates from them, which may well spark ideas for projects you want to do yourself or programs you might want to share with your clergy or green team and bring to life in your congregation.

Personally, I have found their 2023 Lent Resource, billed as a “Daily Reflection-Action Calendar to Cultivate Creation Justice,” a very rich source of ideas and inspiration. (Like most of their resources, is is completely free and easy to download.) It’s a bit like an Advent calendar, except for Lent—and instead of opening a window and getting a piece of chocolate, you look at each day’s offering and find gems like a link for learning about your local watershed, or a prompt to write a note to a child who inspires you to work toward just climate solutions.

The best part is that most of the ideas are useful any time of the year, not just during this liturgical season. So go ahead and check out this great resource, and then let us know if you end up using it in your own home or church. We are always happy to get good news stories from you, our partners in caring for God’s creation. Stories can be shared with Miriam Casey at ednccoe@gmail.com.

At the 2022 Convention in Redding, Resolution R1-22, with the goal to reduce carbon consumption for all churches within the Diocese, was approved. This article will describe what Grace Episcopal Church in Wheatland has done to help achieve this goal.

In February 2023, after receiving a significantly higher utility bill, we added a timer to the thermostat circuit for the church's office and gathering areas.

Before we installed the timer, the first person arriving would slide the thermostat’s system switch from Off to Cool or Heat.  With the thermostat already set to a comfortable temperature, this turned on either the gas heater or the electric AC. Fortunately, it does not take long for the temperature in these areas to reach the desired temperature

Ryan Nelson pointing to his handiwork.

Kick Off Your 2023 Earth Day Celebration

The Church of the Incarnation, Santa Rosa, and the Commission on the Environment are excited to invite you to a screening of the documentary film, The Ants & the Grasshopper, on Wednesday evening, April 19 at 6 pm.

The film will be screened in-person at the church and simultaneously broadcast over Zoom. We hope you'll watch with us!

Please RSVP for the in-person event to bob.wohlsen@gmail.com.

Here is the Zoom information to participate online:

Topic: The Ants and the Grasshopper Screening

Time: April 19, 2023 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81516563752?pwd=WTQ3WW91QzFGRUUvRWc1TlZqOUNrUT09

Meeting ID: 815 1656 3752

Passcode: 719100

Or dial in:   +1 669 444 9171 US

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kb9EcQkofY

About the film: Anita Chitaya has a gift; she can help bring abundant food from dead soil, she can make men fight for gender equality, and she can end child hunger in her village. Now, to save her home from extreme weather, she faces her greatest challenge: persuading Americans that climate change is real. Traveling from Malawi to California to the White House, she meets climate skeptics and despairing farmers. Her journey takes her across all the divisions shaping the US, from the rural-urban divide, to schisms of race, class and gender, to the thinking that allows Americans to believe we live on a different planet from everyone else. It will take all her skill and experience to persuade us that we’re all in this together.

This documentary, ten years in the making, weaves together the most urgent themes of our times: climate change, gender and racial inequality, the gaps between the rich and the poor, and the ideas that groups around the world have generated in order to save the planet.

For more information, contact Bob Wohlsen: bob.wohlsen@gmail.com.

Memphis Approves Police Reforms After Beating Death of Tyre Nichols

Reuters I Daniel Trotta I Posted March 7, 2023

A view shows a memorial for Tyre Nichols at the intersection of Castlegate Lane and Bear Creek Cove in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., January 30, 2023. This memorial marks the area where Tyre Nichols was beaten during a traffic stop by Memphis police officers. He later died from his injuries. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer

The Memphis City Council on Tuesday approved a series of police reforms in the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols following his beating by police during a Jan. 7 traffic stop, with more far-reaching measures under consideration.

The ordinances create an annual review of police training techniques, require police to use only marked vehicles for routine traffic stops, strengthen citizen review boards, and require more police data collection.

A Special Opportunity: Dr. Catherine Meeks Speaks at Sonoma County NOW

Church of the Incarnation News & Notes I Amy Nykamp I Posted March 7, 2023

Time to have a real discussion about racism in Sonoma County.

Catherine Meeks, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing in Atlanta, Georgia. She is internationally known as a leader in racial healing work. She was named a 2022 Presidential Award Lifetime Achievement Honoree.

The Sonoma County Chapter of the National Organization of Women (NOW), working together with Blacks United of Sonoma County, will welcome Dr. Meeks as a special guest for a Zoom meeting. Our own parishioner, Amy Nykamp, is President of Sonoma County NOW and wants to pass along this invitation to Incarnation parishioners and others.

Dr. Meeks is the author of six books and one inspirational CD. Her latest book is The Night Is Long, But Light Comes in The Morning: Meditations on Racial Healing. She is the editor of the bestselling book, Living Into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America, and co-author of Passionate for Justice: Ida B Wells as Prophet for Our Times.

For questions, please contact Amy Nykamp, President of Sonoma County NOW, at info@nowsonoma.org.

Zoom details:

March 20, 2023,6:00-7:30 p.m. PST

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82846374496?pwd=WlA0cE5CaFczUUtqa1Nkc2tYQXkydz09

Meeting ID: 828 4637 4496

Passcode: 035853

Cost: Free

We are proud to be the Sonoma County Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) with Blacks United of Sonoma County.

We hope to see all of you at this special Zoom meeting.

Episcopal bishops describe ‘powerful, challenging’ racial justice pilgrimage to Montgomery, Alabama

Episcopal News Service I David Paulsen I Posted March 10, 2020

Hanging columns memorialize the thousands of lynching victims at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. Photo: John Harvey Taylor, via Facebook

Bryan Stevenson, left, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, spoke to the House of Bishops on March 9 at St. John's Episcopal Church

in Montgomery, Alabama. Here he poses for a photo with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.

The House of Bishops took a break from its weeklong retreat at the Diocese of Alabama’s Camp McDowell on March 9 and made a pilgrimage to racial justice sites in the city of Montgomery, the state’s capital and a key battleground in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

The bishops’ trip focused on two sites developed by the Equal Justice Initiative, the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The museum examines the full 400-year scope of American systems of racist oppression, from the colonial era’s chattel slavery through Jim Crow segregation and today’s problem of mass incarceration. The memorial draws attention to thousands of lynching victims during the post-Civil War period.

The bishops' pilgrimage followed in the footsteps of the church's Executive Council, which visited some of the same sites during its October 2019 meeting in Montgomery. During both trips, Episcopal leaders heard from Bryan Stevenson, the civil rights attorney

who founded the Equal Justice Initiative and spearheaded the creation of the museum and memorial, which opened in 2018. On March 9, Stevenson spoke to the bishops during a stop at St. John's Episcopal Church in downtown Montgomery.

Reparations: California Legislative Analyst’s Office Proposes “Paths” For Payments

The Observer and CBM Newswire I Antonio Ray Harvey I Posted March 7, 2023

1339: Reparations Task Force members during the debate to determine the scope of a Freedmen’s Bureau-like agency. March 4, 2023, Sacrameto, Calif. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

This past weekend, the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans received insight on how the state government might implement recommendations the panel submits in its final proposal due before July 1.

Chas Alamo, the principal fiscal and policy analyst at the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), appeared remotely in front of the panel as an expert witness during the two-day meeting held March 3 in Sacramento.

Alamo offered “several paths that could be possible for ultimate recommendations” by the task force to “flow through the Legislature and become state law” and how they can “apply” to the creation of the proposed California American Freedman Affairs Agency (CAFAA). The agency, if approved, would oversee compensation the state authorizes to Black California residents who are descendants of enslaved people in the United States.

Stranger at the Gate | 2023 Oscar-Nominated Short

The New Yorker Documentary

Documentary Short Film from Nobel Peace prize laureate and executive producer Malala Yousafzai. This film has been featured by CBS Sunday Morning, CNN,BBC, The Washington Post, and more.

After 25 years of service, a U.S. marine filled with hatred for Muslims plots to bomb an Indiana mosque. When he comes face to face with the immigrants who he seeks to kill, the story takes a shocking twist toward compassion, grace, and forgiveness. Stranger at the Gate is a story of grace, transformation, and hope.

Virtual Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course April 24-28, 2023

Registration is open for the Virtual Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course, a five-day intensive course, designed for diocesan staff, clergy, lay leaders, and seminarians to gain practical knowledge and cultural competency for Latino/Hispanic ministry. 

April’s five-day virtual course includes 20 hours of online classroom presentations, worship services, and group dialogue, with comfortable breaks and an ample lunch time factored in from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT each day.

“Combining academic learning with hands-on experience, the purpose of this multi-faceted intensive course is to provide cultural competency of the history, culture, socio-demographic, and religious aspects of the Latinos/Hispanics in the United States,” said The Rev. Canon Anthony Guillén, Episcopal Church missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries. “Also, this course will provide the foundational tools necessary for church leaders to discern and explore the type of Latino/Hispanic ministry that best fits a congregational setting and its context.”

Registration Deadline: April 14, 2023

National Gathering and Lobby Day

Ecumenical Advocacy Days is an annual gathering of Christian advocates and activists. We worship, delve deeply into the pressing issues of the day, and lift our voices by speaking truth to power on Capitol Hill.

Join us at Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2023, April 25-27, a virtual conference to worship, educate, and advocate for the innovative and courageous policies needed to realize God’s promise of peace. Our theme is "Swords into Plowshares: Achieving Enough for All & Pursuing Peace."

In 2023, we will gather virtually during a time of fear and uncertainty. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands and created 12 million refugees. Newly-empowered populist regimes violate human rights and flout international law. Unnumbered conflicts rage in every corner of the globe. These wars—and the looming threats of others—are used to justify increases in military spending, investments in more efficient tools of destruction and death. Meanwhile, every four seconds someone dies of hunger.

Congress is in session and poised to consider, and even pass, significant legislation that the Episcopal Church is advocating for. It’s imperative that we advocate for these issues that directly affect our efforts to build the Beloved Community in Northern California.

Select the issues that interest you and click on them. You will be taken to The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations Action Alert. There you can easily write to your legislators and advocate for this vital legislation.

The key issues include:

• Tell Congress to Protect the Arctic Refuge. During his first year in office in 2021, President Biden put a temporary moratorium on lease sales of the Arctic Refuge. Prior to this, two sales were conducted opening the potential for fossil fuel extraction in this region for the first time in over 40 years.
• Support a Truth and Healing Commission for Indian Boarding Schools. On March 3, 1819, the passage of the Indian Civilization Fund Act authorized and encouraged the harmful and forceful assimilation of Indigenous peoples. The Act was instrumental in the proliferation of Indigenous boarding school policies. Over 200 years later, efforts to repair generational trauma continue.
• Submit Comment on the Harmful Asylum Rule. On February 23, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed a new rule, “Circumvention of Legal Pathways”. Under this proposed rule, migrants who ask for asylum at our southern border are assumed to be ineligible for asylum unless they have prescheduled an appointment to enter or were first denied asylum protection in a country through which they traveled on the way to the United States. The public comment period in response to the proposed rule is open until March 27th.
• Urge Congress to Take Action for Sustained Disaster Relief. On Monday, February 6, 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake brought disaster to areas in Turkey and Syria. This earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, the largest of which was a 7.5-magnitude earthquake. Two weeks later, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit the same region. Relief efforts have been vigorous but complicated by harsh winter weather and ongoing political strife. We lament the loss of life and pray for all those affected by this tragedy, including nearly two million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

For more information contact Bob Wohlsen, Advocacy Team member, bob.wohlsen@gmail.com

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

Commission for Intercultural Ministries

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