Justice and Outreach Council
Monthly Digest
February 2022
|
|
Welcome to the Justice and Outreach Council (JOC)'s monthly newsletter.
A place to find all the happenings of this active ministry at Trinity.
|
|
Land Acknowledgement
The JOC committee devised this Land Acknowledgment statement to be read before meetings at Trinity and during services.
We honor and acknowledge the Chumash people, the traditional custodians of this land, and pay our respects to the Chumash elders, past, present, and future, who call this land on which we sit their home. We appreciate their wisdom, their culture, and their presence among us today as the host people of this land. We lament the injustices done to the original inhabitants and the injustices done to this land in the centuries since. We seek the courage and wisdom to heal the wounds of the past and build a better future together, in deep solidarity.
|
|
Openings on the Justice and Outreach Council
We were notified by Lara Cooper that she is resigning from JOC, as she and her husband are beginning the process of becoming foster parents, and they will need to focus their attention on that wonderful endeavor. We thank her for her service, and we will miss her. She will always be welcome to return to JOC. We are excited to welcome Ralph Armbruster as a new member with great experience with justice issues. We still have
three vacancies to be filled by folks with justice issues burning in their hearts!
If you are interested, please contact Jeffrey Krutzsch at jskrutzsch@gmail.com.
JOC 2021 Annual Report
|
|
Santa Barbara Feeding Ministries
Freedom Warming Shelter. Our freezer is full and we are ready for the next activation. February 6 - 12 and March 6 - 12 are Trinity's next scheduled weeks. The weather forecast for next week looks mild, so we will likely not be activated.
The Dinner in Alameda Park Meal Ministry. Last month, rather than cooking in the Trinity kitchen, we served burritos to-go. Our next meal will be on February 24. We will hopefully be cooking and serving as we did in past months. Check the sign up for open volunteer spots.
Transition House. Our food preparation volunteers for the fourth Saturdays of January and February will be on hiatus because of COVID. Funds of $200 per month will be donated from the JOC celebration fund to help feed families residing at Transition House on those Saturdays.
|
|
Migration Ministries
JOC member, Molly Kellogg, has been very active in recent months supporting an Afghan family who migrated to the U.S. Here is her story of how complicated, but valuable this ministry can be:
Due to the resettlement crisis for Afghan Refugees, we formed the Afghan Resettlement Task Force Santa Barbara (ARTSB) an interfaith group composed of members from Trinity, The Unitarian Society, SB Cares and Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Our first family from Afghanistan arrived on October 31, a mother Shukria, and two daughters aged 7 and 1. They had previously been housed at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. The family was airlifted out of Afghanistan by an NGO that chartered a plane to evacuate refugees.
After a short period here in Santa Barbara, we worked to resettle Shukria and her children in Dallas where she has family, and there is an Afghan community. We set up a team in Dallas to welcome them and provide assistance (the Jewish community took the lead on this.) This is a big undertaking and the family will require financial and social support while they learn English and the mother secures work. Shukria was a trained dental hygienist in Afghanistan so we hope she will eventually be able to take classes and get her Texas licensing. ARTSB has raised funding for the next few months, but we will require more funding in the future.
Thanks go out to many team members in SB and Dallas, too numerous to mention.
Molly Kellogg
(805)886-4655
|
|
Opportunities for Involvement
in our local community, at Trinity, and in the world
|
|
Black History Month 2022
Prioritizing the Preservation of Black Legacies in Santa Barbara
February 17 at 6pm (Online Event)
Hosted by Healing Justice Santa Barbara, celebrate Black History Month with an event to learn about the historical and cultural context of Black people in Santa Barbara through a virtual panel discussion and screening of Black is Beautiful (20-minute documentary). A question and answer on the current process of developing an African American/Black Historic Context Statement will follow.
The goal is to further recognize and understand the history and contributions of the African American/ Black community to the City and identify landmarks and sites of significance.
|
|
PFLAG Connects: Virtual Support Meetings
PFLAG meets online every month, in English and in Spanish, for virtual support meetings. Meetings are run by trusted PFLAG Santa Barbara leaders, exploring topics relevant to the LGBTQ+ community, followed by sharing and support.
Upcoming Meetings:
ENGLISH: the second Monday of the month.
February 14, 2022 at 7pm
SPANISH: the second Thursday of the month.
February 17, 2022 at 7pm
Visit the website for registration information. We hope to see you there!
|
|
More Local Justice News and Opportunities
Food From the Heart: Long-term Trinity parishioner, Mary Jane Salcido, reported that she contacted Food From the Heart to come and harvest her navel oranges, and they picked 600 pounds from a single tree! This bonanza was donated to Santa Barbara County Foodbank for distribution to our community. If you have similar abundance in your yard and you would like to donate, please contact Tim at (805)886-5173.
Homeless Point-In-Time Count: Volunteers needed for the 2022 Santa Barbara County Homeless Point-In-Time Count from 5:30 to 8:30 am on Wednesday, February 23. Teams of volunteers canvas assigned routes countywide to document those experiencing homelessness. Information is used to plan local assistance, funding, and to raise public awareness. Volunteers will be trained.
Foodbank Santa Barbara County: This year, the need for healthy food has more than doubled as our community continues to face a long-term economic crisis from Covid-19. Your donation directly supports our efforts to purchase enough food for everyone facing hunger within our community.
The Center for Successful Aging: Drivers needed to deliver meals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons to a diverse group of senior citizens in Santa Barbara and Goleta. This is a great way to give back to the community and to support seniors in need. Contact the Center at info@csasb.org or call (805)898-8080.
|
|
Border & Migration Ministry Summit March 30 - 31
The fourth annual Border & Migration Ministry Summit will now take place March 30 – 31. To receive conference and registration information visit the Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) website.
The Summit is open to all individuals currently engaged in migration ministries or interested in learning more. This year’s program will offer keynote presentations, workshops, and prayers with three focus tracks: Refugee Resettlement; Asylum and Border Ministries; and Accompaniment.
|
|
Stories of Justice Ministries |
|
Every month we publish a story of ministry and volunteerism from a Trinity parishioner. This month’s we feature Mary Gibson, catechist and Co-chair for the Children and Youth council.
When I came to Trinity in 1984 I was welcomed with open arms by many of our long time members. Little did I know they were just happy to have a "young" person around to help with all the events. I was the youth of the parish and was asked to help in many ways.
|
|
Celebrate and Support Justice |
|
Look for the blue celebration envelopes in the pews!
CELEBRATE!...a birthday, an anniversary, a special event of any sort for which you are thankful.
Turn your “celebration” into a donation to the Justice and Outreach Council. We will use these funds to provide comfort and safety to those in need—food, education for children, assistance to immigrants—any of our neighbors needing support….so they can celebrate. Together, these gifts make possible our community of welcome, reconciliation and service.
Thank you to Jeannie Christensen for your celebration donation in January.
|
|
The Justice and Outreach Council (JOC) continues its important work in our community and beyond. Funding for the JOC comes from your pledges and Celebration offerings. The JOC’s funding is part of our annual Operating Budget where five percent (5%) of all pledges received during the year is put in the JOC account. As pledge income has remained steady this year, these funds continue to be set aside for justice work.
There are two ways you can continue to celebrate and support our justice work in addition to your pledges both now and in the future. You can send in a check made out to Trinity and simply note “Justice” in the memo line and provide the names of the persons or occasion you want to celebrate. You can also donate via Trinity’s PayPal account, select "Justice Fund" and under “special instructions” provide the names of the persons or occasion you want to celebrate.
Thank you for supporting our justice work through your pledges, donations, prayers, and most of all, the work you do in your lives to make this a more loving, peaceful, and just world.
Kathryn Dean, JOC
Michael Dean, Treasurer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
