Justice and Outreach Council
Monthly Digest
October 2021
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Welcome to the Justice and Outreach Council (JOC)'s monthly newsletter.
A place to find all the happenings of this active ministry at Trinity.
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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.
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Afghan and Haitian Migrants
(EMM). At JOC's September meeting, the committee voted to contribute $1000 to EMM, to support their programs for Afghan and Haitian relief and resettlement. The Trinity vestry has approved this donation. JOC is also exploring how we can partner with local organizations to sponsor Afghan refugees in our community.
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Border Project Update
Following our recent effort to support refugees at the Mexican border, it has been decided that a monetary contribution from JOC would be more cost/energy efficient. SBACT is our conduit for this partnership with the Episcopal Church in Palm Desert. JOC voted, and the vestry approved a $500 gift to SBACT for relief at La Cobina Shelter in Mexicali, supporting 200 asylum seekers.
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Dream-Makers Campaign Update
Trinity was among nine churches who contributed to this recent campaign along with individual contributions totaling $26,158. Trinity donated two DACA "fees", valued at $495 each. (See the press release here.) 40 DACA fees were the goal, and 53 were raised! 21 have already been used locally.
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More Local Justice Issues
As federal unemployment benefits expire in California, local community members who've been receiving aid throughout the pandemic no longer have the assistance to help with rent and essential needs. Read this important message from the FoodBank.
Interested in working to heal the polarization in our relationships because of politics? A more congenial relationship with our neighbors across the aisle could help create better justice for all! Check out the work of Braver Angels.
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Welcome Julia Laraway
Julia Laraway, vestry member and vestry liaison to JOC, is a strong advocate for local justice issues. Julia attended our September meeting and we are grateful for her presence and participation in this ministry.
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Blood Drive Update
Many thanks to the 25 people who signed up for the blood drive held at Trinity on September 7. We had hoped for 17 units of blood, and 22 units were donated!
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Opportunities for Involvement
in our local community, at Trinity, and in the world
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Border & Migration Ministry Summit
The Annual Border & Migration Ministry Summit will be held virtually, October 21-23, 2021.
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 & Border Ministries; and Accompaniment. Learn more here.
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Meal Ministry in the Park
Monthly on the fourth Thursday
Mary Ann Evans, JOC member, reported that, after four monthly dinners with Trinity Episcopal and Trinity Lutheran hosting, the houseless population that attends has become familiar and more comfortable with our volunteers. Her volunteer role is to greet and welcome folks and spend time hearing their stories and laughing with them, making sure they are seen. Thank you to the many who volunteer for this important ministry!! To volunteer on October 28, contact Sarah Thomas sthomas@trinitysb.org or visit trinitysb.org.
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Freedom to Choose Project Volunteer Opportunity
The Freedom to Choose Project (FTC) is all about redemption and the power of second chances, assisting men and women in stepping free of past identifications as “criminals” and re-identifying themselves as valuable members of our society.
Maureen Earls, member of CLUE is sharing this opportunity with Trinity members. "This is a very successful program bringing human contact and connections to our neighbors in incarceration. I have participated in programs with Dr. Bonnie Paul, founder of Freedom to Choose, and she is doing amazing work. I hope to participate in this program when my jail remodel campaign with CLUE and League of Women Voters is over! And we hope to bring this program to our jail.
Learn more about upcoming volunteer opportunities on the FTC website. Questions may be directed to: Elana at elanap@gmail.com or phone 818-282-5165.
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Results from the Coastal Clean Up Day
- 1287 Volunteers
- 5211.5. Pounds of Trash
- 892.5. Pounds of Recyclables
- 6104 Total Amount of Litter Removed (Pounds)
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Stories of Justice Ministries |
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Every month we publish a story of ministry and volunteerism from a Trinity parishioner. This month’s story is from Anne Howard, Board President of the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation
Library as Social Justice
When we think “justice and outreach” ministries, I am guessing that our local public library does not necessarily come to mind. So I want to share with you my great passion, and the place where my faith, my commitment to justice, and my belief in democracy all come together: our Santa Barbara Public Library, right down the street from Trinity on Anapamu. Click here to continue reading.
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Celebrate and Support Justice |
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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.
We would like thank the following people for their generous contributions to the JOC celebration fund. Steven Singleton celebrated his parents’ birthdays. Mac McNeel celebrated their daughter Sierra’s 25th birthday. Thank you all!!
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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
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