March 2018 Newsletter
In the News
Gun Violence Action Ideas
In the wake of the recent gun violence at Stoneman Douglas High School -- one of the deadliest school massacres yet -- h ere are a few ways to respond:

  • Visit an organization that works with victims of gun violence and their families.
  • Ask your religious leaders to preach on the issue.
  • Display pins, buttons, bumper stickers that express your point of view.
  • Organize a petition drive.
  • Arrange for a speaker or educational program on the issue.
  • Participate in marches, pilgrimages, vigils & rallies.
  • Boycott retailers and organizations that don't reflect your values.
  • Sign up for text alerts regarding pending legislation or current events.
  • Meet or write your elected officials and express your opinion in person.
  • Use the economic power of your company, purchases or investments.
  • Write to newspaper editors, diocesan newspapers, alumni newsletters etc.
  • Compose petitions to use at church services.
  • Provide time, talent or financial support to organizations that are working for change.
  • Investigate the companies your retirement funds are invested in.
  • Attend stock holder meetings and express your views.
  • Organize a prayer service.

Click on these links for more on Community Organizing , Socially Responsible Investing ,
For more on Gun Violence, click here.
Extremist Groups on the Rise
According the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) , the number of hate groups in the United States in 2017 grew for the 3rd straight year to 954 . In addition:
  • Hate groups were found in all 50 states.
  • Neo-Nazi groups were up 22%.
  • Anti-Muslim groups rose for a 3rd straight year -- after tripling in 2016, 13 more chapters were added last year.
Click on these links for more on Racism & Religious Intolerance.
Resources
Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace
A new resource from JustFaith Ministries ,
invites participants to formulate a personal response, inspired by their Christian beliefs, to the reality of violence. This 8 week module is designed for small groups of 8 – 12 people and explores some of the central questions related to nonviolence responses to violence. The sessions provide historical, biblical, and theological perspectives and suggest ways participants can take faithful action for God’s people.
To learn more, click here.
For more on Peace and Nonviolence , click here.
Unseen:
Unpublished Black History from the New York Times Photo Archives
A publication by Dana Canedy, Darcy Eveleigh, Damien Cave and Rachel Swarns. Includes photos of a 27-year-old Jesse Jackson leading an anti-discrimination rally in Chicago, Rosa Parks arriving at a Montgomery Courthouse in Alabama, a behind-the-scenes shot of Aretha Franklin backstage at the Apollo Theater, Ralph Ellison on the streets of his Manhattan neighborhood, the firebombed home of Malcolm X, Myrlie Evans and her children at the funeral of her slain husband , Medgar, a wheelchair-bound Roy Campanella at the razing of Ebbets Field. To learn more, click here.
For more on Racism , click here.
Recycling in America vs. Recycling in Norway
A short video from the Farm Project that shows the difference that making a deposit can make on returning recyclable materials such as plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Watch now. 
For more on the Environment , click here.
Phenomenal Women of Black History:
Ida B. Wells
A resource from the Sojourners, that summarizes the highlights of Ida B. Wells life.
Immigrant Prisons
A resource from Brave New Films that looks at the 440,000 immigrants imprisoned each year throughout the U.S. in 200 facilities owned and operated by large private prison companies. The series runs 52 minutes and includes three short films— Immigrant Prisons ,  Immigrants for Sale , and  No More Detention: Free Pastor Noe . There is also a Facts and a History section available, as well as an Educator Guide and a Facilitator Reflection Guide. Watch the trailer.
For more on Immigration , click here.

The Climate Reality Project
Offers a short quiz to see what kind of climate activist a person is with specific ways to take action. Also has a free e-book that explains what it means to be a climate reality leader and a free guide to the basic facts about climate change. Learn more.
For more on the Environment , click here .
Do Black Lives Matter to White Christians?
A short resource from Sojourners that looks at the wide difference between what white Christians and black Christians believe about the killing of black men by police as part of a pattern of violence.
For more on Racism , click here.   
Bail Trap: American Ransom
A resource from Brave New Films, consisting of four films that look at the myths & struggles surrounding bail. There is also a Facts and a History section available, as well as an Educator Guide and a Facilitator Reflection Guide.
For more on the Criminal Justice System ,
Refugee Co-Sponsorship Guide
A comprehensive resource from the Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services. Has information on Pre-Arrival, Arrival, Community, Housing, Finances, Self-Sufficiency , English Classes, Children's School Enrollment, Early Childhood Programs, Employment, Orientation Classes, Transportation, Health Care, Mental Health, Immigration and Culture that could be adapted most anywhere. Learn more.
For more on Refugees , click here.
Catholic Social Teaching and Distributism:
Toward a New Economy
By Michael Hickey. Explores themes of Catholic social teaching, particularly distributive justice, found in papal letters. Also discusses Catholic social teaching in reference to the economic theory of distributism.  Read more.
For more on Catholic Social Teaching , click here.
What Does it Mean to Be Prophetic Today
A 20 minute conversation from Sojourners, that features Kenyetta Gilbert, associate professor of homiletics at the Howard University School of Divinity and Professor Brueggemann, professor emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary talk about the prophetic call in today's world. 
For more on Justice , click here.
The Shepherd Campaign
A resource on human trafficking from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that provides tools to raise awareness, teach prevention strategies and promote responsible consumerism among parishes, schools & other social networks. Learn more.
For more on Human Trafficking , click here.
Home is a Human Right:
A Series on Immigration
A resource from Brave New Films that looks at one of the consequences of the current surge of anti-immigrant rhetoric: as more U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are patrolling communities to lock up immigrants while the corporations that detain them turn a profit. There is also a Facts and a History section available, as well as an Educator Guide and a Facilitator Reflection Guide. Watch the trailer.
For more on Immigration , click here .
Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear
By Matthew Kaemingk. Offers a thought-provoking Christian perspective on the growing debates over Muslim presence in the West. Rejecting both fearful nationalism and romantic multiculturalism, Kaemingk makes the case for a third way—a Christian pluralism that is committed to both the historic Christian faith and the public rights, dignity, and freedom of Islam. Read more.
For more on Religious Tolerance , click here.
Human Flow
A documentary filmed in 23 countries that chronicles the journeys of individuals and families in various countries as they experience displacement on a massive scale due to war, climate change, and famine. Website also has a gallery of photos and ways to take action.  Watch the trailer.
Click on these links for more on
The Line: Poverty in America,
It's Not What You Think
A documentary produced by Sojourners that shows the truth about poverty in America. Tells the stories of people across the country living at or below the poverty line -- from Chicago's suburbs and South Side to the Gulf Coast to North Carolina.
For more on Poverty , click here.
Indivisible
A documentary from Sojourners that is part of the Onward series on immigration. Features the story of Renata, Evelyn, and Antonio who were brought to the U.S. as children and witnessed their parents' deportation. Today they are each fighting to be reunited with their families. Other films of the series include: Without a Country (Sin Pais), The Mayor, The Caretaker, Underwater Dreams, Hawo's Dinner Party, Get to Know Me & Care: Vilma & Dee's Story . Watch the trailer.
For more on Immigration, click here .
Prayers
A Prayer for Migrants

Good and gracious God,
We pray for all people who are migrating,
particularly those who are forced from their homes or separated from their families
because of threats of violence and persecution.

We ask that you protect and keep them safe.
Although we come from different countries,
and have our origins in different cultures,
we were created by you, and are made in your image and therefore we all share an inalienable dignity that is deserving of respect.

Lord we ask that you give us the strength
to defend those who are marginalized,
to give aid to those in need,
to come to the defense of those
who are poor or vulnerable,
and to welcome those who are on the move
into our homes and into our hearts.


Click on these links for more prayers for Immigrants & Refugees .
 
Important Dates This Month

Individuals Honored This Month
Exact Date of Death Unknown
I don’t want to live in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!

 March 2nd
We who say we dwell in Christ, should walk just as he walked.
March 3rd
I believe much trouble would be saved
if we opened our hearts more.
March 5th
The number one cause of atheism is Christians. Those who proclaim Him with their mouths and deny Him with their actions is what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable.

March 13th
Many powerful people don’t want peace because they live off of war.

March 14th
The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything.

A church that doesn’t provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a word of God that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed – what gospel is that?
March 31st

History will judge societies and governments and their institutions not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and powerful but how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless.

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