eNews + June 5, 2020

June 6/7 + The Holy Trinity

Readings  here.

Worship in the Home resources here.

Friday, June 5

7pm- Pastor and Pajamas Story Time with Pr. Sevig (join via Zoom here)

Saturday, June 6

Noon- Utilizing Pandemic Experiences to Understand Difference (more info here)

5pm  - HTLoop Checkin with Pr. Ben and 5:30pm Evening Prayer

Join via Zoom here (Meeting ID: 200 920 453 Password: 068508

Prepare for Worship: Candles

Sunday, June 7

9:30am  - Online Lord's Day Worship

Join via Zoom here (Meeting ID: 440 750 769 Password: 402069)

Follow along with the bulletin here . We will also try to livestream this on Facebook.

10:45am- Sunday Small Bites: Imagining Holy Trinity's Future, with Pr. Mueller (more info here )

I keep hearing the words of George Floyd begging for mercy and crying for help from his mother. I can’t (and shouldn’t) unsee his murder or unhear his desperate plea. Moms everywhere heard his final words and thought of their own children crying out for them in times of desperation. Moms of black sons, though, heard his cry much differently; for they know all too well that it could have been their own.  

One meme I saw recently says “All mothers were summoned when George cried out for his momma.”And it’s true. Not only have moms heard the call to speak out, to protest, to organize, to demand justice, but so too have many others of all ages and races. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have been doing all of this for a lifetime, but now more than ever before, we see a growing number of so many others joining in the fight to address police brutality and fight racism.

Today is George Floyd’s funeral and the nation watches and mourns. His murder has stirred more national attention than many others because we all watched it happen over a period of nearly 9 minutes. But George Floyd’s death is just the most recent of a persistent stream of deaths and injuries at the hands of white police or white people who believe the police will back them up. Amuaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Eric Garner. Trayvon Martin. Philando Castile. Michael Brown. The Emmanuel 9 killed in their own church during a Bible study. So many names. So many siblings in Christ, and yet most aren’t caught on video. Most never come to anyone’s attention. 

My sadness and anger at the systemic racism and violence against black people is palpable and raw right now, and yet, I’m very aware of my own white privilege during this time. My black siblings have asked, “Where was your rage before?” and wondered if this is one more time where white people are stirred to action for a brief moment as they are running in a justice seeking marathon. 

You see, I have the privilege of seeing or ignoring the racial prejudice that pervades our lives every single day. No one has ever stopped me for walking my dog in our neighborhood to ask what I’m doing here. I don’t worry that my newly licensed male teen driver will die if stopped by the police. I’ve never once worried that my front door would be busted down and one of us would be shot in our beds. I’ve never been concerned that I’d be shot during a Bible study or worship service because of the color of my skin. 

White people are being summoned by the Holy Spirit to see the pain our siblings of color bear and to unite with them for the marathon work of justice, restoration and accountability. Several Holy Trinity members were committed to anti-racism work long before this week’s protests in the streets all over the world; but we who are white need to commit to this anti-racism work again or now for the first time. 

It’s easy to repost a meme on Facebook or participate in one protest. But white people need to do more. People of color in our congregation do not have the same call right now. This is a moment where we white people need to not just learn and act, but create space for our members of color to breathe, rest, and heal.

Here are some ideas for you who are new to anti-racism work and for those who are ready to recommit to being an anti-racist. 

Acts of racism and and failure to act against racism are sin and injure God and our neighbors. All of our gestures of welcome and declarations are meaningless unless we actively work to change our behavior and change the systems of oppression. 

O God, raise us up as the body of Christ for the world. 

Breathe new life into us, and send us forth, 

burning with justice, peace and love.

Send Michelle a message with your comments or questions.

For a complete text-based version of this anti-racist reading list, click here.

JOIN US!

The HT Anti-Racism Ministry meets the first Tuesday of every month.  Holy Trinity Chicago is dedicated to working to dismantle institutional racism, and we need your help. All are invited to attend our monthly meetings, which alternate between HT Loop and Lakeview. Our next one is Tuesday, July 7 at 6:30pm via Zoom . To learn more, contact Pastor Ben at [email protected]  or Kerry Fleming at  [email protected] .

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

Join the Holy Trinity Anti-Racism Virtual Bulletin Board Facebook group here.

Though we've heard of zoom-bombing* before and taken precautions to avoid it, we got Zoom-bombed during our Anti-Racism Meeting on Tuesday. It was awful! We gathered that night to pray and reflect, support and organize. There were several first-time people joining us for the meeting, inspired by the recent protests and riots to be with others who share their vision for a more just world. But as we were doing introductions several new people entered the meeting and began shouting racist and vile things at us, calling some of us by name. We ended the meeting quickly and unexpectedly, many of us shaken and disturbed by what we experienced.  

Holy Trinity is committed to creating safe spaces for people of color and others to gather in worship and meetings. The staff is working on making Zoom more secure for our meetings and will enable waiting rooms, so the host will need to let you in. For our Sunday assembly we encourage you to arrive early because we will enable a waiting room shortly after worship begins. Please adjust your zoom account to reflect your name so we recognize you if you end up in a waiting room. 

   *several unknown people enter a zoom meeting at one time to disrupt it

Join our Facebook Group

If you haven't already, consider joining our Holy Trinity Community Life during the Closure Facebook Group

Directory

If you would like to receive a PDF copy of the HTLC Directory or a copy in the mail, please email Beau in the church office at [email protected].

HTConnect

Login to HTConnect to view directories as well as your own giving information, etc. You can login at connect.htchicago.org . If you haven't yet used HTConnect, there is a place for you to set up an account. Finally, if you try to set up an account and it can't find your email address, let us know by sending an email to [email protected] . It could be that we have a different email listed in our database that is connected to your account.

This Elvina Moen (pictured at right) Social Justice Fund provides support for persons with special financial needs and will be an important resource during these challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of your generosity, we now have sufficient funds to begin distributing to those in need. If you or anyone you know is in need of support from this fund, please direct them to this form: https://forms.gle/nxeMYTzvA63y2g9P6

Join Pr. Sevig each Friday at 7pm for  Pastor and Pajamas story time for children of any age. She'll pull out some of her favorite children's books with a faith theme to share with you.

Join her via Zoom at 7pm on Fridays. She'll wear her PJs and looks forward to seeing you in yours. Come, relax and have some fun with your pastor no matter what your age.

Your continued offerings support the mission and ministry of Holy Trinity during these uncertain and challenging times. In addition to giving via mailed cash or check and online at  giving.htchicago.org , contributions may also be made via Venmo (@HTChicago or use the QR code to the right).

 

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PRAYERS for those ill, or with special needs or circumstances:

If you would like to be included on the prayer list please  contact the church office  . Prayer requests remain on the list for four weeks before being removed, and requests can be renewed as often as needed.

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