Prospect Park United Methodist
Church
Social Justice
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Prospect Park United Methodist
Church
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Social Justice ...There is an old adage that says a person who heats his house with wood gets warmed three times; when he cuts down the tree, when he splits the wood, and when he burns the wood. Buying Fair Trade tea, chocolate and nuts or items from the Gandhi Ashram at PPUMC, helping with Families Moving Forward, these are similar in that these actions benefit different people at different times and in different parts of the world. Members of the PPUMC community are supported in their working and volunteer lives as much as possible, and we encourage each other to continue to affect change, make a difference, and work for peace and social justice in the world, in our own neighborhoods, and through other groups and organizations we belong to. [Reconciling Congregation]
[Isaiah] [Gandhi Ashram] |
What is PPUMC doing?“INCOMPATIBLE WITH CHRISTIAN TEACHING” “In 1972 the United Methodist Church adopted the phrase, ‘homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.’ In 1984 the United Methodist Church declared that, ‘no self avowed practicing homosexual could be ordained’ (or appointed.) Then in 1996 the United Methodist Church adopted into church law that no pastor could officiate over a same gender union and such a ceremony could not occur in a local Methodist Church.” Quotes from website, http://annepbrown.com “Incompatible with Christian Teaching”, directed by Anne Brown is a documentary film that chronicles through interviews the effect of these church rules on the lives of GLBT people and allies in the United Methodist Church. A professor of ethics calls the “incompatible” phrasing a sin by the United Methodist Church because it separates GLBT folks from God. God’s love is compatible with everyone. As Methodists we can step out in support of GLBT folks working to change these church laws. It would be one small, nonviolent, legal and fair step to agree at Prospect Park United Methodist Church to continue wedding ceremonies for heterosexual couples, but to not sign the civil papers required by Minnesota law for civil marriage. Much conversation needs to happen among our congregation before any procedure changes. JOIN IN THE PPUMC ADULT ED. CONVERSATION ON MARRIAGE EQUITY ON SUNDAY, APRIL 11TH, 11- 12:00. JOHN FOX FROM MAYFLOWER COMMUNITY CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UCC, will share his experience, thoughts and feelings about the process his church chose toward what they call “marriage initiative”. -The Peace and Justice Committee Reconciling Congregation PPUMC's commitment to social justice as a Reconciling Congregation is immediately evident in our mission statement, found on our Home page: "Prospect Park United Methodist Church is a a Reconciling Congregation that seeks spiritual growth through
reason, experience, scripture and tradition. We engage in work that
struggles for justice in the community and in the world. We use inclusive
language to explore the many faces of God. We believe that music
inspires us, that sharing binds us together, and that reflection and
prayer empower us to act. We
welcome seekers of all ages, races, cultures, sexual orientations,
gender identifications, and creeds to join us for worship and
fellowship." PPUMC was the third congregation in Minnesota to become a Reconciling Congregation, so we have been involved and committed for a long time. We actively live the commitment to be a congregation that welcomes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans gender people. PPUMC is a member of the Minnesota United Methodist Reconciling Congregations, and participates in many events related to furthering this ministry throughout the year, including the Gay Pride Parade each June. Judy WestLee is the current Reconciling Chair and works with the Peace and Justice Committee to keep this important ministry going. Please consider stepping forward to help Judy achieve this part of our mission. Let's continue our welcome with our words, actions and presence! How does a small church like ours make its voice heard on social justice issues? We answered that question by joining ISAIAH. The Ad Council unanimously approved membership in ISAIAH, a self-directing, proactive organization that is moved by faith to strengthen congregations and effect justice on social and economic issues. The current issue on the agenda is the campaign for a Minneapolis Living Wage Ordinance. Other concerns are education, immigration rights, and transportation. You can find more information about ISAIAH on their Website at: http://www.gamaliel.org/isaiah. Joining with other churches deepens our efforts to build a just community by organizing together for the common good. The list of ISAIAH members (mostly Lutheran and Catholic) now totals about 85 in the metropolitan and St. Cloud area of Minnesota. PPUMC works with what is called the Minneapolis caucus of 20 churches, because our church is in Minneapolis. Since we are members through our church, we work with other churches in Minneapolis, not necessarily where our own home are. It is a joy to attend ISAIAH gatherings. It is a privilege to work for social justice! The ISAIAH meetings are held at 7:00 pm on the third Thursday of each month at one of the member churches. PPUMC & The Gandhi Ashram School Gandhi once said, "The first principle of nonviolent action is that of non-cooperation with everything humiliating."The adults who weave for a living at the Gandhi Ashram in Jaipur, India established a place of peace and hope in their weaving cooperative by refusing to accept the humiliartion of begging for a living. Because of their leprosy this group of men and women are outside the mainstream Indian society. They worked hard to form a cooperative, to find a market for their weavings, to begin an infirmary for the neighborhood, and also to begin a neighborhood school. Prospect Park UMC has supported them by donations and by buying the hand-woven goods sold at our first of the month fair trade sale. (Fair Trade means the money for the product goes back to support the people who make the product, and they receive a fair price for their product.) PPUMC and Hennepin Ave. United Methodist Church are working together through our Indian Partnership Committee to help make the school more self-supporting. It is increasingly difficult to obtain weavings to sell. As a result the school needs a foundation of income, apart from sales, to support this vital educational mission. Here are two practical examples of what our churches have done. First we have hired an Indian business consultant who comes for one week a month to insure the school is run with efficiency and integrity. Also our churches have recently supported the set up of a computer lab and hired a computer teacher for two reasons. There are many jobs available in India for those with computer skills. And a computer lab is a big draw to get students to enter and stay in school, and not have to go to work in unskilled jobs while they are still children. If you would like to help the school at the Gandhi Ashram, please notify the church office (612-378-2380) or Joy DeHarpporte at jjdeharp@usfamily.net. The Peace and Justice Committee has been selling fair trade chocolate, tea and items produced at the Gandhi Ashram during the monthly coffee hour. Sales have been great, so we plan to continue this indefinitely. We get our chocolate from the Equal Exchange Interfaith Program in Massachusetts, an organization that seeks to improve the lives of small farmers and their families through fair trade. The organic cocoa used in the chocolate bars, baking chocolate and hot chocolate mix we sell is grown by CONACADO, a 9,000 member cooperative in the Dominican Republic. The organic sugar in the hot cocoa mix is grown by small-scale cooperative farmers in Paraguay, and the milk powder in the mix comes from Organic Valley, an organic, farmer-owned cooperative based in Wisconsin. (Talk about knowing where your food comes from!) About 5% of the proceeds from these sales go to UMCOR's Small Farm Programs to assist small farmers; the remainder of the proceeds goes to the Peace and Justice Committee to be used for local, national and international projects. Thanks for your support--in addition to getting really good chocolate, you are supporting just and equitable economic systems that directly affect small farmers and their families around the world. All food shelf donations brought to PPUMC will go the Share and Care Food Shelf at Glendale. Some numbers to ponder:
The Families Moving Forward program provides a place for homeless families to stay. PPUMC volunteers to provide a meal and overnight facilitators several times a year. The following story was reported back by one of our volunteers: “I sat around the table with two preadolescent girls, chatting about such things as school, boys, music and holidays. One of the girls had recently come here with her family from Georgia, the other from Illinois. The 10-year old told of how she had just come back from Illinois for the funeral of her 25 year-old cousin, who had her throat slit and was then stabbed multiple times by the father of her 10-day old baby." Hopefully, most of us will never experience being homeless, as these girls are. Hopefully, most of our children will never have to deal with this kind of violence in their families. Hopefully, we will continue to work towards a society where every person matters.” Families Moving Forward has announced their merger with Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation. Because of this merger, FMF will have more support and resources for the homeless families they serve. PCNF partners with congregations to create and maintain affordable housing with very low income and/or homeless families and individuals. PCNF currently has nearly 400 safe and affordable housing units in Mpls. and St. Paul. Watch for announcements in the bulletin and on the web site for when PPUMC will be needing volunteers to honor our commitment to this important ministry. If you would like to help or want more information, please contact Joy DeHarpporte or Kelley Rae Jewett. Habitat for HumanityEvery summer, Prospect Park UMC participates in Habitat for Humanity projects in association with St Frances Cabrini and St Cecilia churches as Tres Iglesias. These three neighborhood churches have worked together since 1992 on a variety of building projects in the Twin Cities area. Volunteers are needed to help organize and coordinate the project, work on the site, prepare food for the on-site volunteers, provide child-care for the volunteers, and, of course, donate money and in-kind contributions. The most up-to-date information for donors, the project calendars, a picture gallery of past projects, and online sign-up for volunteers can be found on the Tres Iglesias Home Page . Please check it out and consider volunteering to help with this summer's project! What can you do for Social Justice?Do all the good you can, There is a common theme underlying living wage campaigns in various cities (including our ISAIAH campaign here in Minneapolis) and the fair trade movement. Both struggle to work for social and economic justice. Both affect thousands of people's lives. Both strive to provide for a decent income. Here's a reminder list of ways we can participate in best practices for both causes with minimum effort. 1. Call your city council member in Minneapolis or St. Paul to state your support for a living wage. Here at PPUMC I'm sure we DO vote in the elections. You can also influence legislators through letter writing campaigns, attending town hall forums, demonstrations. It does matter, because politicians listen to the voting public especially if there are A LOT of people. 2. Make socially responsible purchases. It was inspiring to see the purchase of eco-palms for Palm Sunday last spring. Coffee and weavings are available at our coffee hour once a month or by request. Both Ten Thousand Villages at 867 Grand Ave. in St. Paul and THE WORLD JUBILEE sell all fair trade items. 3. Tell your friends and family about this list of alternative gifts that you wish to receive for birthdays, anniversaries, and special days. And ask them if there is anything on this list they might like to receive. Changing our world begins with us! As Christians we have a call to work for the common good and the life and dignity of each person. UMC on ReliefHaiti 2010 - Information about relief work in Haiti can be found by visiting the UMCOR Web page about this important effort: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/emergencies/ongoing/haitiearthquake/ For the items below, make checks payable to PPUMC and write the advance number on the memo line. Your gift will go through our United Methodist Committee on Relief.
For the items below, make checks to PPUMC with the specific ministry on the memo line.
Other alternative gifts:
Hope Lodge Volunteers Needed… The Richard M. Schulze Family American Cancer Society Hope Lodge opened in late December 2007 at 2500 University Ave SE in Minneapolis. This nurturing, home-like environment will provide free, temporary accommodations for adult cancer patients traveling long distances for outpatient treatment. Here is your chance to make a difference. Whether you have a few hours once a week or once a month, you can make a difference. Volunteer as an individual or as part of a community or civic group. Some volunteers help at the front desk or drive patients to treatment. Some volunteers cook while others make the lodge shine. The personal rewards for volunteering at Hope Lodge are immeasurable. An Open Letter from Concerned Citizens Bishop Sally Dyck has signed (with other leaders) a statement printed in the Star Tribune May 16th: “To Governor Pawlenty and MN State Legislature, We believe that is unacceptable that nearly one half of entering kindergartners are not fully prepared to succeed in school. We are especially concerned that children from disadvantaged backgrounds start school already behind. We know MN can do better than that. We can make MN a national model for quality early care and education, and we should. We therefore respectfully request you to make access to high quality, cost-effective early childhood experiences a much higher priority than it has been in the past, and to maintain a sustained commitment to greatly improved school readiness, so that in the future, all of our children are ready to succeed in school and in life.” Living a Green and Sustainable Lifestyle "Global warming is so scary!", a friend declared helplessly to me. It's easy to think that this is a problem that we can't do anything about or to voice complaints about our slow-to-respond political system. It's easy to not "see" the problem and it can be inconvenient to try to be "green". But as Christians we are called to try to take steps toward being faithful stewards of creation. It's a social justice issue. Our church is doing a lot. We've been lucky to have Dave Robinson directing our church renovation and considering how to incorporate "green" technology. Our "Bird by Bird" group has been exploring sharing and learning about how to make our lives more sustainable and conserve resources. We're connected with Congregations Caring for Creation that is a resource for us. And we encourage each other along this path. |
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Contacting PPUMC: |
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Send e-mail to Prospect Park UMC (ProspectParkUMC@gmail.com) |
Last modified: September 2, 2010 -- JO Please contact the church office at ProspectParkUMC@gmail.com with any comments or corrections to this Web page. The URL for this website is http://www.prospectparkchurch.org |
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