Lenten Reflections on Healing and Justice

I think that part of the process of healing is first and foremost admitting there is something that needs to be healed.  There are different injuries and hurts we receive. Some are inflicted because of the structures we sit in - the oppressive house we sit in... another kind of hurt is when someone has injured us. It takes a level of acknowledgement and the personalization of apology or seeing the hurt and having the empathy to see what has happened. And then you have the kind of healing that requires more than an apology... not every time you hurt someone is "sorry" good enough ... that is what we are encountering right now.  
-Will Dickerson

During Lent, the Rev. Arrington Chambliss, Executive Director at Episcopal City Mission, had weekly conversations with a leader about the connections between repentance, forgiveness and justice. Click here to read excerpts from her conversation with Will Dickerson , the Director of Brockton Interfaith Community (a grantee of ECM's Burgess Fund) and a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist tradition. We are grateful for Will's willingness to share this interview with us.
Take Action with ECM
Upcoming Events & Actions with Parish of the Epiphany
Thank you to Roz Navarro for sharing these events hosted by Parish of the Epiphany and their community partners!

(1)  Tuesday, April 16 at 1:00 p.m. - Jericho Walk at ICE offices in Burlington.  Sponsors are the Burlington Area Clergy for Justice (BAC4J). Check their Facebook page  for more info or for updates.

(2) Wednesday, April 17, 7 to 8:30 p.m. First Parish in Brookline - Understanding the Crisis Beyond the Border: A conversation with Father Ismael "Melo" Moreno, S.J., Honduran human rights advocate. Join us in Lyon Chapel to learn more about the deep crisis that Honduras is experiencing under the current authoritarian regime and its connection to the mass migration of thousands of Hondurans to the United States.  Click for details here

(3) Thursday, April 18 at 6:00 pm - Harvard Graduate School of Education, Gutman Library, 6 Appian Way, Cambridge - another opportunity to hear from Father Ismael "Melo" Moreno.  Click for details here

(4) Sunday April 28 at 2:00 p.m. at the South Bay Detention Center - Prayer Vigil to support men detained by ICE. 
Immigration Accompaniment and Advocacy

ECM is collaborating with the Canon for Immigration & Multicultural Ministries to support parishes across the Diocese to act for immigrant justice. There are two primary ways to act:

(1) Accompaniment - provide transportation, allyship, and spiritual and material support for immigrants navigating the immigration and criminal justice system
(2) Advocacy - advocate in your community for the passage of the Safe Communities Act and other pro-immigrant legislation

For more information about how to be involved in these actions, or to organize a coffee hour conversation on immigration in your parish, contact Carly@episcopalcitymission.org.
 
Recent News from ECM
A crowd of protesters marches in the street carrying signs.
Feature: Recent Organizing Wins for Boston Public Schools at St. Stephen's Youth Programs

This week, we're excited to uplift St. Stephen's Youth Programs, a grantee of ECM's Burgess Urban Fund, for their recent organizing wins for public education funding.

On March 28, hundreds of students and parents marched on Washington Street on the way to the Bolling Building, where BPS administrative offices and the School Committee are housed. With signs indicating the recent school budget cuts and chants calling for the education they deserve, the protestors gathered to stage a mock School Committee meeting -- calling themselves the "People's Committee," they voted to approve the budget allocations necessary to meet students' needs. Check out the coverage in the  Boston Globe ,  WGBH ,  Boston Herald  and  Bay State Banner .    

The march and rally brought attention to the Boston Public Schools' budget shortfall and subsequent challenges facing the Blackstone School and other BPS schools (and the students and families and staff in those schools)!

St. Stephen's Youth Programs is playing a key leadership role in this campaign, as they are very concerned about the $500,000 funding gap for the Blackstone, which is the school where approximately 60 of their young people attend elementary school.

There has been one big win already: BPS voted to add $5M to the BuildBPS budget for doors and walls at Blackstone! Now we need $400K more for staffing and partnership costs for the Blackstone for next year.

Action steps:
  1. Watch the video from the action
  2. TONIGHT - Attend the Bake Sale to Raise $20 million for BPS Wednesday, April 10 (the day the Mayor submits his budget to City Council), 4-6pm at City Hall
Activists hold banners that read, "your budget equals a crime" and "fair budget equals a future"
The facilitator (Lily Luo) stands and speaks to a participant who is sitting.
Parishes Participate in First Prophetic Leadership Program Gathering

On Saturday, April 6th members from All Saints Parish in Brookline, Old North Church in Boston, and Trinity Church in Marshfield met as part of ECM's Prophetic Listening Program. This program is focused on teaching community organizing skills in a parish context and is rooted in theology. Facilitators Lily Luo, Hazel Johnson and Jocelin Thomas led the group in a spiritual practice, a training on storytelling and a Bible study on Zechariah 7. 
Two participants sit at a round table and speak to one another.
Storytelling is a key tool in community organizing - it grounds each person in their own story and is a way to bring new people in and inspire engagement with justice and liberation. At the training, the group also discussed how many of Christianity's important lessons are taught through storytelling in the Bible. Here are some of the participants writing, reflecting on, and sharing their stories.
ECM is Hiring!
ECM is hiring for two positions! Join our team in this urgent moment in our country and exciting time in our organization's life.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZER
Episcopal City Mission (ECM) is looking for a committed, energetic and high-performing organizer to work with our lead organizer, developing our leadership base across Episcopal communities in Massachusetts and organizing teams to take justice-based action.

Click here for a full job description

GRANTS MANAGER
Episcopal City Mission (ECM) is looking for a committed, energetic and high-performing team member to manage all aspects of ECM's grants programs: Burgess Urban Fund, Parish Partnerships, Wider Community Partnerships and Amos Fund from publicizing availability to evaluation and follow up with grantees.


MANAGER OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Episcopal City Mission (ECM) is looking for a committed, energetic and high-performing team member to incorporate leadership development into all aspects of ECM's engagement opportunities in Massachusetts.


COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
Episcopal City Mission (ECM) is looking for a committed, energetic and high-performing team member develop and implement strong strategic communications. 

ECM Partners
Report Back: Immigration Meeting at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Taunton
On March 7, 40 persons from faith community, social services, and other supportive organizations gathered for a day to learn about current immigration policies, convene with leaders from Agencia Alpha and Episcopal City Mission, and discern how to minister to those in vulnerable situations. Read the Report on ECM's Blog.
Witnessing Injustice in Bristol County
Last month, leaders of a growing immigration accompaniment network in Bristol County gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven to share stories and discuss ways to further support their immigrant neighbors. Longtime Bristol County organizer Diana Painter shares her reflections on the ECM Blog,  "The importance of bearing witness" .
A Conversation with DA Rachel Rollins
On March 19, ECM co-sponsored a conversation with Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins, "What a Difference a DA Makes". The event, hosted by Temple Israel of Boston, was made possible by a number of community groups, including the Center for Teen Empowerment, the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, NAACP Boston, Temple Beth Zion, Temple Beth Elohim, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Bethel AME, Temple Sinai, and GBIO. Watch the full video here .
"I Am Because You Are": A Report from the CSIO's Border Delegation
The Center to Support Immigrant Organizing (CSIO), a grantee of ECM's Burgess fund, was recently featured in the Baptist Peacemaker for their border delegation trip.

For all of its fifteen years of work, CSIO has focused on supporting immigrant organizers, leaders, directors, activists and their organizations to overcome barriers to achieving social, political and economic justice for immigrant communities. Read the report here.
Coming Soon at ECM
ECM'S 2019 ANNUAL CELEBRATION: DISRUPTING HOPE
JUNE 11, 2019 from 5:30 - 8:30 P.M. at BOSTON UNIVERSITY

This year's Annual Celebration will focus on the importance of finding hope in the now, through acting for change in a place rather than focusing on a lofty intangible hope that will manifest in the future.  The featured speaker is Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre, professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at Iliff School of Theology, scholar-activist, author, and ordained Baptist minister. His books include  Embracing Hopelessness  and  The U.S. Immigration Crisis: Towards and Ethics of Place .

This special event is free for all to attend. As ECM's annual fundraiser, we invite you, your parish or your organization to become an event sponsor. 

To become a sponsor for the 2019 Annual Celebration, click here!
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry Visits - April 26, 2019
The Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will be visiting Massachusetts beginning on April 26th. Please view the list of events and download promotional materials here .
Praxis Groups: Studying the work of Miguel De La Torre
Praxis is a community of faith-rooted leaders who believe God calls us all to build liberating and joyful communities. To this end, we have dedicated ourselves to dismantling oppressive cultures of racial and economic injustice, such as white supremacy and individualism, by challenging dominant systems of power.

Praxis members meet monthly in small groups to both reflect on how they are called to lead and to commit to practicing courageous leadership in their various communities. This spring, Praxis groups will be studying the work of Miguel De La Torre. If you are interested in learning more about Praxis contact Dan Gelbtuch: Dan@EpiscopalCityMission.Org.