Justice and Outreach Council
Monthly Digest
January 2021
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Welcome to the Justice and Outreach Council's monthly newsletter: a place to find all the happenings of this active ministry at Trinity. |
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Trinity Awards Grants to the Santa Barbara Community
In 2020, the year of the COVID pandemic, political rancor, and racial turmoil, JOC was committed to expedite actions that support the spiritual, financial and emotional needs of our community. After a careful evaluation process, six organizations were chosen to receive $5,000 each from Trinity's justice account, funded by the generous pledges and celebration offerings made by parishioners. They are:
- Black Lives Matter/Healing Justice SB
- 805 Undocufund
- CAUSE
- Food Bank SB County
- Mental Wellness Center
- Harding School Foundation
See the announcement of these 2020 grants in the Noozhawk article appearing on December 18.
Justice & Outreach Committee MISSION STATEMENT: We are committed to putting our faith and consciousness into action. We will Promote Empowerment, Enhance Human Dignity and Show Compassion and Solidarity with those in need. Through Partnering, Volunteerism and Financial Assistance, we will serve those who are Marginalized and Manifest God's Love in our community and the world.
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Opportunities for Involvement
Ways to get involved in our community, at Trinity, and in the world.
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Word and Life: Confronting Racism
Online Interactive Course
Starting Thursday, January 14
We invite you to join us for 10 weeks of Zoom meetings on Thursday mornings from 10-11:35am. The series will be based on two books:
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Jesus and The Disinherited by Howard Thurman
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How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
Tuition for the series is $67. For more information click on the flyer. To register, click here.
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The Giving Tree Box
Trinity elves delivered over 80 colorfully wrapped Christmas gifts and gift cards to residents of PATH Santa Barbara (People Assisting the Homeless) on December 20. Thanks to the generosity of the Trinity community and to the Selzler family for coordinating the effort.
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Fundraiser for the Unity Shoppe
Sunday, January 31
Order your lasagna meal (meat or veggie lasagna plus salad, bread and dessert) for $25 per meal. All food donated by the Italian Restaurant, Via Maestra 42 and the Moiso Family.
100% of the ticket price goes to the Unity Shoppe. Food can be picked up at the First United Methodist Church parking lot on the corner of Anapamu and Garden Streets. For more information and to place your order: office@fumcsb.org or call 805-963-3579.
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Freedom Warming Center
Trinity Church is part of the interfaith community feeding and sheltering the unsheltered during the cold and rainy months from November through March. We are scheduled for about four weeks during those months and usually open our doors and prepare food when it rains or becomes too cold.
This year's Warming Center season will have houseless guests staying overnight in the Veteran's Memorial Building on Cabrillo Blvd during harsh weather, instead of at individual churches. However, the Veteran's Memorial Building is unavailable to host guests on Wednesday or Thursday evenings and Trinity has answered the call to host on those harsh weather nights. Trinity, along with the other participating churches, has been asked to provide dinners on nights that the Center is open.
The Trinity community has answered our call for frozen casseroles and our freezer is full and ready to feed our houseless neighbors! Thank you to everyone who donated a casserole. We will let you know here when we are in need of casseroles once again!
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Stories of Volunteerism
Every month we publish a story about volunteerism from a Trinity parishioner. Here's an excerpt from Molly Kellogg's story (you can read her full story by clicking this link).
"Three years ago, we discovered that our Hispanic neighbors weren’t showing up…for food distribution, events, even to Hispanic stores…we learned that they were afraid to drive because of the enforcement activities of ICE. With considerable interfaith assistance I founded DRIVERS LISTOS to provide safe rides for our immigrant neighbors. Sometimes joined by Betty Wenzel, I spoke at faith communities in town to recruit volunteers. Betty and I arranged training for volunteers led by Molora Vadnais, a Legal Aid attorney and a former Trinity parishioner. With 45 volunteers, we have provided rides to over 500 of our immigrant neighbors."
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Celebrate and Support Justice
The Justice and Outreach Council (JOC) has continued its important work while Trinity has been in diaspora. 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.
However, with in-person church services suspended, we no longer have “Celebration Sundays”, and we are informed that when we resume gathering at Trinity we will not be allowed to have envelopes (as well as other materials) in the pews.
But be not dismayed! 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 by visiting our website or by clicking here, and under “special instructions” designate your donation for JOC and 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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