Justice and Outreach Council
Monthly Digest
April 2022
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Welcome to the Justice and Outreach Council (JOC)'s monthly newsletter.
A place to find all the happenings of this active ministry at Trinity.
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Land Acknowledgement
The JOC committee devised this Land Acknowledgment statement to be read before meetings at Trinity and during services.
We honor and acknowledge the Chumash people, the traditional custodians of this land, and pay our respects to the Chumash elders, past, present, and future, who call this land on which we sit their home. We appreciate their wisdom, their culture, and their presence among us today as the host people of this land. We lament the injustices done to the original inhabitants and the injustices done to this land in the centuries since. We seek the courage and wisdom to heal the wounds of the past and build a better future together, in deep solidarity.
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Openings on the Justice and Outreach Council
Ralph Armbruster has jumped into JOC with vigor! We are eager to add his justice background and enthusiasm to our dynamic group. We know there are others out there with hearts yearning to help make this a more loving, peaceful, and just world. Why not join us?
If you are interested, please contact Jeffrey Krutzsch at jskrutzsch@gmail.com.
Successful Blood Drive at Trinity
Thank you for participating in the blood drive on March 15. Trinity donated 18 pints of much needed blood. We anticipate Trinity hosting again next year. If you would like to donate sooner, please visit the Vitalant website to schedule an appointment at their location located on Hollister at Hwy. 154.
JOC Sponsors Environmental Defense Center Event
JOC voted to purchase an "Anacapa Sponsorship" to the annual EDC Blue and Green Event ($300), a coastal celebration. Trinity Episcopal Church will be listed as a sponsor for the fundraising event and will be provided with 2 tickets to attend on June 5 from 2-6 at Rancho La Patera and Stowe House, Goleta.
Summer Speaker Series
On four consecutive Sundays, June 19 and 26, July 3 and 10, Trinity will be inviting guest preachers and speakers/participants for a program after the service. Each Sunday will focus on the work associated with one of our four major grant recipients, ILDC (Immigrant Legal Defense Center), CEC (Community Environmental Council), Foodbank of SB County, and CAUSE (Central Coastal Alliance for a Sustainable Economy). Rabbi Arthur Gross Schaefer will preach on June 19, Rev. Scott Claassen on June 26, Pastor Thomas Voelp on July 3, and Pastor David Moore on July 10. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to this important series.
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Santa Barbara Feeding Ministries
Transition House. On Saturday, March 26, Lynn Carlisle, Trinity parishioner, delivered 120 chicken enchiladas, salad fixings, and a couple hundred cookies for this month’s dinner for the Transition House families on Saturday, February 26. We thank Lynn for this caring and valuable contribution.
The Dinner in Alameda Park Meal Ministry. Trinity served delicious hot casseroles (from the Warming Shelter supply in the freezer) on Thursday, March 24 to our neighbors in the park. Our next meal will be on April 28. Check the sign up for open volunteer spots.
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Border Compassion Project
Love your neighbor: Crossover to Mexicali shelter
The Border Project collaborates with Interfaith Sanctuary Alliance (ISA) to stand with our immigrant neighbors at the border. Currently they send financial contributions to La Cobina Posada, a shelter for immigrants in Mexicali, Mexico. Sister Suzanne Jabro of Palm Desert organizes donations to La Cobina through the nonprofit Border Compassion, and most of all, loves the residents.
On April 28, Sr. Suzanne will guide about 7 members of the interfaith Border Project on a visit to La Cobina. The Border Project members hope to learn from the refugees about their experiences, faith, and resilience. The donations gathered by the Trinity Episcopal (see below for information on the JOC grant) and the Interfaith Sanctuary Alliance will coincide with the visit, so Border Project members can participate in the purchase of necessities in Mexicali, led by the shelter manager. The children and youth of Trinity Episcopal and Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara are collecting art supplies and Spanish language books for the children of the shelter. These will be delivered by Border Project on this trip, just in time for Mexico's Children's Day (El Día del Niño) on April 30.
Trinity members Ralph Sandoval Armbruster and Laurinda Marshall plan to make the journey. We look forward to witnessing our neighbors' experiences and carrying all of your prayers and contributions with us. Thank you Trinity for helping bring God's justice into the world.
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Opportunities for Involvement
in our local community, at Trinity, and in the world
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Support our neighbors at the border
The Interfaith Sanctuary Alliance of Santa Barbara and the Border Project are working together to support La Cobina Posada, a shelter serving roughly 200 individuals and families at the border in Mexicali. Many of these individuals are asylum-seekers who have encountered significant traumas and losses in their home countries. They are our neighbors, and we stand with them as they await their asylum hearings and the opportunity to enter the United States.
The La Cobina Posada shelter requires $2,000/month for all the food, water, and supplies to support its residents. Each donation of $10 supports roughly one person for one month. Trinity's Justice and Outreach Council (JOC) has allocated $1,000 of grant funds (comes from 5% of our pledge income) to this project. We invite individual parishioners to make additional contributions in hopes of raising $2,000, so that we can support La Cobina Posada for 1 month’s expenses.
We hope you'll join us in this effort. Please donate online or by check to Trinity’s "Justice Fund" by April 14. Please contact Laurinda Marshall with any questions.
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Ukrainian Refugee Assistance
JOC voted to donate $500 to Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) for Ukrainian relief. We are asking that parishioners consider making an additional contribution in this terrible time of need. Please write a check to Trinity with " ERD Ukraine" in the memo line. The deadline for your funds to be included with the $500 check from Trinity is April 10.
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PFLAG Connects: Virtual Support Meetings
PFLAG meets online every month, in English and in Spanish, for virtual support meetings. Meetings are run by trusted PFLAG Santa Barbara leaders, exploring topics relevant to the LGBTQ+ community, followed by sharing and support. Visit the website for registration information.
Upcoming Meetings:
April 11 at 7pm (English)
April 14 at 7pm (Spanish)
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Earth Day Event: Arlington Theater
Saturday, April 23, 10am-5pm
Featuring a Climate Leadership Summit, Green Car Show, 30+ outdoor display tables with climate-focused action, followed by a ticketed 1972-themed evening concert. For more information go to cecsb.org.
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Immigrant Day of Action
Tuesday, April 26
The 805 Immigrant Coalition (led by Frank Rodriguez from CAUSE) is encouraging community members to attend the Immigrant Day of Action via Zoom. At this event, attendees will meet virtually with our CA state legislators to lobby for bills to increase resources for undocumented immigrants in California (food stamps, healthcare, and decreased ICE presence).
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Save the Date! Friday, June 10
Sarah House Fundraiser
Support Sarah House by attending Waula Fest, an intimate music festival with great music, food, cocktails, beer and local wine. Wade Cowper and Paula Phan both serve on the board of Sarah House. Instead of a wedding, they decided to celebrate their love and commitment by throwing a music festival to benefit the community and their favorite charity. Buy tickets and learn more.
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Central Coast Regional Equity Study
The Central Coast is at the leading edge of inequality trends that have gripped the nation for decades. To better understand and to take action for needed changes towards more equity in our region, please read this eye-opening report!
Santa Barbara County Supervisors Deny ExxonMobil Oil Trucking Proposal in Split Vote
Company's request for a permit for a phased restart it its Santa Ynez Unit draws about 100 speakers during public comment. Read the article here.
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Every month we publish a story of justice, ministry and volunteerism. This month we feature Jan Fadden, Trinity's Parish Nurse.
Throughout my life, I have volunteered frequently in various ways. This morning I went to Father Virgil Cordanos Center to serve food with a nursing student. It was upbeat and the food servers and recipients were gracious and engaged. Needless to say we were all on the same page.
In the nineties, I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time in India working with the Sisters Of Charity in Kolkata, primarily with the orphaned toddlers. We would bring them into the orphanage, Shshu Bhavan, for two to three weeks and provide medical care and nutrition. Some would be adopted but unfortunately, many were returned to the streets. It was heartbreaking.
In addition, I spent time with a doctor in the south of India going to a different village every day, primarily to distribute antibiotics and valium. Yes, valium was very popular in rural jungle areas of South India. It seems stress is a constant human condition, no matter what the circumstances are!
Another experience was in Dharmsala, India, which is a prime re-location spot for Tibetans seeking refuge. My volunteer role was to set up a medical intake system to evaluate the Tibetan nuns after their long pilgrimage to India. They arrived, frightened and malnourished, yet unceasingly joyful for all the treachery they had experienced. I just remember that it took three days to find a working copy machine to create the medical intake forms.
One of my favorite volunteer roles was in Santa Barbara being a nurse at the UCSB wheelchair camp. What a great experience that was! And, talk about "helpers high"! Everyone was feeling the endorphin effect. Needless to say, lifetime friendships were created and that I guess is a long term volunteer benefit.
Yes volunteerism, as my sister calls it, "wanting to help out" is a gift to both the receiver as well as the giver. Both roles are fertile ground to cultivate humility which we all know is good medicine.
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Celebrate and Support Justice |
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Look for the blue celebration envelopes in the pews!
CELEBRATE!...a birthday, an anniversary, a special event of any sort for which you are thankful.
Turn your “celebration” into a donation to the Justice and Outreach Council. We will use these funds to provide comfort and safety to those in need—food, education for children, assistance to immigrants—any of our neighbors needing support . . . so they can celebrate. Together, these gifts make possible our community of welcome, reconciliation and service.
Thank you Jeannie Christensen for your celebration offering in March!
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The Justice and Outreach Council (JOC) continues its important work in our community and beyond. 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.
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, select "Justice Fund" and under “special instructions” 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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