Episcopal Diocese 

of Northern California


Beloved Community

Resource Newsletter


Published by

The Commission for

Intercultural Ministries

January 2023 

Episcopal Church Becoming Beloved Community

Happy New Year!

Newsletter Highlights:


  • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Remembrance 2023
  • Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemoration Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Ellen K. Wondra, Church of the Incarnation
  • The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning - Epiphany Book Study at St. John's, Roseville
  • Recommended Best Practices for Organizing and Facilitating Sacred Ground
  • I Will, With God's Help: Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice: Schedule of Upcoming 2023 Workshops
  • The Commission for Intercultural Ministries
  • January 2023 Progress Report: Petition to Further Resolution A087 Through the Development of Congregation-Based Plans to Achieve Carbon-Neutral Facilities and Operations by 2030
  • Bishops Visit Migrant Shelter in Mexico as US Government Seeks to Limit Record-High Crossings
  • Wintertalk 2023: A Chain Linking Two Traditions
  • The Four Vision Quests of Jesus Book Study
  • St. Martin's, Davis - Northern California Church Holds Multicultural Advent Celebration with Indigenous Hymns, Mexican Pageant
  • Eric Genuis Concert at St. John's, Roseville, February 1, 2023, 7 pm - Save the Date!

"The Work of Christmas"

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among brothers,

To make music in the heart.


Howard Thurman

The Trey Clegg Singers

The mission of the Trey Clegg Singers is to use music as a healing force for reconciliation, equality, and justice. They represent the ethnic diversity of Atlanta--Black, White, Latino, Asian, multiracial and multicultural. They are proud to be an affirming community chorus inviting to all expressions of gender identity and sexual orientation. They are a welcoming community that values all the human spirit offers.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Remembrance 2023

As we remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we think about his I HAVE A DREAM speech. In the speech, he spoke these words…

 

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

 

We also think about his Letter from the Birmingham Jail. In the letter he wrote to people of good will, to religious leaders of the day, including Episcopal leaders, and called them to speak out and take action for justice for Negroes. 

 

In 2023 his words still resonate with us. We still have work to do to treat each other as equals, to speak out and take action for justice for African Americans and all marginalized people in our society.

Read More

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Video of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr

Martin Luther King, Jr: Crash Course I Black American History #36



Learn about the best-known leader in the Civil Rights Era, Martin Luther King, Jr.--from his rise to notoriety during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, his leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the March on Washington in 1963, his work toward the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the mid-1960s, and his assassination in 1968.

Video of march that led to Dr. King's arrest

The March that Led to MLK's Arrest and Famous Letter I Smithsonian Channel


In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy led a march through the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. Both were arrested and placed in solitary confinement. There, MLK penned his famously stirring letter defending African-American resistance.

Martin Luther King, Jr. reads his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" I postarchive




Listen to Martin Luther King, Jr. read his letter to fellow clergy.


Transcript of letter

Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Sermon

By The Rev. Dr. Ellen K. Wondra

Priest Associate, Church of the Incarnation, Santa Rosa

Every year at this time, when we commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I find myself caught up in a great tension between inspiration, on the one hand, and discouragement, on the other. Yes, a great deal has changed for the better since and in no small part because of Dr. King’s work. And yes, far too much hasn’t changed, isn’t changing, in fact in some ways is even going bad again. We are, in fact, in the midst of a resurgence of racism and white supremacy, of hate speech and violence, of deliberate policies and laws that inflict and perpetuate injustice against the marginalized and the vulnerable. That’s not all that’s going on, of course. But it is going on, and it isn’t clear, to me at least, how any of this is going to change for the better.

 

So as we commemorate Martin Luther King and what he represents, there’s a real need to listen to or read the great inspiring speeches, where Dr. King lays out his vision—so much of it put in the words of Scripture, and particularly the words of the prophets—and his absolute, steadfast confidence that that vision can and will become a reality, if we keep working for it, praying for it, living it out when and where we can, and making more and more spaces in which people can do that. We need the inspiration. We need the reminder that, as Dr. King said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” In times like these, it’s easy to lose hope, or forget that hope is of God and so, ultimately, cannot be overcome.


But I also want to remember and re-read Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” particularly since it’s directed to religious leaders, and to white people who advise patience, tact, cooperation, compromise, and so on. (One of the religious leaders named, by the way, is the Episcopal Bishop of Alabama.) It’s a long letter. And it must have been shocking at the time. It’s still shocking now, because it’s a reminder that the endurance of systemic racism, and of oppression and marginalization of all kinds, is not just a matter of ill will. Though ill will is certainly a part of it, there’s another factor which may be even more important.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks to members of his congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on April 30, 1967. AP file

Read More

Presiding bishop tours long-forgotten Virginia slave jail site


Episcopal News Service I Egan Millard I Posted December 14, 2022

The Rev. Delores McQuinn explains the history of the Lumpkin’s Slave Jail site in Richmond, Virginia, on Dec. 3, 2022. Photo: Jay Paul

During a visit to the Diocese of Virginia on Dec. 3, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry learned about a dark chapter in the history of Richmond at the site of a slave jail and market just down the hill from the Virginia Capitol.


Curry was in Virginia to participate in the consecration of the Rt. Rev. E. Mark Stevenson as bishop of the Richmond-based diocese. Curry and Stevenson toured the Lumpkin’s Slave Jail site with some of the people who helped rediscover it, and they learned the story of the long-forgotten “place of horror,” Curry told Episcopal News Service.

Read More

Church of England publishes report on historic links to slave trade, announces £100m program in response


Episcopal News Service I Posted January 10, 2023

The report follows an interim announcement in June 2022, which reported for the first time, and with great dismay, that the Church Commissioners’ endowment had historic links to transatlantic chattel slavery. The endowment traces its origins partly to Queen Anne’s Bounty, a fund established in 1704.


In response to the findings, the Church Commissioners’ Board has committed itself to trying to address some of the past wrongs by investing in a better future. It will seek to do this through committing £100 million of funding, delivered over the next nine years commencing in 2023, to a program of investment, research and engagement.

Read the Entire Article Here

The Story of "Amazing Grace"


CBS Sunday Morning I Ramy Inocencio I Posted December 25, 2022

Video story of "Amazing Grace"

On January 1, 1773, in Olney, England, The Rev. John Newton, a slave trader-turned-abolitionist, gave a sermon about personal redemption. Half a century later his words were paired with music, and would become one of the best-known hymns in the world, "Amazing Grace."


Editor's Note: January 1, 2023, marks the 250th anniversary of The Rev. John Newton's sermon.

Epiphany Book Study at St. John's, Roseville

Sundays at 2 pm

All are welcome to join us as we gather via Zoom to discuss the latest offering from Dr. Catherine Meeks, The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations for Racial Healing. Dr. Meeks offers a series of heartfelt meditations based upon her life experiences addressing racial injustice that help us examine Jesus' profound question:


"Do you want to be healed?"


We meet via Zoom for eight Sundays beginning

January 8, 2023, at 2 pm. It is not too late to join anytime.


The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84774942643?pwd=S3RuWEkvTnZRSHdLSmpnVTF5ZDFoZz09

 

The Meeting ID is: 847 7494 2643. The Passcode is: 841227.

 

The book can be purchased from Amazon here: The Night is Long.

 

For more information, please contact Fr. Cliff Haggenjos, haggenjos@comcast.net.

If you are thinking of creating a Sacred Ground circle, here are some helpful best practices: Recommended Best Practices for Organizing and Facilitating Sacred Ground. Don't hesitate to contact the Diocesan Sacred Ground Coordinator, Karen Nolan, at norcalcim@gmail.com, who can guide you through the process.


Read this inspiring story from the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, a small, predominantly rural diocese of 51 congregations where half of their parishes are small. The death of George Floyd struck a chord and became a catalyst for change. Diocesan-wide Sacred Ground circles were organized creating a ground swell of energy for racial justice work: Nebraska Proves Fertile Soil for Sacred Ground.

Keeping Track of Sacred Ground

 

Are you forming a Sacred Ground Circle? Let the Commission for Intercultural Ministries know by registering it here: https://forms.gle/hriHCPKmLwjUHEyEA

 

Are you interested in joining a Sacred Ground Circle? Sign up here: https://forms.gle/G26EPxDzEFSpnsZW7

I Will, With God's Help:

Journey Toward Racial Healing and Justice

Schedule of Upcoming 2023 Workshops

This one-day in-person workshop was specially developed for the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California by the Commission for Intercultural Ministries. Renew your Baptismal Covenant as we learn about forms of historic and contemporary racism and how to engage in ministry with sensitivity and respect for all.


Please note that due to the nature of the program, attendance is limited to 30 participants.


Saturday, January 21, 2023 I 9:30 am - 4:30 pm

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Sacramento

Register: https://forms.gle/tAa9a3Wmij2e3PsL9

Lunch donation of $10 (cash or check) on day of workshop.

Contact Jo Ann Williams, bjwilli@surewest.net, for questions.

Saturday, February 18, 2023 I 9:30 am - 4:30 pm

Episcopal Church of St. Martin's, Davis

Register: https://forms.gle/zRz2d3T6jfyAEVG59

Lunch donation of $10 (cash or check) on day of workshop.

Contact Michael Adams, madams95747@yahoo.com, for questions. 

Watch for registration links in the Diocesan E-News and in the Beloved Community Resource Newsletter for these additional upcoming workshops:


  • Saturday, April 29, 2023 - St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Auburn
  • Saturday, September 9, 2023 - Virtual online workshop
  • Saturday, October 7, 2023 - St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Napa
  • Saturday, October 28, 2023 - St. John's Episcopal Church, Roseville

The Commission for Intercultural Ministries


The Commission for Intercultural Ministries webpage now includes information about our Rainbow Ministry. We would like to update information about our other ministries, so please take a look at our other pages on our website and let us know what you'd like to see included. Send suggestions, as well as any photos that might show what we are doing to norcalCIM@gmail.com.

Church of England bishops propose offering blessings to same-sex couples, but not marriage


Episcopal News Service I Egan Millard I Posted January 18, 2023

The Church of England’s House of Bishops has presented a proposal for liturgical blessings for same-sex couples, which – if approved – would be the first time the church has formally recognized gay relationships, though it would still ban same-sex church weddings.


The church announced the proposal on Jan. 18, one of the final steps in a yearslong process of debate and discernment over the church’s positions on LGBTQ+ issues. The details of the proposal will be released on Jan. 20 and it will be presented to the church’s General Synod – made up of the Houses of Bishops, Clergy and Laity – for approval when it meets in Feb. 6-9 in London.


The proposal likely will have implications beyond the Church of England, often referred to as the “mother church” of the worldwide Anglican Communion, though the church has no authority over the communion’s provinces, which include The Episcopal Church. As leader of the Church of England and ceremonial head of the communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s support for the proposal may cause further tension with bishops from other Anglican churches who oppose same-sex marriage.


“This response reflects the diversity of views in the Church of England on questions of sexuality, relationships and marriage – I rejoice in that diversity and I welcome this way of reflecting it in the life of our church,” Welby said in the church’s press release. “I am under no illusions that what we are proposing today will appear to go too far for some and not nearly far enough for others, but it is my hope that what we have agreed will be received in a spirit of generosity, seeking the common good.”

Read More

Progress Report: Petition to Further Resolution A087 Through the Development of Congregation-Based Plans to Achieve

Carbon-Neutral Facilities and Operations by 2030

January 2023

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California 2022 convention voted to approve this resolution. This resolution involves commitments by congregations and commitments by the Commission on the Environment (CoE).

    Congregations are asked to study, pray, and work to discern how the Spirit is leading them to address climate change in their households and daily lives, as well as to conduct a facility needs assessment to identify actions necessary to enable the congregation’s facilities and operations to become carbon neutral by 2030.

    The CoE is asked to provide education, guidance, and resources to assist congregations and other diocesan organizations as they develop their needs assessments, and to conduct ongoing research to identify potential financial resources to carry out the measures identified in the facility needs assessments to promote carbon neutrality while preventing undue financial burdens on congregations.

 

Since the convention, the CoE has taken steps to fulfill its obligations as outlined in the resolution.

Read More

The Green Corner: New Year's Resolution


the Messenger, Newsletter of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York I Posted January 6, 2023

A New Year's Resolution this year could be to examine what you consume. Everyday millions of products enter our homes.  Are they from environmentally responsible companies?  Are they packaged in unnecessary plastic?  Are there options of the same product being sustainably produced?  Consider some online research to determine where to shop.

Click here to read more, including a list of more than ten suggestions for how to green-up your product purchases this year.

Bishops visit migrant shelter in Mexico as US government seeks to limit record-high crossings


Episcopal News Service I Lynette Wilson I Posted January 13, 2020

A group of 10 Province VIII bishops made a visit to La Casa de Misericordia y de Todas Las Naciones, a migrant shelter in Nogales, Mexico. The Diocese of Arizona has a partnership with the shelter. Photo: Lynette Wilson/Episcopal News Service

On a hillside in the Colonia Buena Vista section of Nogales, Mexico, asylum seekers, many forced to flee violence and persecution in Mexico, Central America, Haiti and Cuba, find much-needed safety and rest at La Casa de Misericordia y de Todas Las Naciones, The House of Mercy for All The Nations.


“La Casa, in addition to being a place of respite and restoration, is also a place of story, a sacred and holy space shaped by the stories migrants share,” the Rev. David Chavez, the Diocese of Arizona’s canon for border ministries, told Episcopal News Service.

“Most stories detail the dizzying experiences of leaving ‘mi tierra natal, the land of my birth,’ fleeing physical, emotional and psychological threats and violence; leaving to be with loved ones; fleeing as the result of the devastation brought about by climate change.”

All of it takes its toll, and unfortunately, the violence, the threats and the terror don’t end when migrants flee their home country. It continues along the journey.


“Many migrants experience kidnappings, theft, rape and physical assaults at the hands of criminal gangs,” he added. “And, at times, migrants are met by communities of welcome.”


On Jan. 11, 10 Province VIII bishops visited the shelter as part of their annual January retreat, held this year in Tucson, to learn about the migrants and the lawyers, teachers, psychologists and others who offer them support during a critical part of their journey.


Editor's Note: Bishop Megan Traquair of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California made this journey with the Province VIII bishops.

Read More

The Rev. Miguel Bustos named Episcopal Church manager for Racial Reconciliation and Justice


Episcopal Church Public Affairs I Posted December 16, 2022

The Rev. Miguel Bustos has been named The Episcopal Church’s manager for Racial Reconciliation and Justice. Based in San Francisco, Bustos is a respected leader in racial and social justice with deep experience mobilizing people and resources for movement. He fills a vacant position in the Department of Reconciliation, Justice and Creation, which is led by the Rev. Melanie Mullen. His first day will be Feb. 1.


As manager for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, Bustos will facilitate and support the church’s work of racial reconciliation, justice, and healing, guiding strategic efforts to inspire, mobilize, form, gather, and celebrate Episcopalians engaged in those ministries. He will also bring special focus to racial justice, public witness and action, truth-telling about our churches and race, and repairing the breach.

Read More

A Chain Linking Two Traditions

The Rev. Tina Campbell

Indigenous Missioner, Diocese of Northern California 

Winter has traditionally been the time for Native people to gather, to catch up with each other, and to share provisions. With its short days and long nights, winter was also the best time to come together for storytelling as a way to entertain and to teach the children. Indigenous Episcopalians have continued this practice with an annual Wintertalk in January.

 

For the last several years I have participated in this event along with other interested folks and Indigenous Missioners from across the Church. Due to Covid concerns and budget restraints, Winter Talk ‘23 will be a hybrid event and all Episcopalians are invited to attend the January 21-23 event on Zoom. Click here for the announcement /registration from the Episcopal Church.

The Four Vision Quests of Jesus

The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston

 

Bishop Charleston, a Choctaw elder, describes four events in Jesus’ life through Indigenous eyes and the traditional understanding of Vision Quest. Join the Rev. Tina Campbell online to discuss this Native perspective. There are a few spaces left for registration.

 

Date: Thursdays, Feb 2-Mar 9

Time: 7:00-8:00 pm

Facilitator: The Rev. Canon Tina Campbell

Contact: tinarcampbell@comcast.net

Northern California church holds multicultural Advent celebration with Indigenous hymns, Mexican pageant


Episcopal News Service I Egan Millard I Posted December 19, 2022

While most Advent lessons and carols services feature familiar selections from the same repertoire, the Episcopal Church of St. Martin in Davis, California, has done something intentionally unfamiliar this year: performing hymns in Spanish and Indigenous languages.


The service on Dec. 18 was followed by a celebration of Las Posadas, a Mexican Advent tradition that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for a place to stay, which the Diocese of Northern California congregation first did last year. It’s all part of an effort to “create new ways of looking at Advent,” said choir director Suzanne Jubenville.

Read More and Watch Service

The Repatriation Project


America's Biggest Museums Fail to Return

Native American Human Remains


Logan Jaffe, Mary Hudetz and Ash Ngu, ProPublica; and Graham Lee Brewer, NBC News I Posted January 11, 2023

The remains of more than 100,000 Native Americans are held by prestigious U.S. institutions, despite a 1990 law meant to return them to tribal nations. Here’s how the ancestors were stolen — and how tribes are working to get them back.

Read More

Combating AAPI Hate with Hyepin Im


Sojourners "Soul of the Nation" I Jim Wallis

Hyepin Im, the founder and president of Faith and Community Empowerment, talks with Rev. Jim Wallis about her experience as a Korean American woman of faith in the U.S. Hyepin speaks about the long history of hate Asian Americans have endured, and how the pandemic has so gravely effected the Asian American community.


"When they talk about America, there's no picture of us on TV, on stage, in the media; it leads to us always feeling like we don't have a say. We don't belong. And that has tremendous trauma," Hyepin says. "For so long we've been told constantly that we are a foreigner, we don't belong. And so by not belonging then people can do things to us because we don't belong."

Listen to Podcast

Restoration Laos

The Rev. Canon Michael Ambler, Canon to the Ordinary, Episcopal Diocese of Maine, retired at the end of 2022 to begin a new ministry. He wrote in the September 19, 2022 edition of the Episcopal Maine newsletter: "For years now, I have been working towards the day when I could support a team of bomb-clearance experts in Laos, where our country left over 80 million live bombs strewn across the land after the Vietnam War. 


That goal came to fruition this year: right now our team is clearing fields and school yards, restoring land and dignity to people. A major part of my work going forward will be to tell the story of how Laos became the most bombed country in the world, and to raise funds to ensure our team (and maybe more in the future) can keep working. If you’re curious, visit restorationlaos.org to learn more—and join me!"

Eric Genuis Concert at St. John's, Roseville

Wednesday, February 1, 2023, 7 pm

Save the Date!

Video by Eric Genuis who gives concerts in prisons

Concert in Prison. Video introduction to Composer/Pianist Eric Genuis and his charitable work 'Concerts For Hope'.

Founder of Concerts for Hope, a small nonprofit, Eric Genuis primarily tours the world with a small ensemble playing his original compositions for inmates in prisons. “I go into these prisons to expose these kids to music and beauty that uplifts their humanity,” said Genuis. “I believe beauty matters. You give a civilization beauty, you get hope, excitement and life.”


Eric has performed in prisons all over the world, including on death row in numerous institutions. He will play wherever institutions will allow.


Fr. Cliff Haggenjos, Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, Roseville, recently had the opportunity to assist Eric at CSP-Sac and was deeply touched by the beauty he experienced in the prison and the response of the inmates to Eric's gift of love. He invited Eric to come to St. John's and Eric agreed.


Please save the date on your calendars and invite your friends and neighbors. You will be inspired and uplifted by Eric and his ensemble. A free will "love offering" will be taken at the concert, and all of the proceeds will be given to Eric to support his ministry.


A reception will follow and you will have a chance to meet Eric and the members of his ensemble.


This promises to be a night you will not forget; a chance to encounter beauty, and the love from which it flows.

Read More

How Faith-Based Intervention is Affecting Recidivism Rates

One Soul at a Time


The Observer I Marnita Coleman I Posted January 11, 2023

Author of “Eternal Justice: How God Intervenes for the Least of Us,” Philip Remington Dunn, has a passion for telling the stories of those he has crossed paths with as a criminal defense attorney and a man of faith. 


Dunn believes that those tangled up in the justice system should know that God can miraculously redeem individuals in every circumstance.


Dunn has been a successful criminal defense attorney in Southern California for more than 30 years, but that was not his career goal. His dream was to become a powerful, respected prosecutor and ultimately a judge. As a fledgling attorney, Dunn landed an interview in the district attorney’s office in Ventura, Calif. only to find a four-month hiring freeze in effect. Since he needed a job immediately, he went to the public defender’s office located in the same building to inquire about a position and was told, “If you want a job, show up at 8:30 tomorrow morning.” 


And he did. 


Attorney Dunn’s humble prayer that morning, “not my will, but Your will be done” apparently charted his path.

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January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Every year since 2010, the President has dedicated the month to raise awareness about human trafficking and to educate the public about how to identify and prevent this crime. The U.S. Department of State raises awareness of human trafficking domestically and abroad, through U.S. embassies and consulates.


During this month, we celebrate the efforts of foreign governments, international organizations, anti-trafficking entities, law enforcement officials, survivor advocates, communities of faith, businesses, and private citizens all around the world to raise awareness about human trafficking.

Read More

Faith Leaders Hold Prayer Vigils to Mark

Second Anniversary of January 6 Insurrection


Religion News Service I Alejandra Molina I Posted January 5, 2023

Carol Potter, behind the lectern, offers a prayer for the lives lost in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection during a vigil at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Los Angeles, on Jan. 4, 2023. RNS photo by Alejandra Molina

On a rainy night in the stony Romanesque St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Carol Potter offered a prayer on Wednesday (Jan. 4) for those who died two years ago in the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol that also left thousands injured as rioters sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.


Potter, a Christian and Buddhist, read “Prayers of the People,” adapted from the Book of Common Prayer, at a small vigil marking the second anniversary of the insurrection, one of several interfaith and Christian events being held around the country this week.


In her prayer, Potter made no distinction between law enforcement and rioters, praising God “for all your servants who have finished their course in your faith and fear.”


“Grant to them eternal rest,” she said.


Potter found it important to pray equally for all involved, even those who, she said, may have had a different understanding of Christianity, acknowledging that some of the attackers carried flags bearing Christian nationalist symbols or wore them on their clothing. “We’re all children of God,” said Potter.


Sponsored by the Los Angeles Poor People’s Campaign, the event at St. John’s, the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, in LA’s South Central neighborhood, is a “strong showing of faith done the right way,” said organizer Jenna Kyle.

Read More

Faith leaders urge US lawmakers to pass expanded child tax credit


Episcopal News Service I Jack Jenkins I Posted December 21, 2022

Faith leaders joined members of Congress on Capitol Hill Dec. 15 to voice support for the expansion of the child tax credit, urging lawmakers to reinstate a broader version of the anti-poverty benefit before the end of the year.


“For many of us, this is a season of miracles — the miracle of Jesus’ birth, the miracle of Hanukkah,” said Abibat Rahman-Davies of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker group. “But expanding the CTC? That shouldn’t take a miracle.”


The event was part of a sustained advocacy push by a group of faith leaders from across the theological spectrum, with liberal-leaning religious groups and conservative evangelical organizations joining forces to push for lawmakers to embrace an expanded version of the credit that helps combat child poverty. Earlier this year, the group published an advertisement in Politico Magazine and sent a letter to all 535 members of Congress and to the White House asking them to make the child tax credit “fully refundable and available to low-income families on a permanent basis.”

Read More

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

Commission for Intercultural Ministries

Miriam Casey, Co-Chair (mlcasey7@yahoo.com)

Lynn Zender, Co-Chair (zenderlynn@gmail.com)

Karen Nolan, Sacred Ground Coordinator (norcalcim@gmail.com)

Jo Ann Williams, Editor (bjwilli@surewest.net)

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