An Open Letter to the Presbytery
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by Rev. Alika Galloway, Liberty Community Church
Our community is currently living in a tsunami of trauma and terror. It reminds me of the words of the Black national anthem,
Lift Every Voice and Sing
:
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light;
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
It is hard to stay on the path right now because of the trauma and terror we see and experience every day.
I’d like to invite you into my world for one typical Tuesday morning, June 20, 2020. When my husband Pastor Ralph Galloway and I woke up to gunshots at 6:15, the first words out of our mouths were, “God help us. Bless us to be a blessing.” We began to pray Psalm 91, “And God will give his angels charge over you,” and then we checked our phones.
6:30am
. Both our phones ring. The terrified voice on the other end says, “My landlord refused to pay the water bill; by law, isn’t he supposed to pay it?” We said yes. “Well, the water company is coming to disconnect the water and how am I going to bathe my children or cook?” We ask how much it is ($376) and say we will call the water company together and negotiate. She says, “I tried that.” We asked if she had the paperwork (“yes”) and said we would pay it and then help find an attorney to help with her landlord. She says, “If I get an attorney, he has threated to evict me.”
7:15am.
I washed my face and went into the kitchen, and watched three black trucks with confederate flags drive slowly down our street. Ralph went outside and checked the alley for incendiary devices; our neighbors have found them in alleys all over the Northside.
8:20am.
My phone rings again. There is weeping and wailing. “…I can’t sleep. My sons, my sons, my sons, they are afraid to leave the house, but if they don’t go to work we won’t have enough to pay the mortgage. It took a lot for us to get this house and we want to hang on but can’t if everyone is not working.” I asked Pastor Ralph to take this call; he greeted her and asked her what happened. She says “My sons, they are afraid to go to work because of the cops; they don’t want to end up like Mr. Floyd. Can you talk to them?” Pastor Ralph says that he will be right over to talk and drive them to work.
10:00am
I read an email from Sondra Samuels, Executive Director of the Northside Achievement Zone, asking us to write the Commissioners and advocate that they take time for community input before defunding the police. The letter is written and sent, signed by Ralph because he was born and raised on the Northside, and it is his home.
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12:00noon
. We received a joint text that said, “Pastors, as you know I have been protesting. And I wore a mask. I had to do it because there have been way too many deaths. I usually don’t protest, but enough is enough. So, with every step I took I called out, ‘George Floyd, Tamir Rice, Brianna Taylor, Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, and on and on.’ For 401 years our people have died brutally and violently. After the protest I started not feeling well; me, my mother, my three sons, and my husband have all tested positive for COVID19. Where is God in that?”
I’ve shared a typical morning with you. By now you have heard many facts and figures about unrelenting racialized oppression; the pandemic’s unrelenting impact on persons of color; the impact of police violence and murder; the cries from the community regarding defunding the Minneapolis Police Department; and the day-to-day grind of generational poverty and oppression. North Minneapolis is the hotbed of COVID-19 in the state of Minnesota. You know the facts AND know we are a Matthew 25 Presbytery. How that translates to our work today:
- When I was hungry and thirsty....Generational poverty, utilities shut off's and hunger;
- I was a stranger and you invited me in.....Housing and homelessness;
- I was sick....health disparities in the African-American community;
- I was in prison...Mass incarceration including survival sex for women, men, and girls of color.
I hope by now that many of you had heard the statistical data in relation to the disparities that we live in regarding African-Americans in Minnesota – and if you haven’t, here are a few:
Data from the 2018 SHAPE study in Hennepin County:
Hunger and Food:
Data identifies a large disparity in hunger and food insecurity by race. Among African-American adults in Hennepin County, 51.2% said they sometimes or often worry about running out of food.
Rent/Mortgage:
Data shows that 24.6% of Black people missed or delayed paying rent or mortgage because they didn’t have enough money, compared to only 7% of white people.
Unstable Housing:
Data shows that 30.9% of Black people experienced unstable housing compared to only 2.5% of white people.
Physical and Mental Health:
Data shows that 18.3% of black people said they experience frequent physical health distress compared to 8.3% of white people. Data shows that 25% of black people said they experience frequent mental distress compared to 11.9% of white people. Today more people of color are dying of COVID-19 than other ethnic group.
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According to the Sentencing Project, “There are 2.2 million people in the nation’s prisons and jails, a 500% increase over the last 40 years.” There is a large racial disparity within this growth of imprisonment, often called mass incarceration. According to the Sentencing Project, one in three black men born in 2001 have a lifetime likelihood of being imprisoned compared to only 1 in 17 white men. This disparity is even greater for black women. One in 18 black women compared to 1 in 111 white women.
In a study of Minneapolis Police Department data from 2018, the ACLU found that “Black people in the city [Minneapolis] are 8.7 times more likely than white people to be arrested for low-level offenses, like trespassing, disorderly conduct, consuming in public, and lurking.” In a study of Minneapolis Police Department data from 2018, the ACLU found that “[…] in one year, 28 percent of the Black population could have been picked up for a low-level offense,” compared to only 3% of the white population.
I started this letter stating that this was my world, and it is true. But as a connectional Church, this is OUR world! And as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated in 1968, “We are living at a time when we must choose chaos or community.” In the midst of this chaos, trauma and terror, I decided to share my truth with you in hopes that you choose community by connecting: connect with the hungry, connect with the sick, connect with the dying, connect with the incarcerated, connect with the homeless. Connect, connect through prayer, connect! It is through connection that we will find a way to move together into community.
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Notes from the Stated Clerk, Barbara Lutter, about the business of the presbytery during this unusual time.
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Are you like me ~ a self-professed GA Junkie? A Presby-nerd? Did you log-on and observe some of the Assembly sessions? Or, like me, did you log-on and watch the Assembly from “gavel to gavel”? And, during this most unusual of times, this was a most unusual General Assembly. Here are some examples:
- The Assembly met entirely on-line, with Commissioners, Advisory Delegates and other participants joining the Assembly remotely.
- Extremely Abbreviated; the Assembly met over four days, instead of the more typical 10 day period.
- Only “critical business” (as defined by the Committee on the General Assembly) was addressed.
- There were no committees working on Overtures, Issues, and Statements during the Assembly.
- In fact, there were no Overtures considered by this Assembly, and all Overtures submitted to this Assembly were referred to the 225th GA.
- All actions taken by the 224th General Assembly must be ratified by the 225th General Assembly because, “technically speaking,” this Assembly was not “constitutional.” For more information about this, read Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson’s Advisory Opinion, which addresses meetings of councils (sessions, presbyteries are expressly identified, but the same rationale applies to meetings of the General Assembly). https://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/oga/pdf/32420_final_edited_advisory_opinion_church_in_an_emergency_or_pandemic.pdf
My Personal Highlight: PTCA Commissioner, Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart and the Rev. Gregory Bentley of Huntsville, Alabama were elected as Co-Moderators of the 224
th
General Assembly
on the first ballot!!
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My Personal Highlight: PTCA Commissioner, Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart and the Rev. Gregory Bentley of Huntsville, Alabama were elected as Co-Moderators of the 224
th
General Assembly
on the first ballot!!
Wait For It:
Our presbytery’s GA delegation (Commissioners Brian Entz, Lisa Johnson, Marian Michaels and Elona Street-Stewart; YAAD Will Parker; Alternate Commissioners Brenda Alexander, Doug Mitchell, Jean Emmons and John Zwier) will be making an “official” report to the Presbytery soon.
Spoiler Alert
… Our delegation’s report may look very different from past reports; whether you are a GA Junkie or a GA Newby, you will want to watch for this report!
But if you just can’t wait for our delegation’s report, there are a number of articles about this GA that you can read right now:
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A reminder for congregations:
COVID-19/Return to the Building Updates
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The
Minnesota Department of Health and the
Wisconsin Department of Health Services continue to provide updates on state requirements for indoor activity and return to active use of the building. The Minnesota Department of Health said again this week that “all businesses and churches are required to have a COVID-19 plan. There is a legal liability. If guidance is ignored an entity can be reported and penalized.” A church’s plan must cover not simply activities by the church itself, but by all users of the building. You can find their guidance on the front page of the PTCA website, or
here and
here. The promised short-form revised guidance for churches from the MDH has not yet been released.
The MDH also reported that the highest number of NEW cases is among 20 year olds. And that the highest number of asymptomatic carriers tend not to be in affected groups, but are rather among middle-aged white person who, again, may not be aware that they are carriers! Both states continue to encourage all persons to wear masks in public.
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Upcoming Sermons and Worship Offerings
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The Presbytery will offer one sermon/Scripture only video and two complete worship services later this month.
The Scripture / sermon only video will feature PTCA moderator the Rev. Anna Kendig and PTCA vide-moderator, ruling elder Jean Emmons, in dialogue with the text and with each other. That video will be available for download on July 15.
The Presbytery will also offer two complete worship services, including liturgy, music, Scripture and sermon. Both will be available for download on or about July 20.
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- The first service (intended for use July 25) will be led by PTCA chaplain Chad Jones; a reflection on the Word will be brought by the Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
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- The second service (intended for use August 2) will be led by PTCA chaplain Kate O-Brien Soltau; a reflection on the Word will be brought by the Rev. Gregory Bentley, pastor of Friendship Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama, and co-moderator of the 224th General Assembly.
Look for specific download intructions on EMerge and in a direct email. You may also contact Jennifer Schultz, office administrator of the Presbytery, at
office@ptcaweb.org
.
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Self Development of People Committee
Deadline for 2020 SDOP Award Applications
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Perhaps now more than ever there are grassroot community groups within our neighborhoods that might benefit from a
Self Development of People
award to promote justice, build solidarity, advance human dignity and advocate for economic equity. Recognizing the current requirements for hygienic distancing, PTCA’s SDOP committee is committed to identifying qualifying community based projects** to consider for awards from this year’s portion of our One Great Hour of Sharing offering. The Application is available online @ ptcaweb.org and must be submitted by September 1, 2020 for consideration. The amount of the 2020 awards is limited to funds available, approximately $11,000, and may be divided among qualifying organizations. For more information, please contact H. David Stewart @
hdavid.stewart@gmail.com
**grants will only be awarded to community based groups that directly benefit for the services the project provides and directly control the decision making processes for the group. SDOP awards are not made to augment the budgets of churches or existing non-profits.
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Congregational Development Fund Enables New Ministry, Organizational Partnerships
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NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Presbytery, through its Committee on Congregational Vitality and the Presbytery Leadership Team, delayed the May 1 deadline for applications for the annual Congregational Development Fund grants, understanding the focus of our congregations was on more immediate challenges. These grants will still be available in 2020, however.
The new deadline is August 15, 2020.
Please read the information below to re-familiarize yourself with this annual grant program.
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Synod of Lakes and Prairies Offers Racial-Ethnic Student Scholarships
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The Committee on Racial Ethnic Ministries of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) again will offer a student scholarship opportunity to qualified students. The Synod is committed to partner with students and schools for leadership development and quality instruction of clergy and lay persons for lifelong service. Application awards are based on personal achievement, financial need and recommendation from a teacher and pastor.
The Student Scholarship is an educational assistance program designed to encourage indigenous and students of color in their preparation for academic success in higher education. Students must have a permanent residence within the Synod of Lakes and Prairies and be active members in a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation.
Completed applications are due September 30, 2020 and must include an official transcript and financial aid statement. The application form can be found here. (see attachment)
Please help share this news by distributing the form to eligible students and interested church partners. Still have questions? Contact Elona Street-Stewart, 651-357-1149 or
https://estreetstewart@lakesandprairies.org
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Transitional Ministry Training This Fall
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The Art of Transitional Leadership:
Learning Ministry Skills for Today’s and Tomorrow’s Church
October 11 - 15 , 2020 Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo, Minnesota
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Whether it is a change in leadership or a changing community, leading a congregation through change is both challenging and rewarding. It takes knowledge, skill, resilience and spiritual strength to navigate the waters of change in a way that leaders and congregations thrive. This training is for individuals who are considering ministry in temporary settings (as an interim, transitional or designated pastor) or are experiencing ministry in these transitional times. Materials presented will include the basics of transitional ministry and will be of value to all congregational pastors regardless of their ministry setting. Best practices in transitional ministry include ways to enter the congregation and community, how to analyze a congregation’s strength and growing edges, and how to assist a congregation in moving toward a vibrant future. This training will delve into navigating change, the pastor as a spiritual interpreter of transition, family systems, mission focus ministry, conflict mediation, and building resiliency.
Event begins at 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning and will end on Thursday evening. Participants completing the full 30 hours of training will meet the requirements for Week I Transitional Ministry Education. (If you want a certificate of completion, you must actively participate in all sessions in their entirety.)
Fees Cover: materials provided for the education, 4 nights lodging in a double room,
4 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners. Lodging on Thursday evening is available for an additional fee. Lodging on Sunday night is included in the fees.
A decision will be made in early August whether this event will be held in person or online.
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Pastors, Admins and Clerks of Session: are you receiving your semi-monthly copy of
the Link
? It's our business newsletter with important announcements and reminders, plus other items of interest. It generally does not repeat Emerge content. Here is a link to our last issue:
https://conta.cc/382bKuu
If you aren't receiving this email, and want to (regardless of whether you're a TE, RE or essential staff), please email Jennifer at
office@ptcaweb.org
and you will get on the list. Thank you!
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House of Hope Presbyterian Church
, Saint Paul,
is seeking a director of Youth and Family Ministry
First Presbyterian Church of Hudson
is seeking a Family-Intergenerational Ministries Coordinator.
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Jeff's Jottings:
The Language of Freedom
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"To be truly free, Paul is saying, is to be able to move beyond the self; to risk love and to give of oneself to the demand of service. To be free, Paul argues, is to be free
for
responsibility, not free
from
responsibility. The need of the other is really your own need. The suffering of the other is, in a real sense, your own suffering. Your freedom depends on theirs."
Read more about how Christian freedom chooses us and what God's freedom asks of us in this edition of Jeff's Jottings.
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EMerge is a newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. Through most of the year it is published biweekly and distributed to congregations, teaching elders, ruling elders, church members, committees and friends of the presbytery. Please send submissions and address corrections to
office@ptcaweb.org
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