Justice and Outreach Council
Monthly Digest
August 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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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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JOC Sponsors Two DACA Applicants
DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, provides a renewable temporary protected status to undocumented youth (often referred to as DREAMers) who came to the US before their 16th birthday. If the applicant qualifies, they may then apply for a work permit to legally work in the US. DACA application/renewal fees are $495 per applicant. Due to the pandemic, many applicants are unable to pay the fee themselves. You can sponsor an applicant as a faith community/community organization, or by yourself as an individual. This donation is tax-deductible.
JOC will sponsor two applicants and makes a challenge to other Trinity members to consider sponsorship so that we can generously support our neighbors during this difficult time! To donate or learn more, please visit www.sbact.org/daca.
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More Local Justice Issues
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Border & Migration Ministry Summit - Save the Date
Save the Date for the 2021 Border & Migration Ministry Summit, co-hosted by Episcopal Migration Ministries and the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. The Fourth Annual Border & Migration Ministry Summit will be held virtually, October 21-23, 2021.
The Summit is open to all individuals currently engaged in migration ministries or interested in learning more. This year’s program will offer keynote presentations, workshops, and prayers with three focus tracks: Refugee Resettlement; Asylum & Border Ministries; and Accompaniment. Learn more here.
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Opportunities for Involvement
in our local community, at Trinity, and in the world
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Meal Ministry in the Park
Trinity Episcopal and Trinity Lutheran churches joined forces on July 22 to provide dinner for our unhoused neighbors in Alameda Park. The volunteers served 60+ people a “home” cooked meal, featuring Teresa Pietsch’s chicken enchilada casserole. The meal was prepared in our Trinity kitchen, which, according to Sarah Thomas, was happily back to its purpose, feeding the people. Trinity Episcopal provided the casseroles, and Trinity Lutheran contributed bread, butter (which was very popular), brownies, and snacks for the week. These churches will be serving dinners on the fourth Thursday every month, while other organizations will contribute on the remaining Thursdays. This program is organized by Santa Barbara ACT’s Jeff Shaffer.
So many enthusiastic volunteers showed up for food preparation, serving, talking and sharing with the diners, and clean up. This was feeding the multitude, the loaves and fishes Gospel, in action. Please consider volunteering for this important outreach program! Take a look at these photos to be inspired!
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Support the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
In yet another blow for efforts to preserve voting rights, the US Supreme Court (by a 6 to 3 vote) upheld two Arizona voting restrictions, and in the process, significantly curtailed one of the most powerful provisions remaining from the original 2013 Voting Rights Act. Learn more and contact your representative here.
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Critical Blood Shortage
There is a critical blood supply shortage in Santa Barbara. All eligible donors are encouraged to donate. See the list of the Blood Drives in our area and to make an appointment, visit vitalant.org and enter the corresponding Blood Drive code or call (805)542-8500.
Trinity will host a Blood Drive on Tuesday, September 7. More information to follow.
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PFLAG Monthly Virtual Support Meetings
Santa Barbara's chapter of PFLAG provides support, education and advocacy to LGBTQ+ folks, family and friends, to help deal with the difficulty of living in a homophobic culture and to help move equality forward. Join us for our monthly virtual support meetings, now in Spanish and English!
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Storyteller Children's Center Donations Welcome
Storyteller Children's Center is a therapeutic preschool that provides high-quality early childhood education for homeless and at-risk children in Santa Barbara County, as well as comprehensive support services for their families. The following are items that the center uses often, which need regular replenishing:
- Play Doh
- Sidewalk chalk
- Markers - preferably washable
- Tempera paints
- Finger paints
- Big rolls of paper for finger painting, etc. (usually available at Michael's)
- Baskets of various sizes for toys and storage
- New books - Spanish/English, about emotions, blended families, multicultural subjects, etc.
Please contact Adrienne De Guevara (preferred pronouns She/Her/Ella), at 805-730-0155 if you would like to make a donation.
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Stories of Shared Ministry |
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Every month we publish a story of shared ministry and volunteerism from a Trinity parishioner. This month’s story is from Norma Stuck.
"In 2005 Anne Howard introduced our congregation to Prayer Shawl ministry. For me this was a perfect way to participate in a quiet and yet effective shared ministry. Those were busy years for me, and the Prayer Shawl ministry fit into my schedule. I could do it on my own time, have a sacred moment, knit while waiting in doctor appointments, and come up with a product that could be shared with someone who needed support on a difficult journey." Click here to continue reading.
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Celebrate and Support Justice |
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Keep your eyes open for new 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.
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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.
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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