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Justice and Outreach Council
Monthly Digest
May 2023
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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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Local Events and Opportunities for Service | |
Dinner in Alameda Park. Trinity will preparing dinner and serving in the park again on Thursday, May 25. Check the online sign-up for volunteer opportunities or email Sarah Thomas, sthomas@trinitysb.org. Trinity's next dinner will be on June 22. | |
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Transition House Meal Preparation for May. The Trinity volunteer team shops, prepares, and serves a dinner meal at Transition House (425 E Cota St) for approximately 60 residents on the 4th Saturday of the month (May 27). Contact Teresa Pietsch teresapietsch4@gmail.com for more details or check the online sign-up for how to get involved.
Central Coast Alliance United For A Sustainable Economy is hard at work, alongside a coalition of 120 organizations, to bring safety net benefits to our immigrant neighbors. CAUSE, and the entire Safety Net for All coalition, is fighting for the inclusion of immigrant workers in unemployment benefits to provide families with stability and strengthen our economy. CAUSE 56 E. Main Street, Suite 210, Ventura, CA 93003 (805)658-0810 Donate online to support CAUSE.
Gun Violence Prevention Task Force: Sunday, May 28th. Join us during coffee hour after the 10am service on May 28th for a forum to discuss Trinity's place in the prevention of gun violence here in Santa Barbara (and, if time permits, nationwide). Prior to the 28th, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force will make background materials available during coffee hour on May 14 and 21.For more information, please contact Ken Johnson (41omaha73@gmail.com) who is leading this effort as part of JOC.
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Episcopal Relief and Development International Work (ERD)
Earthquake relief efforts continue in Syria and Turkey. Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with International Blue Crescent to support people in Türkiye displaced by the earthquake. This work includes:
- Cooking hot meals for 1,000 people living in a camp in Özdere, Izmir, and Türkiye
- Providing hygiene and cleaning supplies for people in the camp, who range from infants to the elderly
Donations to the Türkiye-Syria Earthquake Response Fund will help the organization to continue to respond to communities impacted by this disaster.
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Community Events and Celebrations | |
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Environmental Defense Center (EDC)
Green & Blue: A Coastal Celebration event on June 11, 2-5:30pm at Rancho La Patera & Stow House celebrates all that we have accomplished together and to raise critical funds to continue our fight for our climate and local environment. Trinity's JOC is a sponsor. If you would like to attend contact Jeffrey Krutzsch, jskrutzsch@gmail.com
Resist Reyes Point Logging
EDC is asking for financial support with matching funds to support the resistance of the
Reyes Peak logging and clearing project of the Los Padres Forest. The Forest Service is
planning to clear 235K acres which is a threat to the habitat of plants and wildlife. They have a $25,000 matching grant and are trying to raise the money.
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The Santa Barbara County Food Bank May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Hunger can cause anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The inability to access nutritious food also makes it difficult to work, learn and sleep, all of which can affect mental health. Learn more about hunger and health here.
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PFLAG Connects: Supporting LGBTQ Families
PFLAG creates a caring, just and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. PFLAG meets every month, generally on the second Monday (May 15) at 7pm, online and in person. Meetings are run by trusted PFLAG Santa Barbara leaders, exploring topics relevant to the LGBTQ+ community, followed by sharing and support.
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Did you miss the April Earth Day Festival in Alameda Park, April 29/30?
Check out the EcoMarketplace exhibitors to learn more about sustainable practices in Santa Barbara:
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Stories of Engagement and Volunteerism | |
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Every month we publish a story of justice, ministry, and volunteerism from a Trinity parishioner. This month we feature Molly Kellogg, who is also an active member of the JOC Council.
I was the oldest of a family of seven in the Midwest. My parents, a young married couple during the depression, had compassion for anyone down on their luck for whatever the reason; we often had a houseless person living in our basement for months at a time until they could find a place to live. I think I inherited that sensitivity to suffering and injustice from them, fed by the wider God in all of us.
I ran an infant care program in the barrios of Managua, Nicaragua many years ago. When we moved to Santa Barbara after years of living in Latin America, Europe and Asia, and I became a Trinity Parishioner, I focused on houseless issues. Continue reading Molly's story.
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Special Events at Trinity | |
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Sign Language Class in the Library: Tuesdays through June 27, 1-2pm
Social isolation is a major problem for those who can’t hear or speak. Learning in class helps reduce isolation and build a community within Trinity that is inclusive. The class is intended for those with little or no sign language experience but have a desire to learn and communicate. Eric Brody is the teacher and a deaf person and has taught sign language at UCSB. He encourages anyone who is losing their hearing, have some degree of hearing loss, or have deaf family and friends to take the class. A late start is okay. $50 suggested donation, but no one will be turned away. To register email drcarolynroberts@aol.com.
Sister Joan Chittister: Saturday, May 20 at 2pm
For over 50 years Sister Joan has passionately advocated on behalf of peace, human rights, women’s issues, and monastic and church renewal. Don't miss her special visit to Trinity. Get your tickets online. Tickets are $30. Invite your friends!
Save the Dates for the 2023 Trinity Summer Speaker Series
If you enjoy the JOC Digest, you will want to attend our Summer Speaker Series planned for these Sunday’s: June 25, July 2, 9 and 16, 2023. Take time to consider community challenges and organizations working on Justice issues that offer us an opportunity to become involved in serving others.
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Celebrate and Support Justice | |
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Look for the blue celebration envelopes in the pews
and recognize a birthday, an anniversary, graduation, engagement, 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.
We extend a special thank you to our March and April donors:
Michael Dean, Anna Kokotovic, Irene Marsi, Molly Kellogg, Michele Peterson, Sarah Fenstermaker, Amera Jordan, Jeannie Christensen, Jean Lange Davis, Michelle Petersen, Kim and Paul Larsen.
In honor of Kathryn Dean, celebration fund donations were received from:
Teresa and Tim Angulo, Linda Ferratta, Don and Siu Zimmerman, Cami Segna, Glen and Norma Stuck, Betty and Pete Wenzel, Joan and Gail Campanella, Carol Carpenter and Janet Barr, Lawrence and Marianne Kugler, Irene Marsi, Kay Morris, Morris Family Trust, Beatrice Oshika, Donald and Sharon Lafler, and Joe Schneider of Word & Life.
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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.
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. 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. Or 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 to all our loyal supporters!
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Land Acknowledgement
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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