Christian Leaders Ask House to Say ‘No’ to $40 Billion in New SNAP Cuts

Christian leaders today urged members of the House of Representatives to vote “No” on a proposed bill that will further cut SNAP (the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps) by $40 billion over the next 10 years.

The leaders are from the Circle of Protection, a coalition of more than 65 heads of denominations and religious agencies, plus more than 5,000 church pastors. They have been working for more than two years to resist federal budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people.

Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, and Rev. Lisa R. Harris, national coordinator of the Justice for Children Initiative/Christian Center Relations, American Baptist Home Mission Societies, are among those quoted in the Circle of Protection release.

The proposed bill is expected to be brought to the full House for a vote this week. If passed, the bill would leave up to 4 million poor, childless adults hungry and 210,000 children without free school meals. These cuts would be on top of substantial across-the-board cuts coming on November 1 due to the expiration of the 2009 Recovery Act.

In letters to their members of Congress, the Christian leaders expressed deep moral outrage over these proposed new cuts and their effects on the nation’s most vulnerable people. Copies of their letters are available online at www.circleofprotection.us.

Although SNAP benefits are modest, an average of less than $1.50 per person per meal, SNAP is the nation’s foremost tool against hunger and hardship, particularly during recessions and periods of high unemployment. Currently, 47 million Americans benefit from SNAP, but that number is expected to be greatly reduced once the economy recovers.   SNAP is designed to expand in periods of great need and contract when the economy is better.

Many of the organizations that belong to the Circle of Protection have also mobilized their members to urge their representatives to vote “No” on this new bill.  If the proposed bill passes, it will go to conference with the Senate version in an effort to compromise on a final farm bill.

Quotes from key Christian leaders appear below.  The letters are available at www.circleofprotection.us.

Quotations from Christian Leaders:

Rev. Lisa R. Harris, Coordinator, American Baptist Home Mission Societies: “Far too many Americans rely on SNAP today, but high participation is not from a surge of laziness.  Over 30 percent of SNAP households are working households.  The real problem is the economy and the fact that too many jobs don’t pay enough for parents to be able to put food on the table and provide for their children.  11.5 million people remain unemployed, and 4.2 million people have been looking for work over 26 weeks.”

Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, General Secretary, American Baptist Churches USA: “Cutting SNAP and taking away vital nutrition assistance from children, seniors, low-wage workers, and persons with disabilities will not address the larger economic trends or create more jobs with adequate wages.  Instead, this type of bill will punish those struggling to get by.”

Rev. Brian Adams, Minister for Economic Justice, Disciples Center for Public Witness:
“I far too regularly have to turn away people in need of help.  We can offer a few non-perishable goods, but far from enough to sustain the many people around us, and not the perishable goods they need to have a healthy diet.  If we as a nation seek to be founded in our Judeo-Christian influences, we cannot be faithful in doing so without, though laws and government, caring for the poor in our land.  When a country’s rules do not give the poor in their land what God intends, suffering is not far behind.”

Leith Anderson, President, National Association of Evangelicals:
“During the Great Recession, the number of Americans needing food aid has understandably increased.  Millions of families survived very hard times thanks in part to this assistance.  Children were protected from irreversible developmental damage.  Hunger-related health care costs were averted.  We support efforts to reduce our annual deficits and enact structural reforms to bring our revenues and expenses back into balance.  But we believe this can be done without further burdening our most vulnerable citizens, and without cutting appropriations for vital food assistance programs.”

The Most Reverend Stephen E. Blaire, Bishop of Stockton, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
“Adequate and nutritious food is a fundamental human right and a basic need that is integral to protecting the life and dignity of the human person.  How the House chooses to address our nation’s hunger and nutrition programs will have profound human and moral consequences.  This is a crucial time for our nation to place a circle of protection around programs that build a more just framework and put poor and hungry people first.”

Rev. David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World and laureate, World Food Prize:
“These proposed cuts are a clear indication that some in Congress underestimate the hunger that is present in millions of American homes. The amendment picks on the poorest people in the country.  This is morally and economically unacceptable especially as some areas continue to experience high unemployment.  Congress needs to focus on creating more jobs and not cut programs that stave off hunger for millions of people.”

Rev. Carlos Malave, Executive Director, Christian Churches Together in the USA:
“The Bible calls us to care for our neighbor and remember ‘the least of these.’ The cuts included in the bill violate this principle.  SNAP is one of the country’s most important anti-hunger programs, and this bill could leave up to six million people without vital food assistance.”

Dr. Ann Scholz, Associate Director for Social Mission, LCWR:
“It is not just a bad idea, it is morally indefensible.  Our faith calls us to respect the dignity of each and every person and to give particular care to those most in need.  The proposed cuts to SNAP violate these principles.  SNAP was the primary prevention against hunger for children and families during the recession.  Such devastating cuts are simply inexcusable.  We must make good on the promise that this country, if you are willing to work, you won’t have to see your children go to bed hungry.”

Peter Vander Meulen, Coordinator, Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice:
“We are called, as Christians, to protect the most vulnerable.  It is with this commitment in mind that we urge you to protect millions who so desperately depend on SNAP.  In the US, 11.5 million people remain unemployed, and many who are employed receive low paying wages not sufficient enough to feed their children.”

Jim Wallis, President, Sojourners:
“These immoral cuts are incongruent with the shared values of our nation. They demonstrate the triumph of political ideology and self-interest over sound public policy and concern for the general welfare. Actions like these foster cynicism and distrust of government in the everyday Americans who struggle to meet their families’ basic needs and create a better life for their children.”

The Circle of Protection is composed of more than 65 heads of denominations, relief and development agencies, and other Christian organizations. For more information, please visit www.circleofprotection.us.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

Q:  What is the Mission Table?
A: The Mission Table is a gathering of people who come together to further advance God’s work among our ABC congregations in common areas of mission and ministry.

Q: Who is invited to the Mission Table?
A: The Mission Table will include persons from every region, seminary, and national agency.

Q: How many persons will take part in the Mission Table?
A: About 100 persons.

Q: That sounds about the size of the former ABC General Board.  Will this experience be similar to the General Board?
A: If it is, then we have failed.  The Mission Table experience is designed to be very different from the former General Board.  The General Board was primarily about setting policy and planning programs.  A Mission Table is about building relationships and networking.

Q: Where will the Mission Table take place?
A: The Mission Table will take place November 11-13, 2013 at the American Baptist Assembly in Green Lake, Wisconsin.

Q: What exactly happens at a Mission Table?
A: Mission Table participants will discuss topics related to mission and ministry using a process designed to advance what can be done about those topics.

Q: How will the topics be chosen?
A: The topics discussed at the Mission Table were originally discussed at the ABC Mission Summit, recently held in Overland Park, Kansas, in June of 2013. The Mission Summit topics surfaced from work done through the Transformed by the Spirit (TbyS) initiative that included a national survey as well as topics already being discussed by an existing Action Challenge Team (ACT) or Action Learning Team (ALT) in TbyS.  In short, the topics at the Mission Table represent issues that American Baptists find both critical to their future work, but also challenging.

Q: What is the overall goal of the Mission Table?
A: That every participant will commit to advocating for some course of action regarding a topic that is relevant and urgent to their respective organization.

Q: How will that work get done?
A: Through networking and continued conversation.  With today’s technology, there is nothing that prevents people with a common passion for ministry, from engaging in conversation no matter where they happen to reside.

Q: Someone at the Mission Summit said that the parking lot conversation was brought into the main hall? What did they mean by that?
A: I guess the person might have meant that the conversations that used to happen around the edges were brought into the main floor of the convention center.  I did hear one person say that the best part of the Biennial used to be the insights that surfaced from conversations in the hallway about real mission and ministry issues.  People at the Mission Summit had three opportunities to engage in mission and ministry conversation and consistently the evaluations showed that the Mission Summit Conversations were the most appreciated aspect of the overall Mission Summit.

Q: How will the small groups be selected at the Mission Table?
A: Participants will have an opportunity to engage in topics that they are passionate about, but will also be asked to offer their perspectives on topics of general interest to the whole group.

Q: What else will happen at the Mission Table?
A: In today’s ministry, building relationships is critical to ministry advancement.  Participants will spend some time working with and building relationships with persons whom they have never met as well as persons outside of their own organizations.

Q: How many topics will be discussed at the Mission Table?
A: The Mission Summit offered 32 different topics for conversation and every topic had a group of people that had decided that topic was their # 1 choice for conversation.

Q: That sounds like a lot of topics.  Do the topics fall into any broad themes?
A: Yes, the Mission Summit conversations took place in three large rooms labeled, “Our Leaders,” “Our Witness,” and “Our Future.”   These three categories will also outline the Mission Table conversations.

Q: Will the Mission Table also end up with 32 topics that are moving forward?
A: Yes and No.  Because this is a grassroots effort, we expect that every conversation that began at the Mission Summit will continue in some form as the participants go back to their own circles of friendships and connections.  But similar to the Mission Summit, the real power of the Mission Table is to create the space for meaningful dialogue around people’s passions.  By the last day of the Mission Table, topics of greatest interest to the Mission Table participants will be made available for discussion.

Q: I also heard someone say that this process was uniquely Baptist. How so?
A: Baptists have always gathered to do more together than they could separately in mission and ministry.  The Mission Table is an attempt to create the space for that to happen all over again, but in today’s context and with today’s needs and challenges.  Join us in making history all over again as American Baptists engaged in mission and ministry.

It is all a bit anticlimactic really.

In Matthew chapter 3 Jesus is baptized, and then in chapter 4 he is tested in the desert.  Chapter 4 ends with a quote from Isaiah about the bar of the oppressor being broken and captives rejoicing as at the harvest.  Isaiah says that people will no longer stumble in darkness but will walk in light, and the “chosen one of God” will accomplish all of this.  Jesus is standing in the very place Isaiah mentions, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.  It dawns on us that Jesus is going to make all this happen.  He is the chosen one of God.

We can almost hear Beethoven’s 5^th building in the background as the story rushes headlong to its climax.  We might expect a flurry of miracles, some thunder and lightening, at least cheering crowds swelling behind him as he travels.  We know this is the inauguration of grand things.

So what follows this auspicious beginning?  Jesus takes a solitary walk along the Sea of Galilee and strikes up some conversations with a few fishermen who are toiling to earn a living to feed their families.  It is a bit anticlimactic. We were expecting, perhaps, something a bit more dramatic.

There is, however, something to be learned by this rather low-key initiation of the ministry of Jesus.  He simply, as the British might say, chats up a few folks and invites them to travel with him.  It is not a grandiose beginning, but it is one that bears fruit a bit later in the story.  These guys become 4 of the original 12 apostles, one of them being Peter.  All that follows begins with a simple, personal invitation.

This coming Sunday, September 15^th, is National Back-to-Church Sunday.  People all over the nation are going to invite someone to go with them to church on that Sunday.  Are you willing to do that?  Think about your family, your friends, your coworkers, and your neighbors.  Is there someone whom you could invite to go to church with you?  You could say:  “You know, I enjoy going to my church.  It helps me as I try to live my life and make good decisions.  Would you like to go with me this Sunday?  I think you might like it.”

This is how Jesus began there by the Sea of Galilee.  There were no slick brochures, no Internet training modules, no football or movie stars spokespersons, no national film or book promotions, no funny U-tube videos of cats playing the piano, and no free gifts.  It was just one person inviting another person to journey with them to a new way of life.  Give it a try and see what happens.  Who knows what fruit that simple conversation might bear?  Let me know how it goes.

For more than twenty years the First Baptist Church of Pontiac, Illinois has offered a food pantry to supplement the nutritional needs of persons within our town and surrounding communities. The food pantry was the vision of one woman who had a passion for feeding the hungry in our city.

In the last two decades this ministry has grown from helping just a few families to serving more than 1,700 families representing more than 5,500 individuals in 2012. In addition to receiving canned and dry foods, recipients also receive meat and bread as well as laundry detergent and limited paper products. Since we are a farming community we are fortunate enough to occasionally add fresh eggs and vegetables to the offerings available.

While the numbers provide a tangible representation of what we do in our community, they only tell a small part of the story. The heart of this ministry is found in the volunteers who staff the food pantry. This group of people demonstrates a passion to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ through serving those in need. Each person who visits the pantry is given the opportunity to share his or her story. The elderly couple who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina; the mom whose child had brain cancer; the lonely senior adult who only wants someone to listen; each finds a compassionate ear and a generous heart. It is not unusual for work to stop as volunteers gather to pray for those whose needs extend beyond food and laundry detergent.

What started all those years ago with the vision and passion of one woman has grown into a vital ministry not only for our community but also for our church.  As we open our doors to minister to the community and feed the hungry, our tight knit group of volunteers also minister to one another. There is always a welcome smile and a warm cup of coffee waiting for anyone who wants to drop by and help out for a day, an hour or even just chat for a minute or two.  Concerns are shared and prayers offered as grocery bags are filled and at the end of the day we’ve all been fed by the food pantry. Whether we came hungry or not.

EMERGE, the 2014 National Ministers Conference meeting along side of the American Baptist Orientation to American Baptist Life for seminarians and new pastors to the denomination will help you to “emerge” to become the servant God has called you to be. Workshops, presentations and particularly, an opportunity to fellowship and interact with colleagues in ministry over important challenges facing doing ministry today will stretch your thinking, equip you with ideas, and support you in your ministry by making new friends and being in prayer with one another.

Every professional church leader needs to maintain the highest level of competency and confidence in ministry. Taking time to acquire such abilities means making our own staff development a high priority. As a senior pastor for the past 15 years, I know that I look forward to such invigorating experiences on a regular basis. As pastors and church leaders who would have just completed celebrating Christmas and welcoming the New Year, join me at EMERGE in Orlando in 2014!

Rev. Dr. Don Ng
ABCUSA Vice President, President-elect
Senior Pastor, First Chinese Baptist Church, San Francisco

The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) has granted an additional sum of US$20,000 for Syrian relief, following on other grants in 2012 and earlier this year.

The funds will be used specifically for the humanitarian crisis in Homs, one of the hardest hit areas in the ongoing Syrian civil war and an epicenter of the revolutionary movement in the Middle Eastern country. Homs has seen some of the largest casualties and destruction since protests began in Syria in March 2011.

A goal of the project is to provide monthly food and medical support to 150 Syrian families over a four-month period that will enable the families affected by the crisis to meet basic human needs and cope with displacement, violence and the deteriorating economic conditions.

The BWA partner in the relief effort reported that “the humanitarian situation has continuously deteriorated. The civilian population is suffering from the impact of armed violence, human rights violations and increasing lack of access to food, water and medical assistance.”

The group stated that “mass displacement continues across Syria” and cited a United Nations report asserting that by the end of 2013, “half the population of Syria will be in need of aid.” It is estimated that by the end of this year, some 3.45 million Syrians will be refugees in other countries and another 6.8 million displaced inside Syria.

“Fear and lack of security is dominating in daily life. Kidnapping, car bombs, suicide bombs, shelling and bombardment have had terrible psychological, economic and social implications,” the BWA partner declared. There has been “significant damage to structures and infrastructure.”

In a resolution passed by the BWA General Council in July of this year, the BWA called on governments to “support the efforts of those who are working toward a negotiated peace [in Syria] and provide essential humanitarian resources to assist refugees in this situation of conflict.”

A second resolution passed by the General Council encouraged Baptists “to act as advocates for displaced persons and to develop plans to respond with compassion and hospitality to the needs of displaced persons.”

Donations to the BWA Syrian relief may be made online  at www.bwanet.org/give, or sent to:
Baptist World Aid
c/o Baptist World Alliance
405 North Washington Street
Falls Church, VA 22046
USA

Querido/as Bautistas Americano/as,

Prólogo: “Al escribir en honor a la conmemoración del 50mo Aniversario de la Marcha en Washington, reconozco los retos que nuestra sociedad y la iglesia aún enfrentan en asuntos raciales. Al escribir, es importante para mí el admito que lo hago desde mi contexto como un euro-descendiente que fue criado en la región segregada del sur estadounidense. Estas realidades han definido mi propia lucha con el asunto de raza como un asunto que, desde mi perspectiva, es espiritual y social. En mi propio caminar ha sido importante la epístola de Pablo a los Efesios, la cual describe una iglesia que sobrepasa las divisiones entre culturas de donde se encuentran como testimonio de la labor transformadora de Jesús en su comunidad de creyentes. Esta carta la provoca mi lucha con las normas culturales del sur (estadounidense) segregado, las cuales estaban muy presentes en mi vida, y en la vida de la iglesia también. Ha sido igualmente importante para mí la influencia de amigo/as afroamericano/as y de otros grupos étnicos lo/as cuales me han acompañado a través de esta jornada con gracia, reto y perdón. Estas perspectivas me han permitido nuevas perspectivas en la experiencia que ello/as han tenido en EE.UU., las cuales me han retado y me han ayudado a comprender la persistente naturaleza del racismo en nuestra cultura.”

Esta semana marca el 50mo aniversario de la Marcha en Washington donde el Dr. (Martin Luther) King proclamó su profecía “I Have a Dream” (Tengo un Sueño), la cual nos inspira hasta el día de hoy. Esta manifestación fue una de los más importantes acontecimientos del movimiento por los derechos civiles en EE.UU. Al conmemorar este momento en la historia, estoy agradecido porque a través de la lucha por los derechos civiles la presencia Bautista Americana estuvo activa e involucrada en el esfuerzo de crear una sociedad más justa y amante.

Muchos fueron animados por las nuevas posibilidades para los EE.UU. por el reto moral que trajo esta marcha, no sólo a la capital federal, sino a cada estadounidense. Cuando el Dr. King proclamó su sueño de un país donde “un día, en las colinas rojizas de Georgia, los hijos de quienes fueron esclavos y los hijos de quienes fueron dueños de esclavos puedan sentarse juntos a la mesa de la hermandad”, sus palabras encendieron mi imaginación con esperanza por el país y por la iglesia, siendo yo entonces un adolescente blanco de Georgia.

Las celebraciones de esta fecha muestran cuán lejos hemos llegado. Sin embargo, también muestran cuánto nos falta por conseguir la visión de la “comunidad amada”. Desde la Marcha en Washington se han logrado avances significativos. Estos logros han sido obtenidos a gran costo por el sacrificio que muchos han hecho por la visión del Dr. King. Hoy día es un afroamericano el que ocupa el puesto electivo más alto del país, una idea inimaginable, excepto en la lucha de muchos. Sin embargo, una reflexión seria reconocería que el sueño del Dr. King ha sido logrado sólo en parte. Debajo de toda señal exterior de progreso yacen capas de desconfianza y de ansiedad, y un cuestionamiento sobre cuán verdaderamente justo son nuestras instituciones para las personas de color. Estos son asuntos que rara vez atendemos en conversaciones unos con otros, y a través de las líneas de razas. Una conversación dentro de los grupos raciales – negros con negros, blancos con blancos, mulatos con mulatos y mestizos con mestizos – revelarán percepciones distintas de la “experiencia americana” 50 años después del sermón del Dr. King.

Aun recientemente, asesinato de Trayvon Martin y la exoneración de George Zimmerman sobre las bases de las leyes de “stand your ground” (defender tu posición) dramáticamente muestra la herida que aún supura por el estado de las relaciones raciales en el país.

Como abuelo de un niño de dos años que lleva consigo la tez azabache de la ascendencia africana de nuestra querida nueva, he sido confrontado con la tenaz presencia del racismo en el país en maneras nuevas. A todo lado que voy con mi nieto, todos expresan admiración por él – ¡y por supuesto! “¡Qué lindo!” “¡Qué precioso!” “¡Qué hermoso!” Pero tengo temor de cómo lo miren cuando cumpla 16 o 17 años, y esté caminando por un barrio que no sea donde él viva para visitar a alguna de sus amistades. Me preocupo por el en maneras en las cuales nunca me preocupé por mis dos hijos porque yo sé el poder  que tienen las presunciones y sospechas basados en el color de la piel, y que están profundamente enraizadas en nuestra cultura.

La “experiencia americana” depende mucho de la raza. Frecuentemente me encuentro pensando sobre una conversación que tuve con una amiga hace varios años. Estábamos hablando sobre nuestros hijos, como eran ya adolescentes, y como pronto estarían optando por el permiso de conducir, y como al conducir ellos, las primas de los seguros vehiculares se irían por el techo. La conversación se tornó seria cuando ella, una madre afroamericana, comenzó a hablar de los temores que ella tenía cuando a su hijo (no si a su hijo) lo detuvieran por estar conduciendo su Mercedes-Benz. Ella comenzó a recitarme – madre a padre – todas las precauciones y advertencias que ella le había dado a su hijo sobre cómo debería actuar para que no sea percibido como una amenaza. Yo nunca había pensado darle a mi hijo una advertencia, sino el consejo de que no ser irrespetuoso si lo detenían (no cuando lo detuvieran). Ahora con mi nieto, me pregunto qué debo decirle a él sobre los EE.UU. a 15 años de hoy. De la misma manera que hace 50 años añoraba un país que fuese libre de la mancha de la segregación, ahora quiero para mi nieto, y para todas nuestras hijas e hijos, un país libre de la mancha persistente del racismo.

Fue, precisamente, la postura anti-esclavista bautista americana, y el trabajo bautista americano en el sur estadounidense después de la Guerra Civil fundando escuelas y trabajando por los derecho de los afroamericanos libertos, y nuestro activismo durante el movimiento de derechos civiles, y el apoyo al Dr. King y a su familia, lo que motivo que muchos  de nosotros nos uniéramos a esta denominación. Yo quiero ser parte de una iglesia que vive Efesios 2:14, y sueña con ser la “comunidad amada” que el profeta Isaías proclamó cuando declaró, “mi casa será llamada casa de oración para todos los pueblos”. (Isaías 56:7c, RVC) Este es el llamado de la iglesia: ser una comunidad donde todos son unidos en el poder del amor redentor de Dios,  y viven en harmonía y unidad que activamente fluye de la vida de la Trinidad: Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo.

El Consejo Ejecutivo Nacional de las Iglesias Bautistas Americanas (Louis Barbarin de MMBB, Virginia Holmstrom de las Mujeres Bautistas Americanas, Michaele Birdsall de las Sociedades Bautistas Americanas de Misión Nacional (ABHMS) en representación de Aidsand Wright-Riggins que está de sabática, Reid Trulson de los Ministerios Internacionales Bautistas Americanos, y yo como Secretario General) añoramos para las ABC el que nos convirtamos en esa comunidad, y que estemos en la vanguardia de los nuevos movimientos por la justicia racial. Creemos que es esencial para nuestra búsqueda de ser Transformados por el Espírito, el que las ABC se conviertan, en las palabras de Pablo, en una “nueva humanidad” donde las diferencias culturales y raciales sean recibidas y honradas como dones que reflejan la multiforme riqueza de Dios.

También creemos que la afirmación escritural de que Dios nos ha dado el ministerio de la reconciliación (II Cor. 5:18) nos reta y nos fortalece para tomar esta causa, no sólo en esta generación y en nuestras iglesias, sino igualmente a nuestra sociedad. A este fin, nos hemos propuesto dirigir a la comunidad bautista americana en una agenda constante que atienda los asuntos de raza en EE.UU. Las ABHMS tomarán un rol programático clave en este esfuerzo, pero todos nosotros estaremos ofreciendo liderazgo.

Invitamos a la familia bautista americana a participar de los conversatorios de que iniciarán las ABHMS en su página de facebook. También invitamos a las congregaciones bautistas americanas en entablar estas conversaciones, no sólo dentro de las congregaciones, sino con iglesias hermanas cuya membresía no se parezca a la propia. Estaremos identificando y distribuyendo recursos para ayudar al desarrollo de estas conversaciones y relaciones como hermanas y hermanos en Cristo.

En nuestro esfuerzo por un país que refleje el reino de Dios, el arrepentimiento será exigido. Escuchar con el corazón será requerido. Nuevo hábitos, actitudes y prácticas serán esenciales.

La presencia bautista americana fue una gran fuerza para el cambio en el movimiento de los derechos civiles. La presencia bautista americana puede ser una gran fuerza por la justicia hoy. Como las manos y los pies de Cristo, llevemos a cabo el mandamiento de Cristo de amar a nuestro prójimo como a nosotros mismos a través de nuestro trabajo por una sociedad que hace justicia y ama misericordia como una expresión de nuestro caminar humilde ante Dios y el prójimo.

En Cristo,
A. Roy Medley
Secretario General, Iglesias Bautistas Americanas, EE.UU.A.

The message above, written by ABCUSA General Secretary A. Roy Medley, was translated into Spanish by President of the ABCUSA Intercaucus Amaury Tañón-Santos.

Dear American Baptist,

Prologue:  “As I write in honor of the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, I am cognizant of the challenge that our society and the church still face on matters of race.  As I write,  it is important that I acknowledge that I do so out of my context as a Euro-American, raised in the segregated South.  Those facts have defined my own wrestling with the issue of race as both a spiritual and a social issue for me.  Important in my own journey has been Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which describes a church that surmounts the divisions of the cultures in which it is embedded as testimony to the transformative work of Christ within his community of believers.  This letter provoked my struggle with the cultural norms of the segregated South that were all too often present in the life of the church as well.  Equally important to me has been the influence of African-American and other friends of color who have accompanied me on this journey with grace, challenge, and forgiveness.  Their perspectives have offered me new insights into their experiences in America that have challenged me and helped me understand the enduring nature of racism in our culture.”

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington where Dr. King delivered his prophetic “I Have a Dream” address that still inspires today.  This march was the high-water mark in the Civil Rights movement.  As we mark this moment in history,  I am grateful that throughout the Civil Rights struggle  American Baptists were actively involved in the effort to create a more just and loving society.

Many were buoyed by new possibilities for America as the March on Washington brought a moral challenge not only to the nation’s capitol but to every American.   As Dr. King proclaimed a dream of an America where “one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood,”  his words fired my imagination with hope as a 15 year-old white teenager in Georgia for nation and church.

This week’s anniversary celebrations mark both how far we have come and yet, how far short of Dr. King’s vision of the beloved community we have fallen.  Since the March on Washington, real gains have been made.  Whatever gains we have made have come at great cost to many who sacrificed much for Dr. King’s vision.  Today an African-American occupies the highest office in the country, an idea that was unthinkable apart from the struggle of many. Yet sober reflection must acknowledge that Dr. King’s dream is only partially realized.   Underneath outward signs of progress lie layers of distrust and dis-ease and a questioning of the fairness of our systems for people of color.  These are matters we seldom address in conversation with each other across the lines of race.  And intra-racial conversations – black with black, white with white, brown with brown – reveal very different perceptions of the “American experience” 50 years after Dr. King’s address.

Most recently, the killing of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of George Zimmerman on the basis of “stand your ground” laws have dramatically show-cased the still- festering wound of race in this country.

As the grandfather of a two year old grandson who bears the ebony hues of the African heritage of our beloved daughter-in-law, I have been confronted with the enduring nature of racism in our country in a new way.  Everywhere we take my grandson, everybody oohs and aahs over him – and rightfully so!  “How cute!”  “Isn’t he precious!”  “He’s so darling!”  But I fear for when he is 16 or 17, and is walking in a neighborhood and not his own to visit a friend, how folks will see him then.  I worry for him in a way I have never worried for my two sons because I know the power of the race-based assumptions and suspicions that are deeply ingrained in our culture.

The “American experience” differs in many ways depending upon one’s race.  I frequently reflect upon a conversation I had with a friend of mine several years ago. We were commiserating about how both our sons were coming of age and would soon get their driver’s license and how, consequently, our insurance rates would go through the roof.  The conversation took a serious turn when she, an African-American mother, began talking about the fears she had for her son when (not if) he would be stopped for driving her Mercedes-Benz.  She began to recite to me parent-to-parent all the cautions and warnings she had given her son about how he was to act if pulled over in order not be seen as a threat.  Never had I thought about the need to give my son any advice except, “Don’t be rude if (not when) you are pulled over.”  Now with my grandson, I wonder what I must say to him in the  America of 15 years from now. Just as 50 years ago I hungered for an America free from the stain of segregation, now I want for my grandson and for all our sons and daughters an America free from the stain of enduring racism.

It was the stance of American Baptists against slavery, ABC’s work in the South after the Civil War founding schools and working for the rights of African-Americans newly freed, and our involvement in the Civil Rights movement and support for Dr. King and his family that led me and others to become American Baptists.  I wanted to be part of church that lives Ephesians 2:14, and dreams of being “the beloved community” that the prophet Isaiah heralded when he declared, “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isa 56:7 RSV)  This is the church’s calling:  to be a community where all are joined together in the power of God’s redemptive love, and  live in the harmony and unity that actively flows from the life of the Trinity:  Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

The National Executive Council of ABC (Louis Barbarin of MMBB, Virginia Holmstrom of ABWM, Michaele Birdsall of ABHMS for Aidsand Wright-Riggins who is on sabbatical, Reid Trulson of ABC/IM and me as General Secretary) yearns for ABC to become such a community and to be in the forefront of a new movement for racial justice.  We believe  it is of the essence of being Transformed by the Spirit that ABC become in Paul’s words “the new humanity” where racial and cultural differences are received and honored as gifts that reflect God’s manifold riches.

We further believe that scripture’s affirmation that God “has given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18) both empowers and compels us to take up this cause not only within our lives and within our churches but within our society as well.  To that end, we have purposed together to lead American Baptists in a sustained engagement around the issues of race in our nation.  ABHMS will be taking a key programmatic role in this effort, but all of us will be offering  leadership.

We invite American Baptists to participate in the dialogue that ABHMS is initiating on its Facebook page.  We also invite every ABC congregation to engage in this dialogue not just internally but with sister churches whose memberships do not mirror  its own.  We will be identifying and making available resources to assist our conversation and engagement as brothers and sisters in Christ.

In our struggle for a nation that more fully reflects God’s reign, repentance will be demanded.  Listening with the heart will be required.  New habits, attitudes, and practices will be essential.

American Baptists were a strong force for change in the Civil Rights movement.  American Baptists can be a strong force for justice today.  As the hands and feet of Christ, let us fulfill Christ’s command to love our neighbor as we love ourselves through our work for a society that does justice and loves mercy as the expression of our walking humbly with God and neighbor.

In Christ,
A. Roy Medley
General Secretary, American Baptist Churches USA

The message above, written by ABCUSA General Secretary A. Roy Medley, was translated into Spanish by President of the ABCUSA Intercaucus Amaury Tañón-Santos.

WILDWOOD – A group of more than 40 American Baptist volunteers cleaned up under the boardwalk on Aug. 15 and 16 as they completed their final week of volunteer work for Sandy victims.

The multiple week program, “Coming Together for New Jersey” was developed by the American Baptist Home Mission Societies and American Baptist Churches of New Jersey in response to Hurricane Sandy.

Bringing the group to Wildwood was the work of local residents Lisa Brocco-Collia, southern New Jersey regional Sandy coordinator, and her colleague, Jayson Rempo.

Members of the group include representatives from New Jersey, Michigan, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Florida, among others.

“I explained we’ve been forgotten down here,” said Brocco-Collia in a release, referring to post-Sandy clean-up efforts. “Every day we find people who have been affected by Sandy.”

On Aug. 15, volunteers walked along the edge of the boardwalk, as well as beneath it, looking for the remains of personal effects that might have been washed from homes flooded by the storm. If possible, items found will be returned to their owners.

In addition to finding and returning personal effects the group will also remove debris left behind from Sandy’s wrath as well as other trash and weeds.

On Friday, Aug. 16, the same volunteers installed three beach paths that were washed away during the October hurricane. These wooden paths reach out from the boardwalk, across the city’s wide beach, allowing beachgoers access to the water’s edge.

Denise Gratzel, Disaster Response Coordinator for the American Baptist Church, was one of the volunteers, said the group found a driver’s license and some photos. Gratzel said any personal effects found would be given to the mayor’s office in order for them to be returned to their owners.

According to Gratzel, the majority of items were found by sifting through sand close to the walls of the boardwalk.

Another volunteer, Woody Curtis of Camden, Delaware, was familiar with disaster recovery, having volunteered in Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“It is an outreach,” Curtis said of the volunteers. “From a spiritual dimension, if you feel that God has called you to reach out to people in ways that are far beyond your

City Commissioner Pete Byron said Wildwood appreciated the efforts of the volunteers.

“We are fortunate that we were spared the wrath of Sandy,” said Byron, who oversees the city’s beach services. “While we were spared, we appreciate the volunteers sprucing up the area under the Boardwalk.”