Minutes September 2021 | Ravenswood United

Your Support Is There When Disaster Strikes

Making a difference in the lives of those most at risk

The Serve the People Brigade of the Cordillera Disaster Response Network distributes rice to people in need in the Philippines despite risks.

Credit: Cordillera Disaster Response Network

Published On: September 20, 2021 Sept. 26, 2020

When emergencies strike, people need help right away. First with the basics―shelter, food, clothing―and then with rebuilding. Increasingly, people around the world are facing a variety of disasters. Climate change, health crises, food insecurity, and violent conflicts that forcibly displace thousands are just some of the catastrophes that affect millions of people every day.

The United Church is part of a worldwide network that makes a difference in the lives of those most at risk. United Church partners and ecumenical relationships in over 120 countries mean that we are on the ground ready to help in times of emergencies.

Recently, generous supporters have helped people struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastating explosion in Beirut, and the earthquake in Haiti. From vaccines to hygiene kits to food to farm implements, your support is there when it is needed most. In return, our partners minister to us in a variety of ways, including spiritually.

The United Church of Christ in the Philippines, a Mission & Service partner, shares this prayer with us. Let us pray, together:

Most gracious and merciful God,
   amidst the din of howling winds
   above the noise of rampaging waves
   atop the earthquakes and the shaking of the earth
we hear your voice: “Be still and know that I am God.”

Yes, even in times when we are prone not to be still,
at moments when we are sorely tempted to resort to flight,
we hear you and we pause to listen and to reflect, to stand still
and recognize that indeed you are the God who is with us,
that it is not in the wind or waves or in the earth’s tremors that you speak,
and that even when we walk through the shadow of the valley of death, that we are not alone
that even when we are put in the crucible of a fiery furnace,
that you are there to save.

In times like these, you speak to reassure us
   through that still, small voice
   through the concrete acts of solidarity of partners and friends
   through those who lovingly stretched out their helping hands
   to those ravaged by the storm
   to those who are desolate and in despair
   to those who are left with a threadbare of hope.

In times like these you assure us that we are not alone;
that we have sisters and brothers who are moved to walk the lonesome valley with us.
We thank you, for in times like these, your love and care are made more manifest and incarnate,
made alive in concrete deeds of lovingkindness and compassion.
To you we return all glory and praise.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thank you for giving generously through Mission & Service.

Seeking Grace and an End to Occupation

A former Ecumenical Accompanier laments the brutality witnessed in Palestine and Israel, while celebrating brief moments of compassion.

Published On: September 13, 2021 Sept. 19, 2021

World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel is September 19 to 26, 2021. Church organizations, congregations, and people of faith are encouraged to bear a common witness by participating in worship services, educational events, and acts of support in favour of peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians. See the links for resources at the bottom of this page.

Serving as an Ecumenical Accompanier with the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel was an experience that repeatedly broke my heart and shook me to my core, while simultaneously opening my eyes to injustice and violence in ways I could not have imagined. I came home with a heart that had been shattered time and again by repeated human suffering. Suffering experienced by people like you and I, whose greatest desire is to live their lives in peace. I remember speaking at a church a few years later, and a woman came up to me afterwards and said “You have seen so much pain.” She was right. I have.

I have accompanied people immediately after their home has been demolished, their crops have been intentionally destroyed, their son has been shot by soldiers while walking home. I have provided protective presence for farmers afraid to go to their fields after having been threatened at gunpoint by their settler neighbors. I have witnessed extreme poverty and child malnutrition. Terrible sanitation. I have witnessed a system that allows abundant access to water and electricity to some, while denying it to others, based on ethnicity.

It can be hard to carry that pain — especially when you know that it continues to happen. That it not only continues, but that the violence is getting worse. That in spite of multiple violations of International Law occurring on a daily basis, politicians the world over choose to ignore what’s happening. Apparently political self-preservation is more important than upholding international obligations and ending human suffering. While this is a pain that I carry, I am always aware that far more important than my pain, is the harsh reality that those who are directly affected live it out, day after day after day. Every day.

For a while, I chalked it all of up to “systems.” In this case, the “system” at fault is the 64-year ongoing military occupation of the West Bank. But an experience at the Qalandiya checkpoint showed me that the occupation is done by people. It placed me face to face with one individual’s outright cruelty to a suffering stranger.

Qalandiya checkpoint is a major Israeli checkpoint for Palestinians entering East Jerusalem. In many ways, it is an atrocity that it exists at all, as it sits fully on Palestinian land. No one enters Israel through it. They simply move from the West Bank to East Jerusalem. It is a place of high security, manned by armed soldiers and security staff exhibiting obvious contempt and disdain for the Palestinians who pass through. It’s what I imagine a prison facility to look like — narrow cement walkways walled with steel bars that look much like cattle chutes, with turnstiles at the end of each walkway electronically controlled by soldiers, opening to a completely enclosed area where people hand their ID through a small hole in a window to soldiers, and where the conveyor belt is located for the X-raying of personal belongings. Soldiers voices boom out over loudspeakers, the sound bouncing off the walls. It is a very unnerving place, to say the least.

During the 4:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. period, the checkpoint is full of Palestinian laborers going to work in Jerusalem and students going to classes. It can easily take an hour to pass through the checkpoint, sometimes much longer. With jobs dependent on getting through on time, there can be jostling for position in the caged line. At the best of times, it is a cold, damp, and uninviting way to start your day.

One busy morning a frail and weak older man arrived by wheelchair, accompanied by his sons. They appeared to be going to a medical appointment. The man was very ill and could barely stand. In cases like this, the soldiers are supposed to allow people to use the Humanitarian Gate, a gate that bypasses the throng of people while still completing the required security checks. I watched as the sons politely asked the young, female soldier to open the Humanitarian Gate. She angrily refused. A second request garnered the same response. Desperate, they looked over to me, their eyes pleading for help. I too calmly asked the same question, pointing out the man’s infirmity. Again, she angrily denied the request. I asked one more time, her response even louder and more angry than before. With looks of resignation, the two younger men shrugged their shoulders. With one son on either side, holding the older man up by each arm, they walked to the end of the line to begin the arduous journey through the checkpoint — a journey I was sure the older man could not do. To my amazement, in unison the men in the line pressed themselves to the edges of the cage. The sea of humanity parted, allowing the sons to bring the older man through. In one short moment, an ugly situation in a cold and dark place, became the place where Compassion and Light shone through.

This experience has haunted me. What caused this soldier to deny assistance to a suffering stranger? And at times of great struggle, how do oppressed people rise up with such grace? I do not have satisfactory answers. But I do know that in a multitude of ways, I saw this story unfold numerous times across the West Bank. Yes, the system of oppression is the brutal military occupation, but the system is lived out through human beings who as they hurt their neighbor, ultimately hurt themselves. The suffering is real, for all involved.

People ask what do I pray for? My answer is that I have wrestled with despair, with anger, with rage. Sometimes together. Sometimes separate. Sometimes, like the psalmists, it comes as lament. All I can honestly do is take the pain of individuals, the pain of the collective, and my cries for peace in this most Unholy Land, to God. Take it all to God. And then in silence, trust the One “who has created and is creating, who reconciles and makes new, who works in us and others by the Spirit” to do just that.

— Contributed by a former Canadian Ecumenical Accompanier. Their identity is being withheld to enable them to travel to Palestine again when it is safe. Please join them in praying during the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel, September 19 to 26, 2021.

Building a World Where Everyone Belongs: Lynda’s Story

“I became a disability activist when I realized it takes political will to change society for the better.”

Credit: The United Church of Canada

Published On: December 4, 2020 Sept. 12, 2021

Everyone belongs; that belief anchors our United Church. It’s why your Mission & Service gifts support gatherings of people who are left on the margins of society and support education events that help us learn what we can do about it.

Disability is one aspect of social justice the United Church is working on. Did you know that one in five Canadians live with at least one disability? That’s 6.2 million people. Of these, 1.2 million can’t afford aids, devices, or prescription medications. People living with severe disabilities have half the income of those with none. Seniors are almost twice as likely to have a disability as people who are of working age.

Disability is an issue that affects us all. That’s why the United Church partners with people from other denominations to raise awareness. People like Anglican disability activist Lynda Katsuno, who is widely considered a pioneer in the field.

Lynda has lived with disability since she was in a car accident in 1973. At the time, she was a primary school teacher and loved her job working with children.

After the accident, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to return to what she loved because the school wasn’t accessible. Lynda credits a committed principal and board of education superintendent for making the changes that would enable her to return to her job.

“I became a disability activist when I realized it takes political will to change society for the better. Our community is made stronger when we include people with disabilities. If people with disabilities were fully welcome, the world would be a richer place. It would be a place where there is hope and no fear,” she says.

Ideals of mutuality, inclusivity, and justice drive Lynda’s passion to make the world a better place for all. “I don’t want to be seen as a poor, pathetic person. I want to be seen as a child of God,” she says.

Your generosity supports events and education that help create healthy, strong, welcoming communities inside and outside the church. Communities where no one is left out. Where we are all valued as children of God.

Let’s build a world where everyone belongs. Make your Mission & Service gift for belonging today.

No Longer Asking “Where Will I Eat?" An Update from Our Place Society

“We have never stopped providing three meals a day.”

Staff at Our Place serve food outside at a special barbecue for guests.

Credit: Our Place Society

Published On: August 21, 2021 Sept. 5, 2021

When the pandemic began to ramp up last year, Grant McKenzie, the Communications Director at Our Place Society―a Mission & Service partner―told us one of the questions street-involved guests often asked is “Where will I eat?”

No one asks that question at Our Place anymore.

“The reason for that is simple. We have never stopped providing three meals a day. And as this pandemic continues, we endeavour to make more food options available. Due to social distancing, our kitchen staff need to think more creatively as they plan one-bowl meals that can be safely handed out at our front gates. We are also busy providing water, tea, coffee, and milk,” says McKenzie

That doesn’t mean there is no stress. The fentanyl crisis, overdoses, magnified social isolation, and mounting stress and anxiety as the pandemic continues take a heavy toll. Still, guests have reassurance that Our Place will continue to offer three square meals a day, whether indoors or out.

“In this strange and difficult time, my heart breaks with sorrow at the vulnerable people struggling to survive with yet another obstacle in their path, but my heart also swells with pride at the people who are stepping up to help,” he says.

Reassurance can be hard to come by in uncertain times. Your gifts through Mission & Service continue to provide steady support during the long COVID-19 crisis. Thank you.