Category Archives: Current Events

December 20, 2012 · 10:29 pm

Tell NBC to Air PC(USA) documentary: TRIGGER

As we seek ways to respond to gun violence in the United States, here is information about a video that could lead to discussion and other resources in a post from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons (daughters) of God. (Matthew 5:9)

The 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted a policy statement: Gun Violence, Gospel Values: Mobilizing in Response to God’s Call. The policy called for “the church [to] take responsibility to build public awareness of gun violence and the epidemic of preventable gun-related deaths, totaling more than 620,000 over the past twenty years, with hundreds of thousands more wounded. Even while taking the focused and urgent efforts below to achieve practical solutions, that the councils and congregations welcome discussion from all viewpoints, and that the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy review and summarize responses for the 220th General Assembly (2012).”

Trigger profileTrigger Documentary – Produced by the PC(USA)

NBC has first dibs through May, 2013, on airing a PC(USA)-produced documentary on gun violence. The documentary named TRIGGER :The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence is produced by award-winning producer David Barnhart. Our latest inquiry reveals that many of the local NBC affiliates are not even aware that the documentary exists. We need your help! Please call your local NBC affiliate today and request that the documentary be aired in prime time given the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, and more than 30,000 people killed in the U.S. every year by gun violence.   

To find your local NBC affiliate, go to NBC’s website, search by state and choose your local station.  Once on the right website, look for a “contact us” or “feedback” link. Ask them to air TRIGGER in prime time.

Gun violence daily affects communities on levels equivalent with major natural and human disasters, and it is seen in almost every community. We may hear briefly about the victims and survivors of these shootings, but what happens after the media attention moves on and the wider public becomes numb to “just another shooting”? Drawing upon conversations with lawmakers, emergency room chaplains and surgeons, survivors and victims’ families, former ATF officials, police officers, community leaders and others, this documentary shares the story of how gun violence impacts individuals and communities and examines the “ripple effect” that one shooting has on a survivor, a family, a community, and a society. TRIGGER also addresses the critical issue of gun violence prevention (such as keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill) by moving the conversation away from the polarizing extremes that have long dominated the debate and by lifting up the voice and experiences of those who seek common ground and a new way forward. View the documentary trailer. Please call today!  Encourage your friends and church members to do the same.

Resources for responding to gun-related tragedy:

See you along the Trail.

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December 17, 2012 · 8:22 am

As I should pray every day

Many concerns and joys and needs appear in my prayers.

This day – as should happen every day –

I pray
for children who go to school;
for parents and families who send their children to school;
for teachers, administrators, and all who work at school;
for parents and families who send their loved ones to work in schools.

With thanks to J.C. Austin and Shannan Vance-Ocampo and Derrick Weston for reminding me.

See you along the Trail.

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December 15, 2012 · 9:42 pm

Once came tears

IMG_0022 (768x1024)It was an intense hour. Tears rimmed my eyes most of the time, once they slipped out. This evening, I took part in a candlelight vigil.

We lit candles and kept them lit in the wind – together. We remembered the children and adults dead in Newton, Connecticut. We remembered our neighbors in New York and other places. And we rededicated ourselves to working to end the gun violence that haunts our country.

Social media brought the word … at least to me.

Rutgers Presbyterian Church posted the announcement on their Facebook page: a candlelight vigil would take place at 5:00 P.M. at the corner of West 86th Street and West End Avenue to honor the memory of yesterday’s victims in Newtown, Connecticut, the victims in the shooting in Portland, Oregon earlier this week and the memory of all victims of gun violence. The vigil would also provide an opportunity for participants to rededicate themselves to working for an end to such violence.

IMG_0016 (1024x606)I read the post in Strawberry Fields – and decided I had to be there.

Arriving a few minutes early, I discovered a group gathering at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew which stands on the corner. Many people brought their own candles. Because some had brought candles to share, those of us who had not brought our own were given a candle.

The number of participants increased – people of diverse ages, races, and faiths. Shortly before the appointed hour, we lit our candles and assembled on the steps of the church.

Opening words were shared, the host pastor  welcomed the group and articulated his vision of a country and a culture where we have greatly diminished violence in general, and gun violence in particular. Individuals shared their pain for the people of Newtown, of New York City, and of all places whose lives have been seared and forever altered by gun violence. Linda Rosenthal, New York State Assembly Member for the district, spoke, noting that this event marked a beginning and that she intends to help the community engage in conversation and action to end gun violence in our city and country.

IMG_0020 (1024x768)As participants engaged in the hope expressing, hope sustaining communal activity of keeping our candles lit in the wind, we voiced further concerns and hopes. We prayed additional prayers. We identified ideas for actions:

  • signing petitions such as this one asking the President to recognize that now is the time to begin discussion on gun control
  • engaging in conversations within their community and faith communities (here are some Presbyterian resources) on what steps to take
  • working to expand mental health care and to ensure access to such care for all
  • encouraging Mayor Bloomberg to become more intentionally involved in the issue; and
  • coming together again to plan and organize.

Small steps, but steps.

Then we walked up W. 86th Street to Broadway. Passers-by joined the group. At the corner we stopped. More passers-by joined the group. They received candles as they did.

We sang – old songs for certain – but we sang. “If I Had a Hammer.” “We Shall Overcome.”

Near the end of “Down by the Riverside,” as we pledged to study war no more, I looked across our group and saw a mother tenderly kiss one of her children, then her other child. Tears slid down my cheeks.

IMG_0872 (1024x768)With the promise that we would continue what had just begun – and the announcement of the Facebook pages where next steps will be posted – the event ended. We stood together for a while. Then we went our separate ways.

The brief hour soothed my angry, aching soul. But it did not comfort me. And I will act.

See you along the Trail.

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December 15, 2012 · 9:08 am

Weeping, I act

I continue to weep – but I act. I will find and support campaigns and issues to address gun violence. For example, here is one petition I have signed.

Here is one step that I will take on my own. I will send the following simple message to elected officials on the federal, state, and local levels:

Dear                ,

It is a typical day in the United States. That means that, on average, some 31 people will die in homicides where firearms are used. In addition, on average, firearms will be used in some 51 suicides.
I find this appalling and unacceptable. I hope you do too.
How are you working to change this situation?

Sincerely

When I receive a response – whatever response I receive – I will reply:

Dear              ,

Thank you for your response. I am glad that you are doing name what ever was included in the response.
That does not seem to be working.
What else will you do?

Sincerely

It’s a start. I will do more.

See you along the Trail.

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December 14, 2012 · 3:16 pm

In Ramah

I am weeping.
With Rachel, I am weeping.

I am weeping.
Again, I am weeping.

I am weeping.
Inside, I am weeping.

I am weeping.
In all the Ramahs of our world, I am weeping.

I am weeping
and I refuse –
and I will not be –
and I hope to Christ I never will be –
comforted.

Children –
our children all –
are killed
wounded
violated
abandoned
exploited
neglected
misused.

I am weeping.
I will not be comforted.

Outside, I appear calm.
I go about my work.

But within the calm
and amidst the weeping,
I dream of a different world
and I ponder what I may do
to help create that world
For our children – all our children.
I dream and I ponder
and I know I will find answers.

I am weeping.
Inside, I am weeping.
I will not be comforted.

But I will find ways to act.

14 December 2012
New York

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December 12, 2012 · 5:46 pm

Reflections on a life well lived

I am not alone in trying to articulate my deep appreciation for Cynthia – Cindy – Bolbach. Here are some other reflections:

Former GA Moderator Cindy Bolbach Dies at Age 64 by Presbyterian News Service

Advent: What Are We Waiting For? by Theresa Cho

Dear Madame Moderator … by Bruce Reyes-Chow

What I Continue to Learn from Cindy Bolbach: We Hate Cancer by Jan Edmiston

Life Is Fragile by Ruth Everhart

Former GA Moderator Cindy Bolbach Dies at Age 64 by Michael Kruse

Madam Moderator Cynthia Bolbach by Krista Phillips

Advent day 11: Rest in Peace by Derrick L. Weston

Fell Sergeant, Strict in His Arrest by Fr. Mike White, Cindy’s nephew

Cynthia Bolbach, Moderator of the 219th General Assembly, passes away by The Presbyterian Outlook

If you have written something – if you see something – that should be added, please make a comment and I will do so.

See you along the Trail.

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December 12, 2012 · 3:03 pm

Utter chaos

Five years. The vagaries of time make it feel like yesterday and like a lifetime ago, all in the same moment.

Ruling Elder Cynthia Bolbach, moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) died on 12-12-12 in the afternoon. This post was written on that day at a time before I knew of her death. Thanks be to God for her life! Alleluia. Amen.

Here are reflections from friends and colleagues on her life and death.

I did something today I have never done before.

I stood in silence for five minutes.

I am not big on pomp and circumstance and formality. A South African friend once observed that I can be a bit “cheeky” to those in authority. For some reason everyone who has heard that assessment has agreed with it. Go figure.

I stood in silence today for five minutes in honor of Cindy Bolbach.

The tradition in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is to stand when the General Assembly moderator of enters the room. Almost every moderator in my memory has encouraged people not to do so. Most of the time most of them meant it. Yet the tradition persists – in honor of the person and even more so in respect of the office. And while it is not my favorite thing, I take part.

Today, without being asked, without being prompted, I chose to stand in silence for five minutes in honor of Cindy Bolbach – moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010).

I watched her election from the back of the auditorium in Minneapolis. My son Sean and I leaned against the wall.

A period of questions and answers precedes the voting. Commissioners (the folks with the votes) pose questions and the individuals standing (we’re Presbyterian, we don’t run) respond. The questions deal with theology, issues before the church, and issues in the world.

At one point, a question was posed along the lines of: “What would happen to the church, if you were not elected and one of the other candidates were?”

One by one the candidates offered replies praising the others and noting that the church did not depend on their election. Then Cindy Bolbach stepped to the mike. I do not remember her exact words, but the essence was:

There will be utter chaos.

The Assembly erupted in laughter. Sean turned to me and said, “She just won, didn’t she?”

The Assembly still had to vote. But Cindy did win. And I believe her sparkling humor that bristles with wisdom played a key role.

I stood in silence today for five minutes in honor of Cindy Bolbach.

Cindy is a woman of incredible faith, deep love, amazing grace, and an incredible wit. She lives daily her commitment to Christ, to the Church, to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) , to all people, and to God’s world. She mixes simplicity and profound sincerity with a capability to navigate complexity and controversy. I am privileged to know her. The Church (in all its manifestations) is blessed by her presence.

For most of this year, Cindy has struggled against cancer. The struggle cut short her ability to attend events but it never dampened her spirits (at least in public). She wore a fedora to the 220th General Assembly (2012) and she wore it well.

This morning came the news that Cindy has entered hospice care. And I stood for five minutes in her honor.

But in the silence it came to me that another way – a better way – to honor Cindy Bolbach – is to give thanks to God for Cindy – to entrust Cindy to God’s merciful care – to pray for her without ceasing – then to get back about the business of ministry. I am pretty sure that is what she would want. So it is what I have done.

When Cindy returns to the dust, as we all will someday do, I will shed more tears. But I will also proclaim “Alleluia.”

When Cindy returns to the dust, as we all will someday do, there will be utter chaos. But in the chaos there will be love and there will be grace and there will be God. And all will be well for Cindy. And all will be well for us. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

See you along the Trail.

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November 25, 2012 · 6:07 pm

Democracy

Democracy is as much about what happens between elections as it is about what happens during them.
Sergio Vieira de Mello

I have finished Chasing the Flame, Samantha Power’s biography of Sergio Vieiria de Mello. Actually I finished it some time ago. Among the quotes that stay with me, is this reflection on democracy.

We – the United States – has come through an election cycle. We voted on the federal, state, and local level. We made choices on a president, senators, congress people, governors, mayors, city council people, judges and more. In some places, people made decisions on ballot issues such as marriage equality and the death penalty.

Candidates and PACS raised and spent tons – obscene tons in some ways – of money. Candidates said words profound and words disturbing. Fundraising appeals filled our email in-boxes. Robo-calls annoyed us. People went door-to-door and made phone calls and stuffed mail and entered data and planted posters and more on behalf of the candidate of their choice.

All important. All critical. All needed. And yet, only a part of democracy.

The votes are counted. Our work begins. Here are some ways that I know we can work:

We advocate for our concerns and about decisions that impact our sisters and brothers with those who have been elected.

We take part in community organizations and community organizing.

We support campaigns that address issues of concern to us and to our sisters and brothers.

We make phone calls, send emails and letters, visit.

We engage in the public policy making process when those policies are made by governments and when they are made by corporations.

We use our money through gifts and purchases to express our values. Or perhaps, we ponder what values our use of money expresses and whether we need to reshape how we give and spend.

What are some others? How do you practice democracy between elections?

See you along the Trail.

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November 15, 2012 · 8:18 pm

Heart sore

Heart sore
I sit and watch
I listen and pray
I write and call
as once more
rockets fly
jets roar
dealing
death
pain
grief
destruction.

Heart sore
I sit and watch
I listen and pray
I write and call
as people kill
as people die.

Heart sore
I sit and watch
I listen and pray
I write and call
impotent,
incompetent
in safety
in privilege.

Heart sore.

15 November 2012
Shire on the Hudson

 

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November 4, 2012 · 11:19 pm

Presbyterian voices in the storm

This post contains links to blogs written by Presbyterians affected by Hurricane Sandy and to materials provided by mid-councils and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance with information about responding to the storm.

Some disclaimers and parameters:

  • Experiences of the storm differ widely due to a number of factors. Writing styles differ. The reasons we blog differ. The list is eclectic.
  • People process experiences in different ways using an array of media. This list focuses on blogs since that is what I do.
  • Presbyterians are not the only ones blogging about the storm. This list focuses on Presbyterians because I am one.
  • The fact that I have time to blog reflects my social location as a person of privilege and my geographical location on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

I do not know all the blogs that should be included. Suggest other blogs either in the comments section or via email. This post remains a work in progress.

Bob Brashear – West-Park Press

Christine Davis – Journeying Alongside

Jeff Geary – Pastor Jeff’s Blog

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette – When Waters Roar and Foam (hymn)

John Edward Harris – Summit to Shore

Andy James – bluedrift

Presbyteries in New Jersey on Facebook

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance – Give to  support immediate assistance and long-term recovery in the United States and in the Caribbean nations affected by this storm

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance – Share your story

Presbytery of New York City on Facebook

Finally – Mark Koenig – Along the Graybeard Trail

As I mentioned earlier – help me build the list.

See you along the trail.

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