[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”on” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” custom_width_px=”750px” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_button url_new_window=”off” button_alignment=”right” background_layout=”dark” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#e09900″ button_letter_spacing=”0″ button_use_icon=”default” button_icon_placement=”right” button_on_hover=”on” button_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ button_url=”http:\/\/sangabpres.org\/?page_id=3027″ button_text=”Return to Reflections” button_text_size=”14″ button_border_color=”#e09900″ \/][et_pb_post_title title=”on” meta=”on” author=”on” date=”on” categories=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”on” featured_placement=”below” parallax_effect=”off” parallax_method=”on” text_orientation=”left” text_color=”dark” text_background=”off” text_bg_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.9)” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” parallax=”off” \/][et_pb_divider color=”#ffffff” show_divider=”off” divider_style=”solid” divider_position=”top” hide_on_mobile=”on” height=”4″ disabled_on=”on|on|off” \/][et_pb_text text_orientation=”justified” use_border_color=”off” max_width=”750px” header_font=”|on|||” header_font_size=”66px” header_line_height=”1.7em” _builder_version=”3.7″]<\/p>\n
Yesterday I was listening to a sermon from a UCC pastor about the Poor People\u2019s Campaign:\u00a0 A National Call for Moral Revival.\u00a0 This movement is a renewed action to further the original Poor People\u2019s Campaign, founded 50 years ago by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
I was convicted by this sermon because one of the co-chairs of this campaign is Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, a PC(USA) teaching elder in New York City, and I have failed to share her important work with San Gabriel Presbytery, while the UCC is doing so.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t remember if I mentioned that this summer\u2019s General Assembly was begun with a Bible study led by Rev. Theoharis, who is dedicated to eliminating the structural causes of poverty in the United States.\u00a0 Her book, Always with Us?: What Jesus Really Said about the Poor, <\/em>was recommended by our former co-moderators to the denomination for book study this year.\u00a0 It is not a \u201chow-to\u201d book on working with the poor, but looks more at theological misunderstandings that Christians have used to turn away from God\u2019s repeated call to fight poverty.<\/p>\n Rev. Theoharis\u2019 co-chair for the Poor People\u2019s Campaign is Rev. Dr William Barber II, a Disciples of Christ pastor who has been the president of the North Carolina NAACP since 2006, the founder of \u201cMoral Mondays,\u201d and one of the most important voices for human rights in the United States today.\u00a0 You can find a summary of the motivation of the Poor People\u2019s Campaign, and some key challenges to the ways all of us are dehumanized in the current world system, in its Moral Agenda<\/a>.\u00a0 And you can download a copy of an analysis of poverty in the United States, The Souls of Poor Folk, <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n You probably know by now I like to use statistics to illustrate the scope of an issue, so here are the Poor People\u2019s Campaign\u2019s estimates of poor or low-income people in our nation, based on a methodology called Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM).<\/p>\n 43.5 percent of the U.S. population \u2014 or 140 million people \u2014 were poor or low-income in 2016. Our government does not provide information under the SPM on poverty and low-income status for all races, gender identities, or sexual identities. However, according to existing data from the SPM for 2016, the 140 million people who were poor or low-income include:<\/p>\n There is grossly inadequate information on the poverty and low-income status of First Nations, Native Americans, Alaskan Native, LGBTQIA and disabled people in this country.<\/p>\n But it has been estimated that Native Americans, people with disabilities, and transgender people experience poverty at double the rate of the general population.<\/p>\n The Poor People\u2019s Campaign has developed demands that reflect several interrelated concerns:<\/p>\n I share this information not to urge you just to join the Poor People\u2019s Campaign, but to consider how God is calling you and your church to eliminate poverty in your community.\u00a0 I, like others, have tended to assume that Jesus\u2019 comment \u201cyou always have the poor with you\u201d means that there\u2019s no reason to attempt to eliminate poverty, but to simply be charitable.\u00a0 But rather than resigning ourselves to persistent poverty, God calls us to go outside our comfort zones in order to open our hands in generosity, that all people may live in safety and peace.\u00a0 As Elizabeth Ann Seton, founder of the Sisters of Charity, said:\u00a0 \u201cLive simply, so that all may simply live.\u201d<\/p>\n Every Sunday we say the Lord\u2019s Prayer.\u00a0 I always consider how our tradition\u2014unlike some others\u2014uses the word \u201cdebts\u201d in the phrase \u201cforgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.\u201d\u00a0 Other traditions will replace this with trespasses or sins.\u00a0 I believe our use of this term is Biblical not only in the Matthean text, but more importantly it is a sign that Presbyterians have taken seriously God\u2019s call for debt forgiveness as a method of economic restorative justice.\u00a0 Are we willing to live this out, by giving not as an investment or a loan, but as a faithful response to God\u2019s call to share God\u2019s blessings with all people?<\/p>\n I have heard compelling reasons for Christians to give to the poor in front of them (eg, Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement), or to fight for systemic change (eg, Liz Theoharis and William Barber and the Poor People\u2019s Campaign).\u00a0 I don\u2019t know that there is one perfect answer for all of us.\u00a0 Like all our responses in faith and obedience, it is up to us to discern God\u2019s guidance for ourselves and our churches.\u00a0 I do believe that God will use us as long as we turn to God in humility and openness whenever we pray.\u00a0 May it be so.<\/p>\n May God continue to bless you, as you bless others,<\/p>\n Wendy<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_nav in_same_term=”off” hide_prev=”off” hide_next=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” show_prev=”on” show_next=”on” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts. There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy. \u2013 Matthew 6:11 Yesterday I was listening to a sermon from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sangabpres.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22775"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sangabpres.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sangabpres.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sangabpres.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sangabpres.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sangabpres.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27757,"href":"https:\/\/sangabpres.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22775\/revisions\/27757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sangabpres.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sangabpres.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sangabpres.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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