Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Reconciliation Ministry Network Western Jurisdiction - December Update with Rev. Dr. Israel Alvaran from Chicago, Illinois, United States "What is God hoping for?" for Tuesday, 6 December 2016

Reconciliation Ministry Network Western Jurisdiction - December Update with Rev. Dr. Israel Alvaran from Chicago, Illinois, United States "What is God hoping for?" for Tuesday, 6 December 2016
God's Hope
Advent is a season of hoping, expecting, and anticipating the work of the Divine to take root and bear fruit. It is placed exactly before Christmas to highlight the birth of Jesus – a celebration Christians joyously await. We are asked to be hopeful, even in the midst of fear and uncertainty. However, I suggest that we flip the narrative and re-imagine the act of hoping as also a divine act.
We hope for many things, but what is the hope of the Holy One? What is God expecting? In the Hebrew Scriptures, we read Prophet Micah’s words: “What does God require of us?” Micah declares that God expects and anticipates that we “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8)
In my work as community organizer for many years I have observed that - while we are all committed to the work of justice and peace, and have also identified common roots of systemic oppression - we usually work in silos, in our segregated pockets of advocacy and favorite works of charity. This needs to change. Beloved Community encompasses all expressions of struggle for wholeness. We need to highlight the inter-connectedness of our struggles with those of others. Indeed, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Justice is indivisible.”
In our own bodies are multiple identities that invite us to work together. I am a Filipino, an immigrant, a political refugee, and a gay clergy. You cannot love just the "gay" part of me. An example of intersectional justice ministry would be for Reconciling congregations to also open our doors as Sanctuary churches to refugees and immigrants under threat of deportation. MARCHA, the Hispanic-American caucus in The UMC, has already issued the call for more Sanctuary churches. I believe this is what God hopes for: that we act and stand together in solidarity with all oppressed peoples. As Mahatma Gandhi said: "We need not wait to see what others do.” Hope, then, for Beloved Community, is not a passive waiting and longing for change, but an active stance for justice and reconciliation.
Blessings,

Rev. Dr. Israel I. Alvaran
Western Jurisdiction Organizer
Phone: 510-717-4894
izzy@rmnetwork.org
"Rise Up!" Conference
You're invited to "Rise Up!: Uniting To Act for a More Just World" - a conference hosted by the Western Methodist Justice Movement on Feb. 17-20 (Presidents' Day weekend) in Portland OR. Bishop Karen Oliveto will be our keynote and inspirational speaker. We will work on community organizing, expanding involvement, and financing the movement. We will focus on the intersections and connections between our various causes and passions as we move forward as Western United Methodists. Come network with like-minded people!
Find out more about scholarships and registration
Resources and Action
RMN Regional Organizers shared these in our last joint email and I would like to make sure you get them. In response to some of your inquiries, the following links are available on the RMN website. I hope you find them helpful.
Do you want to start the Reconciling process in your church or community?You need these:
Top 10 Reasons to Affiliate with RMN - helpful discussion starters
Three Steps to Affiliate with RMN - how to get your church or Sunday School class on the RMN website
Building an Inclusive Church Toolkit - the primary resource we recommend for guiding your church/group through the Reconciling process
I urge your church to host a Building an Inclusive Community workshop. Please email meEducation and liturgical needs? Check these out:
Recommended reading/study materials
Rainbow stole pattern - a great way to be visible about your support for LGBTQ inclusion
Shaping Sanctuary is a great resource for liturgy and prayer samples.
An Act of Love film screeningConnect with RMN's Extension Ministries:
United Methodist Alliance for Transgender Inclusion (UMATI) - the team within RMN that focuses on advocacy for a UMC free from gender discrimination
Parents Reconciling Network - the team within RMN that focuses on the support of parents of LGBTQ children
United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church (UMOC) - the team within RMN that focuses on the engagement of racism, heterosexism, and homophobia in The UMC
Methodist Students, Seminarians, and Young Adults for an All-Inclusive Church (MOSAIC)
Reconciling Ministries Clergy (RMN) - Please email me if you want to start a chapter in your conference or district
Connect with your local Reconciling team
Contact your state or conference's Reconciling team leaders below to know how you can participate in local activities and witness.
Alaska: Art Carpenter
Desert Southwest: Rev. Stephen Govett
California-Nevada: Beth Synder
California-Pacific: Jason Takagi
Pacific Northwest: Rev. Vince Hart
Oregon-Idaho: Deborah Maria
Rocky Mountain: Pastor Jaime Nieves
Yellowstone: Mary Maheras
Hawai'i: Darlene Rodrigues
Connect with your conference Reconciling teams on Facebook - "like" their page!
California-Nevada Conference Committee on Reconciliation
Pacific Northwest - Reconciling Ministries Network
California-Pacific Conference Reconciling Ministries Network
Rocky Mountain Reconciling Ministries Network
Alaska Reconciling Ministries Network
Yellowstone Conference Voices of Reconciling Ministries
Desert Southwest Reconciling Ministries
Oregon-Idaho Reconciling United Methodists
Hawai'i Reconciling Ministries
Filipino Reconciling United Methodists
Email Izzy with questions on how to get connected to your local team
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Our mailing address is:
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123 West Madison Street, Suite 2150
Chicago, Illinois 60602, United States
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[Reconciliation Ministry Network] Regional Organizers Special Edition - November 2016 with RMN Regional Organizers "Regional Organizer's Special Edition" in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Click the photo to watch our video!
We, your Regional Organizers, recorded the (above) video on Nov 9th in the wake of election results. As you can see, we all look rather sad. Indeed, we were wrestling with sadness and much more. As we shared in our video message, our Reconciling work is more critical than ever. We're immensely grateful to be on this journey with you, our passionate and committed partners on the ground in your respective conferences, doing this important work together.
Below you'll see the overview of the feedback you offered through our online questionnaire. Your responses were very helpful and we're already brainstorming about the requests you submitted. Each regional organizer will share more details about their jurisdiction in the December update. Stay tuned!

315 folks responded to our survey, and nearly 60% of those were from the South - we are so glad to hear from southerners!!
And everyone else of course :)

Nationally over 50% of you live under 10 miles from the nearest Reconciling Church, and 60% of you are members of a Reconciling Church or Community (not shown in pie chart).

It's wonderful to see so many churches involved in local Pride parades, food pantry and feeding programs and so many other great activities.
Links to Requested Resources
In response to some of your inquiries, the following links are available on the RMN website. We hope you find them helpful.
Top 10 Reasons to Affiliate with RMN - helpful discussion starters
Three Steps to Affiliate with RMN - how to get your church or Sunday School class on the RMN website
Building an Inclusive Church Toolkit - the primary resource we recommend for guiding your church/group through the Reconciling process
Recommended reading/study materials
Rainbow stole pattern - a great way to be visible about your support for LGBTQ inclusion
Shaping Sanctuary is a great resource for liturgy and prayer samples.
United Methodist Alliance for Transgender Inclusion (UMATI) - the team within RMN that focuses on advocacy for a UMC free from gender discrimination.
Parents Reconciling Network - the team within RMN that focuses on the support of parents of LGBTQ children
United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church (UMOC) - the team within RMN that focuses on the engagement of racism, heterosexism, and homophobia in the UMC.
Methodist Students, Seminarians, and Young Adults for an All-Inclusive Church (MOSAIC)
Reconciling Ministries Clergy (RMN)
There was a great depth in the feedback you shared in terms of the challenges you face and needs you have as you seek to do the hard work of helping our church become more inclusive. The resources we've listed above are a start, and we are working on creating new resources for you.
If there is one thing that the events of last week have shown us, it is that our work is as critical as it has ever been. We can't address the challenge of LGBTQ inclusiveness in our churches without also talking about racial and gender justice, immigration and disability rights - the very things that have been brought glaringly into the open in this recent election.
We are committed to walking this path of justice and love with you all.
Grace and peace; justice and joy.

Helen Ryde, Home Missioner
Southeastern Regional Organizer
helen@rmnetwork.org
508.247.7818 cell
Laura Young, Deaconess
South Central Regional Organizer
laura@rmnetwork.org
936.581.9401 cell
Rev. Lois McCullen Parr
Northern Regional Organizer
lois@rmnetwork.org
224.436.0769 cell
Rev. Izzy Alvaran
Western Regional Organizer
izzy@rmnetwork.org
510.717.4894 cell
Connect with your local Reconciling team
This is a text Contact your state or conference's Reconciling team leaders below to know how you can participate in local activities and witness.
Alaska: Art Carpenter
Desert Southwest: Rev. Stephen Govett
California-Nevada: Beth Synder
California-Pacific: Jason Takagi
Pacific Northwest: Rev. Vince Hart
Oregon-Idaho: Deborah Maria
Rocky Mountain: Pastor Jaime Nieves
Yellowstone: Mary Maheras
Hawai'i: Darlene Rodrigues
Connect with your conference Reconciling teams on Facebook - "like" their page!
California-Nevada Conference Committee on Reconciliation
Pacific Northwest - Reconciling Ministries Network
California-Pacific Conference Reconciling Ministries Network
Rocky Mountain Reconciling Ministries Network
Alaska Reconciling Ministries Network
Yellowstone Conference Voices of Reconciling Ministries
Desert Southwest Reconciling Ministries
Oregon-Idaho Reconciling United Methodists
Hawai'i Reconciling Ministries
Filipino Reconciling United Methodists
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123 West Madison Street, Suite 2150
Chicago, Illinois 60602, United States
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 Now more than ever: How are you preparing for Trans Day of Remembrance? from Reconciling Ministries Network of Chicago, Illinois, United States for Friday, 11 November 2016 "How are you preparing for Trans Day of Remembrance?"
It's been a very hard week and for many of us, our hearts are still reeling with grief and a myriad other emotions about the ways in which racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and so many other forms of hatred seem to be prevailing right now. It is times like this that we are especially grateful for this movement - a people faithfully committed to transforming the church and world for the sake of Justice and Love.
Even as we continue to grieve and reflect together about who we are called to be in the days ahead, we must be community for and with one another.
Sunday, November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance and more than ever, the church must step up to speak out against transphobia, racism, and sexism. 2016 has been the deadliest year for trans people in America on record - particularly for trans women of color.
We hope you - as a community or an individual - will join in this important day of remembrance and action through some of the suggested means below.
6 Things you can do to stand with us in honoring remembrance and begin building community

Read background on TDOR, things to keep in mind, and 6 ways you can act in solidarity with the trans community on November 20th from our transgender organizer, Rev. Liam Hooper.
Trans Day of Remembrance: 6 Things you can do to stand with us in honoring remembrance and begin building community by Rev. Liam Hooper
Trans Day of Remembrance, occurring annually on November 20, represents one day in the course of the year that we, as transgender persons, intentionally set aside time and space to gather in communal remembering of those persons in our vast and diverse community we have lost to the violence of intolerance and hatred. We come together—trans persons, loved ones, and allies—surrounded by the spirits of our fallen, and we lift our voices to speak their names, honoring them and holding hope for a day we no longer add names to the list. It is, for us, a particular kind of All Souls Day: one that reminds us of the tender precariousness of our lives.
Some of us invoke the presence of our gender-diverse ancestors. Some of us sing songs of hope as well as lament. Many of us light candles and keep silence. Some of us pray. Some of us keep vigil in the space of our own homes because we do not have safe spaces of spiritual respite and sanctuary.
But all of us, in some way, are aware that the day is passing—and we are aware of all the fearful misunderstanding, intolerance, and oppression that serve to make a day of remembrance necessary.
As faith communities seeking to stand in solidarity with us, hoping to create open sanctuary for us, you may not have had time to plan and offer an organized Trans Day of Remembrance. But, there are still things you can do to demonstrate your awareness that our daily living is fragile and that you wish to offer us love and support. Here are some seemingly small, but no less powerful things you can do to stand with us in lament, hope, and belief that the ethic of love can be made real among us and lead us all to better, safer, more accepting days.
Things to keep in mind:
Whatever you decide to do, please remember that it is important, wherever possible, to call upon transgender persons in your midst, to ask them what gestures, litanies, rituals, or prayers they will feel are important, meaningful, and appropriate; wherever possible, invite them to design and/or lead such movements in your worship and/or prayer. We are best helped by being offered space and being allowed to lead for and speak for ourselves.
Recognizing that individuals have varying degrees of comfort being out, speaking in public, or otherwise participating openly in trans-specific activities, be sensitive to inviting, allowing and supporting various ways of being involved or contributing to whatever forms of remembrance you engage. Not everyone is out. Further, like all people, some of us are shy or prefer to work behind the scenes.
Be aware of and sensitive to avoiding ways of inviting participation that may be perceived or experienced as tokenizing or exploiting trans persons among you.
Examples:
Avoid designing a ritual or writing a prayer yourself and then calling upon a person in your midst you assume is “out” and asking them to perform the ritual or read the prayer;
Avoid asking a trans person to do something that places them in the position of speaking for or representing the entire trans population; ask us for personal stories, perspectives, or ideas instead;
Avoid simply deciding and announcing what should be done to commemorate TDOR and, instead, ask those whom you know (rather than assume) to be trans persons what they think would be appropriate.
Please remember that we are a long-oppressed and negated people and, in these times especially, we are often equally tokenized, fetishized and exploited, thus we are often and variously traumatized by or at least uncomfortable with folks seeking to help us as intent does not always mean positive impact; please bear this in mind and be sensitive to language and action in whatever activities you engage around TDOR.
Sexism and racism are most often deeply intertwined with transphobia and this is made clear in who is targeted the most often. Please be sure to remember, name, and act in accordance with the reality that ending violence against trans people inherently means we must also be working to end racism and sexism.
Things you can do:
Simply list, in your bulletin/order of worship, the names of transgender persons lost to us in the past year and highlight this remembrance with a prayer written by trans persons in the community or a traditional prayer – Names can be found here: https://tdor.info/ (names are listed, alphabetically, by country
If you utilize media in your services, consider posting a list of US names and allow them to remain on-screen during your communal prayer, time of celebrations and concerns, etc.
If you have known trans persons in your congregation or community who would be willing to do so, invite them to share a moment of witness at some point in your regular service; combine this creatively with other suggestions, such as listing the names in the bulletin or projecting them during your communal prayer. Consider other ways to invite trans persons to express their personal ways of enacting remembrance, such as: bringing in the light at the start of service; reading the names at the start of your communal prayer; performing a song during worship (we are often talented folks!); or even, offering the word during service.
If you have a chapel area (or space that could be transformed appropriately), consider blocking out a period of time for having the chapel open to those who would like to pray and/or light candles in remembrance; if possible, identify trans persons or active allies to be available as prayer partners in the space
If you do know whether you have trans persons in your midst (though you quite likely do) but want show signs of welcoming invitation, consider taking an evening to show a trans-educational film or documentary (such as “Call Me Malcolm,” or other trans-person-acted, trans-positive film) followed by a time of community discussion
Look for, advertise, support, and attend a Trans Day of Remembrance service already taking place in your community. View the list of events here: tdor events
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Rev. Liam Hooper
Reverend Liam M. Hooper, M.Div., is the founder of GRASP (Gender Revisioning and Sexuality Pathways), which aims to improve the lives of trans people in the community through public education, advocacy, activism, and general support activities. As an openly trans man, Li takes seriously the call to freely tell his story, to be as authentically who he is as possible, to engage in responsible education and advocacy, and to hear and respect the stories of others. Through trans advocacy work, awareness-raising, social justice work, education, and theological activism, Li strives to work for greater safety, freedom, and acceptance for trans people and all those in the vast, diverse continuum of persons.
Liam Hooper lives in the deep south with his wife, Diana, a freelance publishing professional who keeps his calendar in line, and their teenage son, who keeps them on their toes.

Read more about what your church can do
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2016 is most deadly year on record for trans people

"Murders of transgender people hit an all-time high in the United States this year, campaigners said on Thursday, amid fears of a backlash against the transgender community following the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president."

NBC OUT
2016 Deadliest Year on Record for US Transgender People, GLAAD Reports by THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Murders of transgender people hit an all-time high in the United States this year, campaigners said on Thursday, amid fears of a backlash against the transgender community following the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president.

Information about unsolved murders of LGBT victims at Washington Metropolitan Police Department Sergeant Jessica Hawkins' office in Washington, U.S. October 10, 2016. Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
GLAAD, a U.S. advocacy group that tracks transgender murders said 24 transgender people were murdered, exceeding last year's tally of 22. Most of this year's victims were women of color, GLAAD said.
The announcement comes as transgender advocates worry of a reversal of their civil rights gains under the new government of President-elect Trump.
During his election campaign Trump said he embraced the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
But his promise to nominate a conservative justice to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court has raised fears that an expansion of transgender rights under President Barack Obama is now under threat.
Kevin Nadal, executive director of the Center for LGBTQ Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, said he feared there could "definitely be an increase in hate crimes against trans and queer people" under a Trump government.
"When candidates who demonstrate hate are elected, they give similarly-minded people the permission to act on that hate," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
In 2015, the New York-based National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, an advocacy group, classified as hate crimes all but four killings of transgender or gender non-conforming people in the United States.
The latest victim was Noony Norwood, a 30-year-old black transgender woman who was shot in Richmond, Virginia, earlier this week.
The killing follows a trend that has seen the death toll for transgender women of color climbing in recent years, said Nick Adams, a GLAAD spokesman.
The organization has been compiling its figures since 2013 by tracking homicide cases in the media and when notified by families of the victims and community members.
The number of transgender murder victims could be higher, GLAAD said, because police, media and families at times misreport the gender of victims.
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed for the first time to rule on transgender rights in a case in which a Virginia public school district is fighting to prevent a transgender high school student from using the boys' bathroom.
Follow NBC OUT on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read more about 2016
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