Baptism

On August 23 there was a baptism at the Church of Peace. Here I am standing with the little boy and his parents in front of two of the banners we use at the sacrament; one of the Holy Spirit descending, and another of the Rainbow promise after the flood.

I am reminded of the deep support expressed for little children. In addition to the promises of parents, congregants and God, there is a world of support from an extended family. This day was truly heartwarming; brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, grandmother and more. Many from out of town and out of state. Every single little child represents a whole community of love and support, which he can only come to understand as the years unfold.

Thanks be to God.

Tower Hill Retreat

The Illinois Maya Ministry group had a retreat at Tower Hill Camp in Sawyer, Michigan, August 23 - 25, 2009. The purpose of the retreat was to plan the year ahead. This group has an ongoing interest in Central America, with special focus on Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico. In the last several years we have found ourselves doing more in regard to immigration reform and justice for immigrants. I guess this is because it is the same Mayan people from Southern Mexico, Guatemala and Central America who bear the brunt of events like the ICE raid in Postville, Iowa, May 12, 2008.

My part of this event was to coordinate the devotions, and we learned more about various Madonnas and how they are part of the spirituality of the region. This is something that is not part of the background for most Protestants! The theme was taken from the Bible; And Jesus replied, “Who is my mother?” (Matthew 12:48) We looked at various images and discussed our responses. One was Our Lady of Guadalupe, here from tiles in a wall at Mission San Xavier del Bac, near Tucson, Arizona.



The setting at Tower Hill is beautiful, and we enjoyed swimming in Lake Michigan.

Good Piece on Ramadan

In June of 2007 I attended a weeklong workshop at Georgetown University in Washington D. C. about Muslim Christian dialogue at the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. So I am now on their mailing list. I was recently informed that the founding Director of the Center, Dr. John L. Esposito, has published a special Ramadan piece in the Times Online. I learned a lot by reading it, and recommend it.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6805750.ece

Prayers for our Longview Neighborhood

Over the last several days there has been an ongoing discussion in the newspaper our Rock Island Alderman, Terry Brooks, for the ward that includes the Church of Peace. In this discussion Alderman Brooks characterized our area as a War Zone. This characterization has been the subject of a lot of conversation. It is ironic that there has more discussion of Alderman Brooks' characterization than of the reality he mentions on the streets.

Here are a couple of public prayers I have made on this topic:

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Holy God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on our discouragement and sorrows and give
+ peace among nations,
+ peace in our neighborhood,
+ peace in our homes and
+ peace in our hearts.
While we know Good God, that your will for us is peace we read in the newspaper that we here at 12th and 12th are in the midst of a War Zone. That there is violence and distrust, that people are settling disputes in the streets with guns.
- While the flamboyant language makes many of us uncomfortable we do recognize a certain truth to the assertions.
+ It is true that our neighbors live with some fear of violence.
+ It is true that kids walking home from school are not always safe from violence.
+ It is true that there is more shooting in our Longview neighborhood than in other neighborhoods.
+ It is true that property is vandalized on occasion in retaliation for perceived slights.
- Our faith tells us that acknowledging truth is the beginning of positive action.
+ We have had leaders in the past that felt that when a problem was identified in our neighborhoods that people were picking on Rock Island unfairly.
+ We have had law enforcement leaders who get defensive when crime is identified because they think it implies that they are not doing their job.
- Help us acknowledge the truth of our difficulty and take positive steps to make our neighborhood safer.
+ As we help neighbors get to know neighbors and look out for each other more.
+ As we acknowledge our difficulties and address them.
+ As we re-implement elements of community policing that we have let lay fallow in the last few years.
+ As we continue to address basic issues like school drop out rates, racism, run down property, lack of jobs, hunger, drug abuse and poverty.
+ As we work consistently for a better and more beautiful neighborhood and better future.
We believe that the gift of the resurrection to new life is not something only there and then, far away and long ago. We believe in power of the resurrection:
+ In a church like the Church of Peace.
+ In a neighborhood like Longview.
+ In a town like Rock Island.
+ In the hearts of sinners like us.

Bless us this day and always, through the living Christ. Amen.


Here is another delivered at Kiwanis:

O God, our creator, by your holy prophet you taught your ancient people to seek the welfare of the cities in which they lived. We commend our Rock Island neighborhoods to your care, that they may be kept free from social strife and decay. Give us strength of purpose and concern for others, that we may create here a community of justice and peace where you will may be done; in Your name we pray. Amen.

Summer Lunch Program

The Summer Lunch Program ran from June 8 to July 31, 2009, here at the Church of Peace. Actually, we served some breakfasts and some snacks along with the lunches. While meals were served here at the church building to the children enrolled in the Summer Fun Camp, and walk-in children from the Longview neighborhood, the main effort was to cater the programs for children put on by Rock Island Parks and Recreation at several schools.

When it was all said and done we served about 13,000 free meals! Exactly, the count is 12997. That includes 9612 lunches. So our average lunches per day were 240; average meals 325. This is in fact somewhat fewer lunches than 2008. This is because the program that Parks and Recreation usually has at Ridgewood School had to be cancelled because of renovation to the school facility this summer. While we did serve lunch to the kids from that area in Haymaker Park there were significantly fewer kids eating because of the renovation program.

What really makes the program work for the church is the participation of all the volunteers. We have a professional cook, and two additional certified food preparation folks, and a cooks's helper and the administrative staff. But without the volunteers the program could not survive.

The Summer Lunch Program also helps us participate in the mission of God in the world. There is the narrative of Jesus feeding the 5000. (I guess his followers kept count too.) And also the passage in Matthew 25 where the disposition of those before the Great Judgement of God hinged in part on whether one had fed the hungry. We are privileged by being part of program that feeds hungry children here in Rock Island.

Running to Prevent Child Abuse

Here is a photo of Anne Walters, a past President of the Child Abuse Council (CAC), finishing the BIX on Saturday, July 25. This year she asked for several people to "sponsor" her to raise money for the CAC - and so we felt like we were part of her effort!

The CAC, like so many human service agencies that do business with the State of Illinois, has been in difficult financial straits this year. The State of Illinois is hundreds of thousands of dollars in arrears in paying for services. It has been a roller coaster hearing that program funds are cut by various degrees - 70%, 100%, 40% - makes it hard to plan carefully the year ahead.

I have been on the CAC board for years and a link appears on this blog page.

This morning I read an interesting article about how Disabled Kids receive corporal punishment more than other kids in schools and states that still permit such punishment. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/education/11punish.html?_r=1&hpw

What I find especially interesting is that the majority of states no longer permit corporal punishment in the schools. The CAC here in the Quad Cities were part of the effort to end corporal punishment first in the Iowa Schools, then later in the Illinois Schools. That was a big effort and controversy at the time - now it seems as basic as wearing a seat belt when you are in a car.

Since the majority of states now forbid corporal punishment in the schools, could it be time to talk about national policy?

Or might there be something more specific. Such as, if a child has an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) where they are receiving special services for a handicapping condition, and thus the school system is receiving federal education dollars, that they may not subject that kid to corporal punishment in the schools? Basically, if the naughty behavior is a result of their handicapping condition it seems inhumane to paddle then - it hurts; it humiliates; it illustrates violence as a way to solve problems; it is big powerful people hurting little vulnerable people.

I think this is certainly worthy of discussion in civil society.