Justice Ministries
A committed group of St. Mary’s parishioners has come together to live our Christian call to justice. As the Rev. David Erickson phrases it, the goal of justice ministry is “to address systemic evil with systemic good.” Justice goes beyond charity to address the systems that cause and support injustice. In addition to feeding the hungry, for instance, justice asks that we identify and address the sources of hunger. Justice invites us to recognize the incarnate Christ in everyone and actively live our Baptismal covenant to “strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.” If you wish more information or to be included on the Justice Ministry e-mail list, please contact David Crosson.
Bringing Kate and Alex Home
What do you do when a low-level bureaucrat in the American Consulate in Frankfurt will not stamp a passport with a work visa that already has been approved, forcing two displaced Ukrainians, who had already been living in San Francisco for a year, to wander stateless in Europe for seven months? You sue the State Department. Of course. At least that is what parishioner Phil Albert did to bring Alex and Kate, who our accompaniment team is supporting, back to their new home.
Photo shows Attorney & parishioner Phil Albert celebrating Alex and Kate’s return to San Francisco. Read the entire story here
Supporting Nigerian Migrants
At 7:15 Saturday morning, September 16th, Nancy Clark and David Crosson picked up Afeez Bamgboye (left) and his son Fuad (right) at a Greyhound drop off in downtown San Francisco. Originally from Nigeria, over a year the Bamgboyes walked to the US from Brazil, including trekking through Panama's infamous Darien Gap. They have been imprisoned for eight months in privately-run Imperial Detention Center, near Calexico, and arrived in San Francisco after a thirteen hour bus ride.
The Bamgboyes' freedom and arrival is the result of multiple small miracles from all over the country: An advocacy organization in Austin, Texas, that coordinated all of the work; a friend in Ohio who maintained constant communication; a San Diego lawyer who handled the legal work and bond hearing; Nancy Clark's personal sponsorship; a national bond network and Minnesota organization who provided the bond, a Calexico-based migrant support organization that coordinated their release and got them to San Francisco; and of course Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity and our amazing Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Team (NEAT) partnership with Congregation Sherith Israel.
Afeez and Fuad are now settled in an apartment in San Francisco, thanks to the generosity of St. Mary's Justice Ministries and Episcopal Impact Fund have clothes, food, bus passes, and their first $400 monthly living stipend. Our NEAT partnership is now helping them acclimate and receive the support they need to thrive in their new home. We will share more as it becomes available. This is the way "God's will be done on earth as in heaven"--one miracle at a time.
Adult Forum: Reducing Recidivism with Hope and Beyond & Linda Connelly
