March 5: National Faith and Immigration Call

February 27, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012; 4pm Eastern Time
Call-in number: 218-936-4700; Code: 657758
RSVP for optional visual webinar here.

Join the Interfaith Immigration Coalition’s monthly call and optional webinar on Monday,     March 5th at 4pm EST. March’s call will include:

  • Stories from folks in Mississippi and Tennessee fighting against anti-immigrant proposals and sentiment.
  • Updates and lessons from ongoing work in Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Missouri
  • Discussion of the upcoming Supreme Court decision regarding Arizona’s anti-immigrant law and how the faith community might respond to the decision.

 

Immigration resources  |  State-level policy resources

February Immigration Update – EnglishSpanish


The Budget Debates Begin Again

February 20, 2012

Jesse Epp-Fransen reflects on the beginning of the Federal FY 2013 budget debate with the release of President Obama’s budget.

On February 13th, President Obama released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2013. The document is complex, technical, and 256 pages long. It includes funding levels for all government departments and programs from the Department of Defense to the Environmental Protection Agency. Obama’s budget is theoretically the basis for the House appropriation process but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives will likely propose a budget that is significantly different, much as was done last year.

Read the entire article here.


Action Alert: Urge the EPA to Ban Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

February 16, 2012

A couple in West Virginia did not expect Arch Coal to destroy the mountaintop in their backyard when they built their home. Blasts shook their foundation, contaminated their well, and eventually forced them to accept a below-market buyout for their land. (Photo courtesy Vivian Stockman-www.ohvec.org; Flyover courtesy SouthWings.org)

Over the past 20 years, mountaintop removal mining has left thousands of communities in extreme poverty, destroyed 14 million acres of forest and 2,000 miles of headwater streams, and increased levels of birth defects, respiratory disease, and cancer.

Mountaintop removal puts nearby communities at risk from: mudslides, flooding, loss of crops, polluted water wells, cracked house foundations, and increased levels of birth defects, respiratory disease, and cancer.

Please join us in signing the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Ministries’ petition to the EPA, endorsing the statement below:

We are called to protect Earth, for as the Psalmist declares: The Earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it. I urge you to protect God’s Creation by acting as a steward of the abundant Creation God has given us to share equitably among all people. Please stop the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining.

Read the full action alert here.

Mountaintop removal resources  |  Eco-Justice Ministries worship resources


Faith Reflection (February 26, 2012)

February 14, 2012

Faith Reflection Candle

Melissa Engle/MCC

Monica Scheifele of the MCC Ottawa Office reflects on the first lectionary passages of the lenten season.

In Genesis 9:8-17, God enters into a covenant with Noah, his descendants, and every living creature that was in the ark to never again destroy the earth with a flood. The word covenant, which can be understood as an unconditional promise, appears seven times in this short passage. Its significance is unmistakable. Even though Noah and his descendants are given a fresh start, God knows there will continue to be sin in the world. Yet God repeatedly emphasizes a willingness to work with an imperfect world, choosing to work from within the world to redeem it rather than overpowering it.

Read the entire reflection here.


February Call and Webinar Opportunities

January 31, 2012

There are 3 exciting calls/webinars happening in February to learn more about immigration policies in the U.S. and how communities can advocate for those who live in constant fear from prejudice and possible separation from family.

Join any and all in the coming two weeks!

  1. February 2- Webinar for Immigration Advocacy: The Only Secure Community is the Beloved Community
  2. February 6 – National Faith and Immigration Monthly Call and Optional Webinar
  3. February 9 – Stop Deportations and Keep Families Together

For full descriptions and call in/registration instructions, click here.

Immigration resources  |  State-level policy resources


In a world of turmoil, a light appears

January 3, 2012

Jesse Epp-Fransen reflects on the need for hope in a world full of turmoil, both in the biblical era, and today.

We… live in a turbulent world, desperately in need of good news. In America 15 percent of the population experienced poverty in 2011. More than 2 million people are in federal or state prisons, or in jails awaiting trial. One in nine African-American males ages 25-29 was in prison or jail in 2009, according to The Sentencing Project(1). The Mayor of New Orleans recently noted in a statement that “from September of last year to February of this year, a student attending John McDonough [High School] was more likely to be killed than a soldier in Afghanistan”(2).

Read the full article here.


A Year of Revolutions?

December 23, 2011

Theo Sitther writes for Third Way Cafe of the revolutions around the world and the connections to the Christmas story.

In this season of Advent, the words of Mary bring hope. Christ enters our broken world, uplifts the lowly, and feeds the hungry. Christ’s birth brings hope of newness and renewal. Was this a year of revolutions? In many ways, yes. How will we in our comfort respond to the injustice in our own communities and our world?

Read the article here and let us know what you think in the comment section.


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