Latest News

Please help the people of Beirut Lebanon - Here's how

8/7/2020

Dear Friends,

Whether you saw the video of the horrific explosion on social media or witnessed the appalling aftermath on news broadcasts, few people cannot be stunned at the breadth of damage done to the people and buildings of Beirut.

Reports confirm that unstable substances, confiscated from a ship some many months ago, erupted in a violent explosion sparked by a nearby fire. The devastation is almost impossible to take in.

So far the death toll is 150, but that will no doubt increase. Over 4000 people have been injured, and entire blocks of buildings destroyed leaving already imperiled families and individuals homeless. Beirut and Lebanon in general have been suffering grave economic insecurity due to the upheavals in the Mid East and the influx of refugees from war torn areas.

Now comes this explosion and it's threats to so many lives going forward as well as impacted by the explosion.

Please help the people of Beirut. There's not a lot we can do from so far away, but if you are able, please help with a contribution toward their medical needs, housing, food, etc. If you are inclined, please go here to make a donation today. The tally is given in pounds, but your donation will be calculated by the dollars you can contribute and converted by the charity.

Thank you for any help you can give.

Mourning John Lewis, the conscience of the Congress - and the nation

7/20/2020

Dear Friends,

Our nation is in turmoil, and it was thus the greater sorrow when we learned last Friday night of the death of John Lewis, Congressman from Baltimore, MC

Many of us remember Mr. Lewis as a young man, beaten and broken on the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma. He may have been gravely harmed, but he was unbowed, and he rose to continue the fight for justice, racial equality, and the dignity of all people everywhere. He stirred us to action, claimed our attention with his gentle but powerful leadership and challenge to do right.

Taken from us by cancer, he nevertheless was able in his last days, to join the "Black Lives Matter" marches near his home. He said not only did the numbers today vastly exceed those of the civil rights movement but the diversity of those raising their voices heartened him enormously. This was the work of all the people now. That was due in no small part to his impact on us.

We have been given permission by the author to link you to the New York Times commemoration of Congressman Lewis' life and work. In that long and beautiful tribute lies another link that touched us - the reminder that one of our own, Rev. James Lawson, helped bring both Mr. Lewis and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to the practic of non violent demonstrations. As the former pastor of Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, he unites us at the Council with the work of the ages by those courageous and dedicated souls in an earlier time.

To read this excellent tribute please go here
To read Rev. Lawson's tribute, click here or on his photo below.

Mr. Lewis was well known for urging us to confront injustice at all points and to create "good trouble"to achieve what is right and good in our world. Now we are again in the struggle for human equality and fairness as our nation promises but rarely delivers. It is then in their honor that we urge both the non violence of Rev. Lawson's teachings and the "good trouble" of Congressman Lewis' last charge to us. We cannot be idle. We must be wise. We face perilous times but yes, we shall overcome if we keep the faith and the heart of our past and present. In Congressman Lewis' memory, we can do no less.

Peace.

Beating Boredom with Budget Challenge from Next 10!

7/15/2020

Dear Friends,

Once again California is in lockdown. We still can't eat inside at restaurants, can't - or shouldn't - convene groups of friends in close proximity. We are worried about our children and grandchildren in the deliberation of whether to send them to school or not. It's boring and worrisome all at the same time.

And then there's the dullness. You've cleaned the house, you've mowed the lawn, you've cooked new things (for better or for worse). You've watched every movie and TV series you can stand, and you've read every book you can lay hands on. You've called old friends who may or may not remember you, and you've gone to worship virtually that is a necessary connection to your congregation but not very fulfilling emotionally. What else do you have to do?

So, to alleviate our collective ennui, let's take the Budget Challenge! This year, more than most, we have a budget that is based on hope more than actual income. Today is Tax Day, and the state will determine whether or not there are sufficient revenues for the expenditures we would all like to assure.

Next 10, long-time allies of the Council and IMPACT, has the "California Budget Challenge" online. You can use your best insights and best judgement to figure out what we should fund and how we should fund it.

If nothing else the Budget Challenge will let you exercise your intellect and express your frustrations with our current situation. Next 10 gives you the parameters - what our situation currently is - and lets you take if from there. If you decide on a workable, moral, and human budget, would you then consider running for public office? We need you! If not, just bask in the glow of a job well done. And possibly share your thoughts with us to pass on to others. We do look for more than "defund it all and Devil take the hindmost" answers, we will say that up front.

To take the challenge, please click here Let us know what you decided if you'd like us to share. And anonymity is assured upon request!

Have, if not fun, a diversion. Enjoy it if you can!

Thank you

Help Voters Vote - the new "Freedom Summer"

7/3/2020

Dear Friends:

Our elections are the foundation blocks of our democracy. Free and fair access is imperative. We have only four months until the next general election, November 3, 2020, and assuring that everyone legally entitled to vote can vote is essential.

Black Church PAC has created the contemporary “Freedom Summer” program to reproduce the courageous voter registration drives of the early Civil Rights Era. While this drive is targeted to more Southern states than to our northern and western ones, every state has pockets of voter suppression. No one is immune.

Monday, July 6 at noon California time, there will be a webinar on Freedom Summer voter registration drives. You are invited to participate if you are Black clergy and laity or if you serve a diverse population in areas where voter suppression or obstacles may occur.

To register for this critical voter registration and enhancement webinar, please click here

Other steps you can take, no matter where you reside, is to prepare for long lines and delays at the polls. While in California all voters will be receiving “vote by mail” ballots, things still can go wrong, and support for those standing in line will be needed,

Bring cases of water, some food, folding chairs. Enlist your youth to hold line spots for voters needing bathroom breaks. Have masks available for anyone without one. Think about entertainment (socially distanced, of course). There will be spots in every state, even California, where things will not go smoothly. We need to anticipate those problems, be prepared to help voters vote.

Thank you!

Proactive response to rise in COVID-19 cases. Take note what's closing again

7/1/2020

Dear Friends:

Today, July 1, 2020, our state's governor, Gavin Newsom, has once again had to close many businesses and places we had hoped to have open. The spike in Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases has put a sudden and frighteningly-large number of people in the hospital and has once again strained an already taxed and exhausted health system.

The positivity testing for the virus has risen from 4.6% to 6% in just one week. Failure to "flatten the curve" makes shut downs of newly opened operations necessary. Hospitalizations are up 51% and ICU admissions up 47% over the past week.

The closure will affect mostly 19 counties in Southern California where the spikes in cases have occurred. The shutdowns will impact about 70% of the state's population.

Indoor restaurants, movie theaters and concert venues, wineries, and other similar enclosed spaces that were gradually opening are now slated to close yet again. If the business can operate outdoors, it can continue to function. Churches are still asked to proceed with virtual services, and large gatherings of all kinds are discouraged, even outdoors when social distancing cannot be assured.

Bars are being traced as a key factor in increased exposure and are being shut down. This led to a demonstration at the Capitol building by bar owners today. Nevertheless, the order stands.

In Southern CA Orange County has been put back on the 'watch' list with Solano, Merced, and Glenn counties also added. Imperial County, another "hot spot" of virus increase is moving to close all non essential businesses as well as public parks.

Beaches from San Diego to Sonoma County will not be closed by the state for the upcoming holiday weekend. However, parking will be restricted, and no traffic will be permitted. Counties are taking the initiative to close their own in many cases. Also, counties that have not discontinued fireworks displays are now being asked to do so.

The state's requirement that everyone wear masks while out of their own homes or cars is the single best way to regain normality. We learned that former California Governor, Arnold "The Terminator" Schwarzenegger has abandoned his favorite gym in Southern California since he found people not wearing masks.

We would argue that if The Terminator can wear masks, anyone can. It's a symbol of strength, not weakness. Please make mask wearing a positive thing among your friends, families, and congregations. The sooner masks and social distancing become the norm, the sooner we can regain some semblance of our former lives.

In the meantime, honor the restrictions, wear a mask, and definitely wash your hands. Have your 4th of July celebrations outside with sufficient social distancing, and remember that Independence Day comes every year. These problems shall pass if we work on them together now.

Thank you and stay safe.

Help Refugee Children Here in California

6/24/2020

Dear Friends:

We are sharing a message from our friend and ally, Fred Morris, a United Methodist Church minister who has long championed the plight of immigrants and refugees. He has made it his life's work to protect especially children in need of protection from the dangers to their well being in their home countries and now the threats to their lawful status here.

Last Friday was Juneteenth that we celebrate annually to commemorate the end of slavery and to affirm our belief that all men, women and children are created equal. Saturday, June 20th, was World Refugee Day. Let us carry both ideal through our lives by helping raise funds for the children from the San Fernando Valley Refugee Children Center. This is the organization Fred founded in 2015 to aid the hundreds of children who came to us, unaccompanied, fleeing from gang violence in their home countries in Central America.

With so much going on in the world, we can’t forget that hundreds of children are still fleeing life-threatening violence and traveling to the United States looking for refuge. The Covid-19 pandemic has limited the Center’s ability to raise funds, which means we are struggling to provide children with the resources they need to survive.

As a big win this week, the Supreme Court blocked Trump from ending DACA. However, we still have a lot of work to do.

You and I have the influence on social media to bring awareness to this issue and help raise enough funds to help the hundreds of children at the Center. If you’re able to make a donation, please go to tinyurl.com/world-refugee-day to donate, and give a child the support they need and deserve. A donation of even $25 can make a big difference to us. And if you could do that on a monthly basis, it would be even more wonderful.

Help us spread the word through social media by sharing the three images attached or click on our Digital Toolkit for suggested copy, videos, more images, hashtags and other ways you can help. #WorldRefugeeDay #SFVRefugeeChildrenCenter

On behalf of the hundreds of children at the Center we thank you for your support.

The Council thanks you for remembering these children. While we fight for the little ones still locked in cages at our border, let's make sure no other child is further endagered by our fear of "the alien among us". Please help Fred help the children with care and legal assistance to keep them safe.

Thank you.

June 24th, 2020

6/24/2020

Dear Friends:

Once again we share an insight from our friend and ally, Jim Burklo. His posts, "Musings" always give us uplift and something to reduce our stress and worries. We share this with you today.

Sighs Too Deep: Breathing in a time of pandemic and protest

More MUSINGS by Jim Burklo

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words." (St Paul, Romans 8: 26)

I needed to sigh.

So up to the mountains I went this past Saturday, and hiked among the huge slabs of sandstone at 4,000 feet on the desert side of the San Gabriel Mountains. I paused to stand under a scrubby piñon pine tree and listen to the voice of its stubby needles in the cool clear wind.

Last week, while I was teaching a mindfulness meditation class for USC students and staff on Zoom, we got into a discussion after I led the group through a "body scan" meditation, guiding them to attend to any emotions that might be associated with sensations in their bodies. Several said that their breath was the focal point. One woman said she found herself sighing in the meditation - and sighing a lot in general. Others reported the same experience. Then a graduate student in the class spoke up: "Isn't this what's up for everybody now? The coronavirus takes away your breath. George Floyd, as he was dying under the policeman's knee, cried 'I can't breathe!' And we are all sighing because of the mix of emotions we are feeling!"

Her astute observation reminded me that when the virus started spreading, and the lockdown began, I found myself sighing a lot. What was happening to the entire human race, all around the planet, was truly breathtaking. In recent weeks I have noticed that the sighing stopped. I habituated.

I also habituated to police violence against black people. When the news about George Floyd's murder came out, I was saddened and disgusted, but my breath was not taken away. Just another incident in a long series of examples of the lingering scourge of racism in America.

Until I read a Facebook post written by a fellow member of Mt Hollywood Church in Los Angeles. Hilary's anguish was palpable. As a black woman with a son, she was in despair that what happened to George Floyd could happen to her own child. Her despair broke through my spiritually-insulated, white-privileged soul. With hers, finally, my sighs were too deep for words.

I'm grateful that Hilary took my breath away. I'm grateful to belong to a church where the Spirit can blow down the walls that inhibit our vulnerability, as she did for me.

If we're sighing, we're not alone. We're sighing with the Holy Spirit of divine Love who comisserates with us. The biblical Greek word for "spirit" is "pneuma", which also means "breath". If we're sighing, we're feeling emotion. And emotion is energy. Mindfulness practice and contemplative prayer are not about breathing deeply and being relaxed. They are about paying attention to our experiences and thoughts and emotions and letting them be, even if they're hard. And if we know our emotions, we'll be in touch with their energy, and then we can channel that energy into creative, positive work to relieve the suffering and injustice around us.

Contemplative practice is the very opposite of withdrawal from the world and its struggles. It is what we do in order to feel again when we've become hard-hearted, and to get clarity about how best to direct that power for the good of others. When I am hard-hearted, when I am complacent, I don't know how to pray as I ought. I need help. Hilary helped. And so did that piñon tree in the mountains.

Each kind of pine has its own voice in the wind, tuned to the length of its needles. I stood and listened to the piñon, until divine Love made me sigh once more.

JIM BURKLO
Blog: MUSINGS
Senior Associate Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life , University of Southern California
JIM BURKLOSenior Associate Dean, Office of Religious Life,
University of Southern California

Copyright © 2019, Jim Burklo. All rights reserved.

Avoiding consumer/healthcare scams in the Age of Pandemic - you're invited to a webinar

6/17/2020

Dear Friends,

We always appreciate ingenuity and intelligent responses to our world's crises. The current crisis is no exception. Families are uniting via conference calls, Zoom, Skype, and other social media. Classes and even concerts are being offered the same way. These are wonderful offerings to break isolation, learn something new, share a moment of collective joy.

What also arises are efforts to exploit people, to extract money from people with big hearts wanting to help others. New cottage industries of scams have arisen, and it can catch even the most computer and social media savvy people off guard. Rather than putting energies to good, too many spend that effort trying to maximize their own benefits at the cost of your well being.

Through our allies at Consumer Action, we are posting an invitation for a Webinar you might find useful. There are many scams that have appeared along with the Coronavirus. This webinar will help people wade through what is real and what is fraudulent to avoid harm in already stressful times. Dear Community Partner,

It’s the same old story, but this time it has a scary twist. Whenever disaster hits, greedy scammers and fraudsters begin to pounce on unsuspecting victims. Even during these strange times, nothing has changed. As the coronavirus spreads throughout our communities, disrupting our way of life and instilling fear among us, we must remain vigilant. If not, enterprising criminals will take advantage of that fear to perpetrate consumer fraud.

Scammers are expert at shifting tactics and changing their message to catch consumers off guard. They are using phone, text, mail, email and fraudulent websites to tout everything from fake COVID-19 test kits to miracle cures. Their schemes also take advantage of the fact that medical supplies and equipment for combatting the virus, along with basic living essentials, have become difficult or nearly impossible to obtain.

On Wednesday, July 15, Consumer Action will host an informative “COVID-19 Scams and Healthcare Fraud” webinar to address fraud that seeks to exploit consumer confusion and fear in the coronavirus era. The webinar will be led by Micki Nozaki, director of the Senior Medicare Patrol project at California Health Advocates.

The webinar will cover:

Scams that are flourishing during the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19-related investment scams
How charitable giving scams work
Healthcare scams and fraud
Consumer warnings and safety tips
How to complain

Register to participate:
Wednesday, July 15, at 10:00 a.m. PDT/ 11:00 a.m. MDT/ 12:00 p.m. CDT/ 1:00 p.m. EDT
Register here

There will be a live encore presentation the same day, at 1:00 p.m. PDT/ 2:00 p.m. MDT/ 3:00 p.m. CDT/ 4:00 p.m. EDT.
Register here

Tweet chat: You’re invited to join us on Twitter (follow us @consumeraction) for a live chat during the webinar. Follow the hashtag #CAWebinars to participate.

If you have any questions, please contact Linda Williams at linda.williams@consumer-action.org or 800-999-7981, Ext. 766. We look forward to your participation.

We at California Council of Churches hope this helps. Please feel free to share with your congregations, family, friends.

Thank you.

Considering white privilege one right at a time

6/10/2020

Dear Friends,

The following was created by the daughter of a friend. In the midst of our nation's confrontation with the "original sin" of racism, she deliberated on the facts behind the deaths of many Black people. She considered how she, as a young white woman, could easily do what they had done without being murdered. I find it compelling. We wanted to share it with you.

If you click on the highlighted names, it will take you to Facebook pages others have written about these horrid deaths. You don't need a Facebook account to access the pages.

I have privilege as a White person because I can do all of these things without thinking twice about it…

I can go jogging (#AmaudArbery).
I can relax in the comfort of my own home (#BothemJean and #AtatianaJefferson).
I can ask for help after being in a car crash (#JonathanFerrell and #RenishaMcBride).
I can have a cellphone (#StephonClark).
I can leave a party to get to safety (#JordanEdwards).
I can play loud music (#JordanDavis).
I can sell CD’s (#AltonSterling).
I can sleep (#AiyanaJones)
I can walk from the corner store (#MikeBrown).
I can play cops and robbers (#TamirRice).
I can go to church (#Charleston9).
I can walk home with Skittles (#TrayvonMartin).
I can hold a hair brush while leaving my own bachelor party (#SeanBell).
I can party on New Years (#OscarGrant).
I can get a normal traffic ticket (#SandraBland).
I can lawfully carry a weapon (#PhilandoCastile).
I can break down on a public road with car problems (#CoreyJones).
I can shop at Walmart (#JohnCrawford) .
I can have a disabled vehicle (#TerrenceCrutcher).
I can read a book in my own car (#KeithScott).
I can be a 10 year old walking with our grandfather (#CliffordGlover).
I can decorate for a party (#ClaudeReese).
I can ask a cop a question (#RandyEvans).
I can cash a check in peace (#YvonneSmallwood).
I can take out my wallet (#AmadouDiallo).
I can run (#WalterScott).
I can breathe (#EricGarner).
I can live (#FreddieGray).
I can ask someone to put a leash on their dog when it is required in the public park we are in (#ChristianCooper).
I CAN BE ARRESTED WITHOUT THE FEAR OF BEING MURDERED. #GeorgeFloyd)

White privilege is real. Take a minute to consider a Black person’s experience today and read their stories.
#BlackLivesMatter
-------------------
Please share this with others who might either understand - or need to.

Thank you.

The Arc of Justice in an Age of Extremism: Which Side Are We On?

6/3/2020

Dear Friends:

Sacramento is under curfew. The National Guard is in our streets. Glass still litters our sidewalks, and a friend dubbed the Sacramento downtown "Plywood City". .The whole city is in mourning, over 130 businesses shattered by violence. The original protests for justice have been overshadowed by mindless rampages not from within the protest but inimical to it.

These scenes are being played out across California and also across our nation.

We are under siege and have not seen the likes of this since the end of the Civil War.

The protests against police violence that kills and harms so many Black and Brown people are not the cause of but the excuse for the violence sweeping our land. By and large the rioters seem to be white, have their own nihilistic agendas. They pay no attention to Black community leaders trying to keep their movement peaceful, the issue focused on harm to people of color by excessive police actions.

The rioting has its own momentum, takes no heed of anyone. Too many times the community has found neo Nazi graffiti, anti -"Black Lives Matter" slurs, hate messages against many groups. It's not clear who is behind the violence at all. And yet the White House and media keep referring to the protest on racial justice as the source. It is not. It is just the extremists' excuse.

There are now threats from the White House that active military will be sent to places with unchecked rioting and looting. The president told Governors on a conference call Monday that he would use the Insurrection Act to bring control. The threat is horrifying. Yes, this happened in limited ways during the 1950s school desegregation uproar. Again it was applied during the Los Angeles riots of 1992. It has never before been threatened against an entire nation.

The laws are clear: the 1807 Insurrection Act can be triggered by civil unrest, but only with the consent of Congress who are not likely to give it. That was briefly changed in 2006 giving more unilateral power to the president, but the provision was repealed in 2008 thus restoring the original meaning of the dominant Posse Comitatus Act (1878) that limits federal power over troops on domestic soil and removed the president's unilateral authority from the Insurrection Act. No one person can order the placement of active military into our communities, our states, our lives.

Following the phone call with Governors. we witnessed active military from Fort Bragg, NC arriving in Washington, DC. The District of Columbia is the one place troops can be placed without Congressional approval since it is federal jurisdiction. At their arrival, the president directed that protesters be tear gassed and removed from the White House area despite the fact they were peacefully standing and sitting, nothing else. In the ensuing assault, clergy at nearby St. John's Episcopal Church, compiling medical kits for the protesters, were also gassed and driven off their property. The president then walked from the White House to the church to simply hold up a Bible for a photo op.

This, according to analysts who understand the symbolism, was not just an odd public relations moment. This gesture was an affirmation to ultra conservative Christians that the actions the president was taking were being done under the rubric of fundamentalist Christianity. He was signaling his belief he would be both king and prophet, bringing End Times and the Second Coming through his work. It was affirmation to his followers that he was indeed acting our their version of the Lord's business as read by them in prophecy. It was a sign he is the "Chosen". He is their man.

But that vision is not ours. It also isn't that of our members in the Episcopal Church. where he stood. Bishop Mariann Budde of the District of Columbia dioceses was infuriated. She denounced both his use of force against protesters and clergy and his use of St. John's without anyone's permission. She said it was craven and that they at St. John's were on the side of the protesters seeking justice for people of color.

And here is where we are. We are called to respond to the great schism of today. Which side are we on? We at the Council have long embraced the principles of justice, of equality and equity, of love and compassion, care for our fellow humans. We seek to Bend the Arc toward Justice not capitulation to the anger of either mobs on one hand or tyranny on the other. Which side are we on?

We have military in our streets, troops in DC and National Guard elsewhere.. We still have Black men and women, elders and children begging America to respect their worth and protect their lives while seeking justice, seeking changes in policing, seeking safety in our society. Which side are we on?

These are dark days. Choices and actions will have to be taken by us individually and by us together. Which side are we on?

We at the Council stand with those in pain, those who are hurt and left behind by our society. We stand with justice and love and community. We stand with joy and laughter and kindness. We stand with all good people of good heart whoever they may be, protester and police officer alike.

We stand for what Jesus taught us in the two commandments. Love thy God and Love Thy Neighbor. They are equal in our lives.

We will stand by that. We hope our nation will do the same.

May God shed blessings on this nation to be what our Constitution promises and upon us all to have the strength to carry that promise to fulfillment.

Thank you.