YOUTHINTHECHURCHGrowinginFaith&Service

Fall2020

READINGSANDPRAYERSStories,abitofhistory,andprayers

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WillyouseekandserveChristinallpersons,lovingyourneighborasyourself?

TWELVE RULES FOR LIVING WITH AND LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELF

1.Getoutofthehousemoreoften,crossboundaries2.Startbydoingsomething,whatwedoismoreimportantthanwhatwesay3.Throwawaytheoldlabels.Itisvaluesthatmatter4.Changetheculturenotjustthegovernment5.Listentopoorpeople,trustthoseclosesttotheproblem6.Findnewalliesandsearchforcommonground7.Youcannotdoitalone,youmustbuildcommunity8.Gettotheheartoftheproblem9.Itisnoteasy,butalwaysworthit.Findabalance10.Changingtheworldisaspiritualtask.Fun!11.Youcandoittoo.Moseswasnotasuper-hero12.PracticejusticeandhealyoursoulJimWallis,authorandorganizerofSojourners,sojo.net

GraciousGod,remindusnotofourdifferences,butofourcommonalities,andshowusnotwaysinwhichwemightactasindividual,butratherthewaysinwhichwemightworktogethertobringaboutyourperfectWill.And,whenallisfinished,AlmightyGod,makeusoneineachotherandoneinyou,throughtheChristwhomyouhaveshowntous.DouglasR.Briggs

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LEARN ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT THAN YOU

Readorwatchsomebalancednewsreportsaboutimmigration–ifyouhavefriendswhoseparentsimmigratedtothiscountryaskthemwhatthatwaslike.Maybeyouhavefriendswhoareimmigrants.Maybeyouarefromsomewhereelse.Whatisthatlike?

Iknowwegetallkindsofadviceofhowtohandlepeoplebeggingonthestreets.Nomatterwhatyouchoosetodoornotdo–lookatthemandwishthemwell.SometimesIthinkmostofJesus’smiracleswereassimpleashislookingatthosewhoweremarginalized,disregarded,tossedasideinhisworld.Lookatpeople.

Youknowaboutclicks–learnaboutcaste.It’snotjustinIndia,butthatisthemostdevelopedsystemofrankingpeoplebaseduponarbitrarydecisionsaboutbirthandworth.ListentoIsabelWilkerson’sdiscussionofherbook,CasteandhowitrelatestoAmericansocietyandsocialunrest.https://www.npr.org/2020/08/04/898981897/isabel-wilkerson-on-americas-caste-system

Whenwecanbetogetheragain,let’sgetpermissiontoattendaJewishserviceandaMuslimservice.Maybeyou’vealreadydonethis.Ifso,reflectonwhatyoulearnedaboutanotherfaith,anotherunderstandingofGod.

Makesandwichesforour4thSaturdayFoodPantry.KarenFranklinwillgiveyouthedetails,forpop247@gmail.com

FatherGod,wearegratefulforthegiftofanotherday.Yougaveusanotherchancetoserveyou.Youhavegivenusanotherchancetobeyourchildren.Giveusrestnow,Lord.Keepussafethroughthenight,andwewillhonoryouinthemorning.Amen.TheBookofUncommonPrayer.

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WillyoustriveforJusticeandPeaceamongallpeople,andrespectthedignityofeveryhumanbeing?

WhatWeDon’tKnowAboutRaceMattersTEN THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT RACE

Oureyestellusthatpeoplelookdifferent.NoonehastroubledistinguishingaCzechfromaChinese,butwhatdothosedifferencesmean?Aretheybiological?Hasracealwaysbeenwithus?Howdoesraceaffectpeopletoday?There’sless–andmore–toracethanmeetstheeye: Raceisamodernidea.Ancientsocieties,liketheGreeks,didnotdividepeople

accordingtophysicaldistinctions,butaccordingtoreligion,status,class,evenlanguage.TheEnglishlanguagedidn’tevenhavetheword‘race’untilitturnsupin1508inapoembyWilliamDunbarreferringtoalineofkings.

Racehasnogeneticbasis.Notonecharacteristic,traitorevenonegene

distinguishesallthemembersofoneso-calledracefromallthemembersofanotherso-calledrace.

Humansubspeciesdon’texist.Unlikemanyanimals,modernhumanssimplyhaven’tbeenaroundlongenoughorisolatedenoughtoevolveintoseparatesubspeciesorraces.Despitesurfaceappearances,weareoneofthemostsimilarofallspecies.

Skincolorreallyisonlyskindeep.Mosttraitsareinheritedindependently

fromoneanother.Thegenesinfluencingskincolorhavenothingtodowiththegenesinfluencinghairform,eyeshape,bloodtype,musicaltalent,athleticabilityorformsofintelligence.Knowingsomeone’sskincolordoesn’tnecessarilytellyouanythingelseabouthimorher.

Mostvariationiswithin,notbetween,"races."Ofthesmallamountoftotal

humanvariation,85%existswithinanylocalpopulation,betheyItalians,Kurds,KoreansorCherokees.About94%canbefoundwithinanycontinent.ThatmeanstworandomKoreansmaybeasgeneticallydifferentasaKoreanandanItalian.

Slaverypredatesrace.Throughoutmuchofhumanhistory,societieshave

enslavedothers,oftenasaresultofconquestorwar,evendebt,butnotbecauseofphysicalcharacteristicsorabeliefinnaturalinferiority.Duetoauniquesetofhistoricalcircumstances,ourswasthefirstslavesystemwherealltheslavessharedsimilarphysicalcharacteristics.

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Raceandfreedomevolvedtogether.TheU.S.wasfoundedontheradicalnew

principlethat"Allmenarecreatedequal."Butourearlyeconomywasbasedlargelyonslavery.Howcouldthisanomalyberationalized?Thenewideaofracehelpedexplainwhysomepeoplecouldbedeniedtherightsandfreedomsthatotherstookforgranted.

Racejustifiedsocialinequalitiesasnatural.Astheraceideaevolved,white

superioritybecame"commonsense"inAmerica.ItjustifiednotonlyslaverybutalsotheexterminationofIndians,exclusionofAsianimmigrants,andthetakingofMexicanlandsbyanationthatprofessedabeliefindemocracy.RacialpracticeswereinstitutionalizedwithinAmericangovernment,laws,andsociety.

Raceisn’tbiological,butracismisstillreal.Raceisapowerfulsocialideathat

givespeopledifferentaccesstoopportunitiesandresources.Ourgovernmentandsocialinstitutionshavecreatedadvantagesthatdisproportionatelychannelwealth,power,andresourcestowhitepeople.Thisaffectseveryone,whetherweareawareofitornot.

Colorblindnesswillnotendracism.Pretendingracedoesn’texistisnotthe

sameascreatingequality.Raceismorethanstereotypesandindividualprejudice.Tocombatracism,weneedtoidentifyandremedysocialpoliciesandinstitutionalpracticesthatadvantagesomegroupsattheexpenseofothers.

FromRace,ThePowerofIllusion,Copyright(c)CaliforniaNewsreel,2003

Iamsoweary,Father,orusingmyselfasthemeasureofeverythingandeverybody.Justforthisoneday,Ibegyou,helpmetofindreleasefromtheoldpatternofseeingthedifferent-from-measeitherless-thanormore-thanme.Grantinsteadthat,forjustthisonedayatleast,ImayseeeverythingandeverybodyImeetintermsofhowIwantyoutoseemeatthisday’send.PhyllisTickleDearHeavenlyFather,Everyonegoesthrougharacialthingatleastonce.So,Ihopethatyoushowallofusthatweareallahumanrace.Ipraythatonedaywewillallbeabletolivetogetherasone.Iknowthiswillbeupinheaven.Ihopeitcomesdowntoearth.Thankyou,Fatherforlisteningandansweringmyprayers.InJesus’snameIpray.Amen.Tatyania,age16,CentralJuvenileHall,EastLosAngeles

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IT IS NOT A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD – NEVER WAS – WHITE ADVANTAGE

Manymiddle-classwhitepeopleliketothinkthatwegottowherewearetodaybyvirtueofourmerit-hardwork,intelligence,pluck,andmaybealittleluck.Andwhilewemaybesympathetictotheplightofothers,weclosedownwhenwehearthewords"affirmativeaction"or"racialpreferences."Weworkedhard,wemadeitonourown,thethinkinggoes,whydon't'they'?Afterall,theCivilRightsActwasenactedalmost40yearsago.Whatwedon'treadilyacknowledgeisthatracialpreferenceshavealong,institutionalhistoryinthiscountry-awhitehistory.Hereareafewwaysinwhichgovernmentprogramsandpracticeshavechanneledwealthandopportunitiestowhitepeopleattheexpenseofothers.Whenslaveryended,itslegacylivedonnotonlyintheimpoverishedconditionofBlackpeoplebutinthewealthandprosperitythataccruedtowhiteslaveownersandtheirdescendants.EconomistswhotrytoplaceadollarvalueonhowmuchwhiteAmericanshaveprofitedfrom200yearsofunpaidslavelabor,includinginterest,begintheirestimatesat$1trillion.JimCrowlaws,institutedinthelate19thandearly20thcenturyandnotoverturnedinmanystatesuntilthe1960s,reservedthebestjobs,neighborhoods,schoolsandhospitalsforwhitepeople.TheAdvantagesGrow,GenerationtoGenerationLessknownaremorerecentgovernmentracialpreferences,firstenactedduringtheNewDeal,thatdirectedwealthtowhitefamiliesandcontinuetoshapelifeopportunitiesandchances.ThelandmarkSocialSecurityActof1935providedasafetynetformillionsofworkers,guaranteeingthemanincomeafterretirement.Buttheactspecificallyexcludedtwooccupations:agriculturalworkersanddomesticservants,whowerepredominatelyAfricanAmerican,Mexican,andAsian.Aslow-incomeworkers,theyalsohadtheleastopportunitytosavefortheirretirement.Theycouldn'tpasswealthontotheirchildren.Justtheopposite.Theirchildrenhadtosupportthem.LikeSocialSecurity,the1935WagnerActhelpedestablishanimportantnewrightforwhitepeople.Bygrantingunionsthepowerofcollectivebargaining,ithelpedmillionsofwhiteworkersgainentryintothemiddleclassoverthenext30years.ButtheWagnerActpermittedunionstoexcludenon-whitesanddenythemaccesstobetterpaidjobsandunionprotectionsandbenefitssuchashealthcare,jobsecurity,andpensions.Manycraftunionsremainednearlyall-whitewellintothe1970s.In1972,forexample,everysingleoneofthe3,000membersofLosAngelesSteamFittersLocal#250wasstillwhite.

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ButitwasanotherracializedNewDealprogram,theFederalHousingAdministration,thathelpedgeneratemuchofthewealththatsomanywhitefamiliesenjoytoday.TheserevolutionaryprogramsmadeitpossibleformillionsofaveragewhiteAmericans-butnotothers-toownahomeforthefirsttime.Thegovernmentsetupanationalneighborhoodappraisalsystem,explicitlytyingmortgageeligibilitytorace.Integratedcommunitieswereipsofactodeemedafinancialriskandmadeineligibleforhomeloans,apolicyknowntodayas"redlining."Between1934and1962,thefederalgovernmentbacked$120billionofhomeloans.Morethan98%wenttowhites.Ofthe350,000newhomesbuiltwithfederalsupportinnorthernCaliforniabetween1946and1960,fewerthan100wenttoAfricanAmericans.ThesegovernmentprogramsmadepossiblethenewsegregatedwhitesuburbsthatspranguparoundthecountryafterWorldWarII.Governmentsubsidiesformunicipalserviceshelpeddevelopandenhancethesesuburbsfurther,inturnfuelingcommercialinvestments.Freewaystiedthenewsuburbstocentralbusinessdistricts,buttheyoftencutthroughanddestroyedthevitalityofnon-whiteneighborhoodsinthecentralcity.Today,BlackandLatinomortgageapplicantsarestill60%morelikelythanwhitestobeturneddownforaloan,evenaftercontrollingforemployment,financial,andneighborhoodfactors.AccordingtotheCensus,whitesaremorelikelytobesegregatedthananyothergroup.Asrecentlyas1993,86%ofsuburbanwhitesstilllivedinneighborhoodswithablackpopulationoflessthan1%.ReapingtheRewardsofRacialPreferenceOneresultofthegenerationsofpreferentialtreatmentforwhitesisthatatypicalwhitefamilytodayhasonaverageeighttimestheassets,ornetworth,ofatypicalAfricanAmericanfamily,accordingtoeconomistEdwardWolff.Evenwhenfamiliesofthesameincomearecompared,whitefamilieshavemorethantwicethewealthofBlackfamilies.Muchofthatwealthdifferencecanbeattributedtothevalueofone'shome,andhowmuchoneinheritedfromparents. Butafamily'snetworthisnotsimplythefinishline,it'salsothestartingpointforthenextgeneration.Thosewithwealthpasstheirassetsontotheirchildren-byfinancingacollegeeducation,lendingahandduringhardtimes,orassistingwiththedownpaymentforahome.Someeconomistsestimatethatupto80percentoflifetimewealthaccumulationdependsontheseintergenerationaltransfers.Whiteadvantageispasseddown,fromparenttochildtograndchild.Asaresult,theracialwealthgap-andtheheadstartenjoyedbywhites-appearstohavegrownsincethecivilrightsdays.In1865,justafterEmancipation,itisnotsurprisingthatAfricanAmericansowned0.5percentofthetotalworthoftheUnitedStates.Butby1990,afull135yearsaftertheabolitionofslavery,BlackAmericansstillpossessedonlyameager1percentofnationalwealth.Ratherthanrecognizehow"racialpreferences"havetiltedtheplayingfieldandgivenusaheadstartinlife,manywhitescontinuetobelievethatracedoesnot

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affectourlives.Instead,wechastiseothersfornotachievingwhatwehave;weeveninvertthesituationandaccusenon-whitesofusing"theracecard"toadvancethemselves.Orwesuggestthatdifferentialoutcomesmaysimplyresultfromdifferencesin"natural"abilityormotivation.However,sociologistDaltonConley'sresearchshowsthatwhenwecomparetheperformanceoffamiliesacrossraciallineswhomakenotjustthesameincome,butalsoholdsimilarnetworth,averyinterestingthinghappens:manyoftheracialdisparitiesineducation,graduationrates,welfareusageandotheroutcomesdisappear.The"performancegap"betweenwhitesandnonwhitesisaproductnotofnature,butunequalcircumstances.Colorblindpoliciesthattreateveryonethesame,noexceptionsforminorities,areoftencounter-posedagainstaffirmativeaction.Butcolorblindnesstodaymerelybolsterstheunfairadvantagesthatcolor-codedpracticeshaveenabledwhiteAmericanstolongaccumulate.It'salittlelateinthegametosaythatraceshouldn'tmatter.FromRace,ThePowerofIllusion,Copyright(c)CaliforniaNewsreel,2003PrayertoEndRacialProfilingGodofinfinitecompassion,Weliveintimesofturmoil.Outofourfearweseektotargetandtoblametheinnocent.Outofourignorancewetolerateracistsystemsthatoppressanddemeanorbrothersandsisters.Godofjustice,helpustoresistallformsofracialprofiling.Confrontourprejudices.Expandourunderstanding.Strengthenourresistance.Helpustoresisttheurgetoprotectourselvesattheexpenseofothers.Remindusthatallpeopleareultimatelyyours.Thiswepray,inthenameoftheChrist.Amen.SherylKujawa-Holbrook

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GodourFather,youseeusgrowingupinanunsteadyandconfusingworld:Showmethatyourwaysgivemorelifethatthewaysoftheworld,andthatfollowingyouisbetterthanchasingafterselfishgoals.Helpmetotakefailure,notasameasureofmyworth,butasachanceforanewstart.Givemestrengthtoholdmyfaithinyouandtokeepalivemyjoyinyourcreation;throughJesusChristourloved.Amen.AdaptedfromtheBCP,page829

Youtellustofeedthehungry,givedrinktothethirsty,welcomethestranger,clothe,thenaked,careforthesick,andvisittheimprisoned.Blessallwhoprovidecomforttothoseinneed.Keepourowneyesopentotheopportunitiesinwhichwecanministertoothers.Forintheeyesofothers,weshallseeyou.AmenJ.Gamber