Jakelin and her People

Jakelin Amei Rosmery Caal Maquin died in U.S. custody last week, aged 7 years old. She and her father, Nery Caal, had come from an area in Guatemala where a Mayan dialect is spoken, Q'eqchi, rather than Spanish.

I wondered what specifically made this father and daughter leave their home and make such a difficult trip. I can’t find any evidence that gives the particulars in their case; however, their being Mayan makes me suspect that their indigenous culture is under exploitation and their lives are at risk.

Why do I think that? Because people are on the move around the planet for this very same reason. Militarism and exploitation of indigenous lands are happening all around the world, and people are fleeing or being driven off their ancestral lands because industry requires the raw (and financially valuable) materials.

We see it in our own nation, as the water protectors of Standing Rock stood firm through all weathers to prevent the Keystone Pipeline from coming through their lands. We see it in the Philippines, as indigenous people are displaced by the Philippine military and must decide between staying and attempting to save their lands, or leaving and saving their lives. And we see that wars all over the world are making people flee. More people are on the move around the planet than ever before in history, risking life and limb to try to find a tenable place to live.

The death of a small indigenous child in the custody of the United States government has moved many to outrage and grief.

Just this past week, a group of religious leaders were arrested at the border to protest the U.S. Government’s treatment of these asylum seekers. The question before us, the question of our time, is whether or not our hunger for justice will override our fear of those migrants on the move, and whether we can see all of God’s children as worthy of a home and a future in peace.

-- Rev. Sandie Richards

Talking about Suicide

Because I am a pastor, friends often ask for advice on how to approach sensitive subjects with their children and teens. Recently, a friend asked how to explain to her preteen daughter that a friend in their community had taken his own life.

We talked about what she might say, and afterwards she said, “You should write a blog post about this.” So, I’m writing a blog post about it!

Firstly, suicide is confusing. It leaves the living with a variety of deep feelings, such as grief, guilt, anger, and helplessness.  The complications can mean that grief is protracted and even more challenging to experience. There also remains quite a stigma around suicide.

How to speak of the situation, especially to a young person? We often say that someone ‘committed suicide’, which is such a harsh-sounding phrase. I might say instead, that the person died by their own hand because they didn’t see a way forward.

The phrasing indicates a empathy with the person who has died; to try to understand what brings a person to that decision. Physical, mental, and emotional pain can be overwhelming, and though the person has chosen a permanent solution to what may be a temporary problem, it is heartbreaking to contemplate what feelings might have led them to such a drastic action.

Empathy also can help to remove the stigma. When we describe death by one’s own hand in more compassionate terms, we are working to remove the shame that the living loved ones often feel.

For information on Suicide Prevention, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at  1-800-273-8255

For more information on grieving a loved one who has died by their own hand: Healing After A Loved One’s Suicide by Mayo Clinic Staff.

SHOOTING DAY, part one

As a person who is FOR sensible gun laws and AGAINST gun violence, I am often asked whether or not I have ever shot a gun, or whether or not I own one. Well, I haven’t and I don’t- at least, not yet. My total experience to date regarding the handling of guns is that once upon a time I dated a guy who was in training to be a police officer. I used to carry his gun in my purse when we went out. That’s the extent of my gun handling, and it is something I wouldn't do today.

I’ve been around gun violence most of my life. Most recently, there were several murders by gunshot in my neighborhood. And who can tell on New Year’s Eve, what are fireworks and what is gunfire? We stayed in, as far to the interior of the house as possible.

Just under 30 years ago, my father was killed by a gun. It was a shotgun, wielded by one of two gang members who knocked on his door in the middle of the night. I still haven’t recovered, either from that or from the ambient violence of life in my childhood neighborhood surrounded by gangs. Every year on the anniversary of his death, whether I remember that it is the day or not, my body remembers. Every March 3, I always feel horrible, and have a very short temper. When I remember, I can make plans to take care of myself. If I forget, which is about half the time, my family has to deal with a cranky, aggrieved person. That’s just how it goes.

Needless to say, I am not a fan of guns. Nonetheless, I am curious to see what it is like to shoot one. So, this Friday, off I will go for lunch and shooting with a couple of really amazing women. I’ve asked my dear friend, who is a gentle soul, a poet, and a gun owner, to take me shooting for the very first time. She’s asked another friend of hers, who on Facebook at least is hilarious, to come and instruct me. So, there will be three madcap gals a-shootin’ (safely, of course)  at a range in somewhere in the northern parts of Los Angeles. Perhaps we’ll strike a ‘Charlie’s Angels’ pose. In any event, it will be a safe space to learn and explore.

Let us see if this shooting day helps me in some way to better understand the answer to my question: “Why guns at all?”

2012 Medical and Advocacy Mission to the Philippines

More Than a Year in the Making

Although the mission was first envisioned in the fall of 2010, planning began in earnest in July 2011. Monthly meeting were held at Rosewood United Methodist Church, mostly chaired by Jolo Buktaw and Kuusela Hilo. Jolo and Kuu formed the backbone of the mission. It was they who made the contacts with our Davao-based partners, got our plane reservations, insurance coverage, and other important logistical arrangements. We were also blessed by a group of women who came to be called "The Friends of Brenda Calida Buktaw", a group of gorgeous, lively women who are Brenda's school-mates and friends. More about them later.

We partnered with several other organizations both in the USA and in the Philippines. A partial list: Anak Bayan USA, Habi Arts, Sisters of Gabriella Awaken; Bayan Muna, Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, Gabriella, Panalipdan, Mindinao Interfaith Services Foundation, Inc., and many more.

The US team was interfaith with representatives from the United Methodist, Roman Catholic, Ecumenical Catholic, and Buddhist faiths. There was also diversity among our ages-- our youngest just turned 17 when the trip began, our oldest was 79.

May Vargas, from an organization called Panalipdan Southern Mindinao, was head of the group on the Philippine side. Between May, Jolo, and Kuu, it is hard to imagine a more patient, wise, or kind trio of leaders. Together they resolved issues, handled crises, held hands, found lost objects, and in general, provided the glue that held our team together.

The Death of Father Fausto "Pops" Tentorio

Father Pops was murdered inside his parish garage on the morning of October 17, 2011. Father Pops was an advocate for the rights of the indigenous peoples of Mindinao, and he worked tirelessly to support them in their struggles against the encroaching corporate mining, logging, and hydro-electric dam building that destroys ancestral lands and pollutes rivers, streams, and air. The case of the murder of Father Pops has yet to see the inside of a courtroom. Father Pops is the third priest from his order to be murdered; this is a continuation of the harassment of leaders who stand up for the rights of the people. There are many religious leaders who have been detained by the military, threatened with their lives, and even killed.

During our visit, we remembered Father Pops through a Welcome dinner called, "Libolong" (Solidarity). The event raised funds for the Father Pops Foundation, which will continue his work in establishing schools and helping the indigenous people to maintain rights to their ancestral lands.

I was struck with how complacent we have all been about the death of Father Pops. Accused of being a communist, he really followed the teachings of Jesus Christ. He made the sufferings of the poor his own; he did all he could to bring the love of Jesus to the people he served. In his will, he specified that Micah 6:8 be on his tombstone. Why have we fellow religious leaders been so silent? When one of our brothers is slain to make way for corporate profits, why aren't we in the streets, demanding that justice be done? How long will they kill our prophets, while we stand aside and look?

Recently, the Philippines was declared the most dangerous place for foreign missionaries. That should concern us for several reasons, perhaps the top two being that the United States government supports both the Philippine Army (which commits enforced disappearances and may have played a role in the death of Fr. Pops) as well as the corporations which seek to exploit the resources of the Philippines, AND that we as United Methodists have several missionaries in the Philippines who worked alongside Father Pops and now continue the advocacy he began.

A Plea for Humanity

“You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?  Matthew 5:43-46  (CEB)

One of the most difficult spiritual disciplines is that of loving one’s enemies and praying for those who harass you. On the face of it, it shouldn’t be so hard. Jesus himself told us to do it, and even demonstrated enormous grace as he prayed for those who were in the act of torturing and killing him. “Father, forgive them,” he prayed, “For they know not what they do.”

Why did Jesus ask us to love those who hate us? And what does this love look like? We must begin looking at one another’s humanity. Some of us will recall the plaintive cold-war verse from Sting, in his song titled “Russians”: “We share the same biology regardless of ideology.”  Perhaps when we see what’s at stake for our ‘enemy’, we can better understand why they are taking the stance they take. Instead, we elevate our own perspectives and denigrate the ‘other’.

The language we are using is alarming. I ceased a facebook friendship with someone who, while swearing he wasn’t acting racist, continued to refer to our president as ‘The Hussein’ and continually decried Barack Obama with racist-tinged ridicule. Likewise, I am always shocked to see people spell ‘Republican’ as ‘Repugs’, as if nothing good could ever come from anyone who is part of that party. Now, people may say, if one is a public figure, one is fair game. Perhaps, but we must watch carefully not to step over a line where the object of our disagreement becomes a target of derision.

The price of our increasingly divisive culture is alienation. We find ourselves becoming alienated from one another, and in the balance, we are becoming alienated from our own humanity. We begin the process through ridicule and a sense of superiority, as opposed to simply disagreeing. The subject ceases to be that about which we are debating, and becomes an ad hominem attack on one another’s actual worth as a human being.

Once we allow others to become less than human in our eyes, we give ourselves permission to treat them as less than human. This very phenomenon allowed ‘good, church going’ men and women to own as chattel, to beat, and to torture human beings that they held as slaves. We still live in that legacy today, as our racist systems carry forward despite ‘good intentions’ to end them.  It allows us as U.S. Americans to condone torture of prisoners of war, despite the fact that, as a signatory to the Geneva Conventions, we have said we never would resort to such a thing.

We can only torture people whose humanity we deny. Otherwise, we see ourselves in their faces, cringe at their pain, become horrified at what suffering has been visited upon them. If, in our rage and fear, we want to see someone harmed, then we have strayed far from the path Christ has set for us. We have become something different, something monstrous. In denying the humanity of others, we also lay down our own humanity.

Let us begin by reining in our own fears. We must become spiritually mature and able to examine ourselves as deeply and mercilessly as we examine our ‘enemies’. And, though the examination be merciless, the resolution must be the opposite. We must be full of grace and mercy for ourselves and one another, for it is in imitation of the grace and mercy Christ has for us. And it is what allows for reconciliation and peace, gives hope for the future, and truly shows the world what it means to be Christian.

Ruth & Naomi & Two Winter Weddings

“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.’” (Ruth 1:16, NIV/ BibleGateway.com)

I got married to Bill Bronner on Saturday, January 16, 1999. On that same day, another couple also got married in Northern California-- and many of our guests were torn about which wedding they should attend.

That other couple was  Jean Barnett and Elie Charleton. They had waited much longer than we had to make their love official in a church, so it was fitting that 95 officiants and 1200 guests had come together to honor their nuptials.

Luckily, our friends had decided to attend our wedding rather than Ellie and Jean’s; we had about ⅙ as many guests, and we only had the one officiant! Nonetheless, we were definitely with them in spirit.

We honored their ceremony in our wedding service. In addition to our more traditional vows, the Rev. Frank Wulf had Bill and I repeat the vows that Ruth made to Naomi. “Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God.” The power of those vows were clear to me that day. It is powerful to tie oneself to the people and the God of one’s wedded partner.

My own family of origin is a fractured foundation. For many years, I was truly on my own, struggling and working to make a healthy life. I was blessed to have found friends, both straight and LGBT, who helped to fill the fissures and make my foundation firm. They’ve had my back. When I needed a place to be safe, they sheltered me. When I needed a listening ear, they were nearby. When I was struggling with my call, and finally with ordination, my gay mentors supported me. Frankly, I would likely not be a United Methodist minister without them.  

Together we forged an alternative kind of family: Close-knit, accepting, caring, generous, and honest. I came to rely on them for hospitality, for advice, for all kinds of help and support.

It is therefore impossible for me to understand how anyone could say that my Lesbian and Gay friends are anything other than God’s sacred people. They have been the agents of God’s spirit all along my path, from my earliest childhood until now. They have affirmed my sacred worth. I can do nothing other than to affirm theirs.

I can do all the arguments from Scripture-- most of us in the church business know them all by heart and, from our respective sides, we can do them in our sleep. If you like, you can join those on hundreds of facebook pages, news posts, and blog entries.

But this post is not about that argument. This is simply my testimony. It is the truth I know from my own life and experience. I can only witness to what I have seen and heard; what I know in my heart to be true.

I could marry, fully and legally, on January 16, 1999.

Elie and Jean could not. At least they could take their vows in front of their friends, and make a witness to the sacred bond between them.

I cannot agree in mind, heart, or spirit with anyone who believes that same-sex attraction is, of itself, a wrong thing. It simply is.

I have watched as my LGBT friends and family endured the injustice of having their relationships treated as wrong; their very being called an abomination. I have seen some of them crumble under the judgement of their families and religions. But more often, I have seen them triumph. They defined themselves rather than allowing unhealthy and cruel systems to define them. They carried on in love, in creating family, in making friends, and in struggling for justice.

Through them I came to learn that their struggles in relationship were identical to mine, excepting in two important ways: They were in love with people of their same gender, AND society did not accept their relationships.

I am glad now to celebrate with them as we begin to define this new step forward in our nation’s acceptance of who they are.

My son knows from birth what I only discovered as a young adult: That no matter who you love, no matter who your partner may be, we are all humans worthy of being loved and cherished. Despite an individual's unique qualities, we humans are surprisingly similar in life, in love, and before God.

There were at least two weddings on January 16, 1999 for whom the vow Ruth gave to Naomi became a marriage vow.

“Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God.”

Indeed.

The Hidden Cost of Armed Conflict: 90% of casualties are non-combatants, mostly women & children

"Wisdom is better than the weapons of war, but one fool can destroy much good." -Ecclesiastes 9:18

--------------------

What if you knew that in order to fight a war, 90% of those killed in the war would be non-combatants:  mostly women and children? Would it be worth it, whatever the cause?

Welcome to the modern era, where nine out of every ten people killed in war are women and children. That's right. In the wars waged over the past twenty years, 90% of those killed in conflicts are non-combatants.

Not all of them die of bullets or bombs. Many die of hunger, physical or sexual assault, and disease. But, their hunger and their diseases are a direct result of the conditions of war being waged in their cities and villages.  

At the turn of the last century, 90% of those killed in armed conflict were soldiers, and 10% were civilian casualties. By World War II, civilian casualties had increased to 65%. Finally, by the time of the conflicts in the 1990’s, the number had completely reversed—and now, it remains that at least 90% of casualties are non-combatants. Still more are displaced and/or suffer trauma, hunger, assault, and other tragedies.

This fact is not news, first because our national and international leaders have known about this for a long time. And second, it isn't news because our news outlets don't think it is important enough information to tell us about it. When casualties are reported, only the deaths of soldiers or contractors are counted. 

Now that you know, there are many things you can do to help pressure our governments to put an end to conflict. Here's a list of five things you can do, for a start:

1. Tell people about this reality. Make it news. 
2. Join Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, Amnesty International and a host of others who call for more women to be involved in peace negotiations. The participation of women ensures a just and lasting peace.
3. Become a peace advocate. Stand against any ‘drumbeat’ to war. There are those who believe that to the threat of war is proof of the strength of a nation, but in truth, the greater strength is in finding solutions that avoid combat. And since we know that one out of ten people who will be harmed in a war are non-combatants, we simply must stand against the use of violent force as a means to an end.
4. Make peace an official part of the work of our Government. Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich proposed a Department of Peace. Given what we know about the lasting effects of violent conflict, a governmental department dedicated to teaching non-violent conflict resolution and finding alternatives to war seems essential. (By the way, the bill also addressed domestic violence, rehabilitation of prisoners, and other means for creating a peaceful and secure society.) 
5. Write your elected officials and let them know that you object to the use of force by the United States, because you know that wars are no longer soldiers fighting soldiers. Those most vulnerable will pay the ultimate price.

Whatever you choose to do, do it now.

Escuchanos en Los Campos

.Although strict guidelines were passed in 2005 demanding that farm workers be given adequate rest, shade, and water, the United Farm Workers Union reports that heatstroke continues to claim the lives of California's farm workers. Lack of accountability has been the issue.Today, the Farm Worker Safety Act, AB 2346 (Butler), is making its way through the California State Assembly


Reports say that this bill has more 'teeth', allowing both growers and contractors to be liable for manslaughter should a farmworker die of heat stroke on their watch. Yes, that is a serious consequence, but allowing someone to die for lack of rest, shade, and water is a kind of indifference to human life that is shocking. And so far, current legal remedies have proved ineffective in stopping the deaths.


In 2009 we mourned the life of Agustin Gaudino, who, having been denied the opportunity to rest and get shade, sought respite under some grape vines. There, he breathed his last. His coworkers did not miss him until that evening. His body was found the next day.


Here is Agustin's song, written and performed by Nina Fernando. It still stands as a prayer that no one else will die needlessly for lack of these basic human requirements:

OCCUPY THE LIGHT: A Christian reflects on Channukah and the 99%.

 

On the first day of Channukah, in the midst of Advent, on the eve of Solstice, we, the members of Occupy Los Angeles Sanctuary, prepare for a gathering in Pershing Square which we are calling, OCCUPY THE LIGHT. Below are my reflections as I study the story of Channukah and think about its implications for our movement.

Channukah is a story of reclaimation and God’s abundance in the midst of scarcity. It’s a miracle of the sacred expanding as needed. When one hears the Channukah story, one already knows about the eight days. The people within the story, however, don’t know. Imagine the suspense as each day passes. Will there be enough? This small amount has already stretched one, two, three... days. Will it stretch one day more?

Tonight, we gather in Pershing Square as Occupy Los Angeles Sanctuary. Occupy Los Angeles’s home at City Hall is no longer. We have been evicted from that space, which the Occupiers made sacred by their witness for justice and the common good. How does the movement continue?

Tonight, we claim public space again. We gather in our park, in Pershing Square, with its history of soapbox preachers and free-spirited artists, homeless citizens cheek by jowel with comfortably well-off families. We bring art, music, spoken word, and stories of our sacred traditions.

We celebrate that the darkest night is merely the moment before the light begins to return. We celebrate that we are here, together, Christians-Jews-Muslims-Buddhists-Atheists, Priests-Rabbis-Artists, Rich-Poor-Middle Class. We are united in our desire for our nation to live up to her storied past, to remember the lights that have moved/ are moving us forward: Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jr., Caesar Chavez, Lt. Dan Choi, and others. We celebrate that now, we are the lights.

We celebrate that the Occupy movement has no single hero. We are each a hero, stepping forward together take the movement through the next 24 hours, just as the sacred oil burned each night to reclaim the sacred space, for eight days. Just long enough to sanctify more oil.

We are the 99%, and tonight, together, we celebrate the light. By our presence together in Public Space, we reclaim our heritage as American People. We carry the light for one more day. And one more day. And one more day. We carry it until we find a way to sanctify more light, until the processes of our goverments consider people and the planet before the desires of power and greed. Will we make it? Will the oil last one more day? We cannot know. We cannot see the future. We have today, and today is enough.

Gray IS the Party!

Juliana Margulies (from stylelist.com)

Gray is the Party!
Sandie Richards
June 13, 2011

Juliana Margulies is a beautiful and successful American Actor. At age 45, she is also starring in commercials-- you know the ones: She’s Fighting Wrinkles. She’s Banishing Gray Hair. The picture below accompanied a press release announcing her partnership with L’Oreal’s Revitalift; not only is she fighting the look of fine lines and wrinkles, notice she has also straightened her sumptuous curls.

She’s beautiful, but  her commercial sounds ugly. It starts, “I will always be too young to be gray,"  and ends “Nobody invited gray to this party."

But, Juliana, Gray is the party!

Everyone knows that coloring a few gray hairs is no problem; but coloring a whole head of gray hairs is nothing but a fight to stay ahead of gray roots and what my pal Carrie Snow calls the gray yarmulke. You know, the little circle of roots that spirals around at the back of your head? Once I figured out that I could either embrace my gray hair or spend precious time and money dying those roots every two weeks, I made a daring choice. I stopped coloring my hair. I got a super-short hair cut (it was very chic, by the way) to get rid of all the colored portions. The cut and the natural color got loads of compliments. Would you guess from my picture (below) that I’m five years older than Ms. Margulies?

Gray hair, fine lines and wrinkles-- if we live a long time, we will spend the largest percentage of our years with such physical features.  Whether we choose to cover the gray or let it all hang out, let's at least stop denigrating the signs of aging. Ms Margulies seems to be saying "Hide your age." I'm saying, embrace your age. If we embrace aging, we’ll feel better, free up a lot of time, and save some serious cash.

Author Sandie Richards

Four months ago, I turned 50. I’m at the start of my real aging process, with the gray hair, fine lines and wrinkles, and chin just now heading south. None of these seems to be holding me back. At fifty, I no longer seem to fettered with the numerous problems and insecurities of youth. As far as I can tell, I'm healthy, I'm happy. I have meaningful work and people I love who love me back. I welcome this new adventure.

The Importance of Women Leaders in Christian Communities

September 11, 2010 Korean-Latino Christian Association of Los Angeles Breakfast

Remarks by Rev. Sandie Richards

(I was one of three religious leaders invited to give closing remarks at the end of a breakfast for Christian Unity on the 9^th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.)

Good morning! I am the Rev. Sandie Richards, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Los Angeles, in downtown L.A. I am honored to be with you this morning.. I will give brief remarks on the theme, “The Importance of Women Leaders in Christian Communities.

In downtown, on the second Thursday of every month, there’s an Artwalk. It’s a big event, with art showings, music, restaurants, and lots of people. This past Thursday, cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz was autographing and selling prints of his work at a fundraiser. I bought one where a little girl has created her own cardboard version of a courtroom and is sitting ‘on the bench’; behind her is a portrait of Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Because of Judge Sotomayor, every Latino little girl can see herself as a Supreme Court Justice.

It is essential that we honor and elevate the status of women in our Christian communities. There is a saying that women hold up half the sky; yet we do not acknowledge the essential nature of women’s contributions. World-wide, women do more than half of the labor, yet earn only 11 cents on the dollar compared to men. This is because traditional women’s work is unwaged: caring for children, the sick, and the elderly; cleaning; cooking; bearing and raising children. Women’s work is called ‘unskilled’ and therefore deemed unworthy of decent wages. Yet, this very work is the backbone of all societies! We can’t function without someone cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. Further, this work is far from ‘unskilled.’ For instance, anyone who cleans knows that to do it thoroughly, efficiently, and well is indeed a skill. Cooking, as well, is the amalgamation of many skills which must be learned and practiced.

As Christians, we look to Scripture for the stories of our faith. The Bible is full of examples of strong women; nonetheless, their witness is often ignored or undervalued. 

Let’s take the example of Mary Magdalene. She is the first disciple to encounter the Risen Christ. Some call her 'the Apostle to the Apostles.' And when she ran to tell the others the Good News, what did they say? They chided her, telling her that she was imagining things, Later, Mary Magdalene would be discredited as a prostitute, even though there is no evidence from scripture to confirm that she was. I hasten to add, however, that it doesn't matter whether she was or wasn't a prostitute before she began to follow Jesus.

And, what of Mary, mother of Jesus? In our Protestant haste not to worship Mary, we diminish her story as well. In saying yes to bearing Christ, Mary risked getting stoned to death because she wasn't considered a virgin before marriage. And I think we can all agree that no one would have believed her story, that she was made pregnant by God. This extraordinary young woman agreed to bring Jesus Christ into the world, for our salvation, at great personal risk. She could have been stoned to death because she wasn't considered a virgin before marriage.

How can we ignore the sacred worth of this woman, and indeed, all women? If a woman bore Jesus Christ to save the world, and a woman was the first to bear the news of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, who are we to say that women can't speak in church? If we silence women, we lose the gifts God has given us through women. And speaking of God...

Friends,God is not a man. God is not a woman either. God is God. Because we know God through metaphor, there are both father and mother images of God in the Bible. Jesus himself said “I long to gather you as a mother hen gathers her chicks...” , comparing his desire to protect God's people to a mother hen gathers her chuicks under soft pinion feathers. What a beautiful image of God!

Women deserve to be treated as people of sacred worth, the plight of women and their children taken under consideration.

Today, the 9^th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, it isn't enough to mourn the losses sustained on that day. Nor is it enough to mourn the losses of our nation's treasure and troops. During the march to war, as we cried out to feel safe on our own soil, we never thought to count this cost: Women and children bear the majority of the consequences of war. Particularly in societies where women must have male protectors (ie, fathers, brothers, husbands, or adult sons), women are at risk when their male protectors are kidnapped,killed, imprisoned, wounded, or serving in armed conflict. Because there is no way for a woman to own property or work outside the home in these societies, when a woman loses her male protectors she is at risk for kidnap, abuse, and slavery. One of the hidden consquences of the war in Iraq has been that thousands of women have had to travel to Syria, where they sell their own bodies in order to survive. Is this not like the diminishing of Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus, as war forced mothers and children into becoming prostitues? What terror have they suffered, because of our decisions? 

If we do not value women, we lose 'half the sky.' That's a big loss. As God has shown us, women are worthy to bear the Christ, and to announce Christ's resurrection. Are we not worthy as equal bearers of God's story and God's image? Are we not worthy in the world? Let us lift up and value the sacred worth and important contributions of women, and thereby receive not half, but all of the blessings God has given us. And little children everywhere will know that they are people of sacred worth, growing up to honor God and one other.

Amen.

Breakfast-- right outta the backyard!

I got some berries, a tomato and some basil. All's I need is some
mozzarella and some olive oil with vinegar and I'm set!

Big Oil/ Deep Roots

Just about every adult my age raised in the U.S. knows this little ditty by heart: “Come and listen to my story ‘bout a man named Jed…”  Black gold, indeed! The poor mountaineer becomes rich! He moves to Beverly, -Hills, that is! Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars! Naturally, hilarity ensues as the Clampetts continue to shoot at their food and cook over open fire in spite of their great wealth and fancy digs.

The premise was made for laughs, but the story is not to far removed from the real-life tale of a failed silver and gold prospector named Edward L. Doheny. He and his mining partner Charles A. Canfield struck it rich near Chavez Ravine. Their story can be found in an article on the Paleontological Research Association’s webpage titled, History of Oil, The Story of Oil in California. Doheny and his second wife, Carrie Estelle Doheny, were great philanthropists. In fact, the Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation donated money to First UMC Los Angeles for several years, to put on a holiday party for the children of our neighborhood. So even I and the organizations for which I work reap the benefits from oil wealth.

It struck me as I thrilled to a wonderful afternoon at the Getty Center, that the spewing maw a mile underwater in the Gulf of Mexico was connected to me and my life. As much as I enjoyed the Getty Center, I was challenged by the disparity between its beauty and the ugliness of the oil slick in the Gulf. How many of the privileges I enjoy are directly connected to the wealth of oil? And how many of those privileges are costing me -costing us- a future?

I often buy ARCO gasoline (British Petroleum, of course). It’s the cheapest if you pay cash, and that’s been my guide to how to buy gasoline. I’m not buying ARCO anymore, but my other gasoline choices are no better. So what are my non-fossil fueled options?

We bought an old Mercedes-Benz Diesel, which we hoped to run on bio-fuel; but just as we embarked on the research for how to do it, all the bio-fuel companies in our area went bust. I started doing research online but have run into some roadblocks. Take BioLiberty, for instance. BioLiberty.net was supposed to be a site started by veterans of the Gulf wars who want to encourage U.S. energy independence through fossil fuel alternatives. But, the website was ‘under construction’, and I’m doubtful  the information they do provide (like links to Chevron, for instance) will help achieve the stated goal.

I’ve not given up on reducing my need for fossil fuel. I’m walking more, taking the bus, riding my bike. But as we know, transportation isn’t the only way we use fossil fuels.

I’m surrounded by plastics for one thing. For another, items from food to clothes, furniture, and medicine have ridden countless ships, planes,trucks and my car to get to my house, and when I’m done they’ll make a sort of return trip by similar means. So, I’m working to reduce my reliance on plastics, doing things like getting my seltzer in cans to wrapping things in wax paper. I was given a set of metal chopsticks in a carrying case, and those work great in place of plastic forks and spoons. I’ve started carrying around a container for my restaurant left-overs, sparing the need for the disposable ones. I rarely if ever get those one-use plastic shopping bags—even if I forget my reusable bag.

As for food, we’re closer to becoming locavores.  We’re composting and planting more food in our back yard. Everyone knows about subscriptions to farms, and shopping at farmer’s markets. I love the group, Food Not Lawns (Turning Yards into Gardens and Neighborhoods into Communities). The name alone is informative and inspiring.

In Los Angeles, finding local food has literally become art. Fallen Fruit is a collective who have mapped fruit trees in Los Angeles.  They’re encouraging folks to plant fruit trees on the borders of their properties. They’ve partnered with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for the show EAT LACMA (February-November, 2010) Once Mother Nature’s been given a showing at LACMA there can be no doubt that she’s making valuable cultural contributions. To paraphrase Trudy the Bag Lady, “Fruit, Art. Art, Fruit.”

I suppose we’re moving full-circle, a la Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Her family’s adventure is a reversal of the Clampett’s adventure. The Kingsolver family leaves the city (Tucson, in their case) and returns to a mountain home similar to the one where Jed would have been shootin’ at some food. The book documents a year of food on their farm in Appalachia, along with commentary on the state of food in the world, and of course, menus and recipes for food in season.

It’s time to live into a world where we understand that Black Gold is over. The riches we now seek are in fertile soil and waters near where we live.

I used to think, “I just hope it’s not too late.” Now I think it’s worth giving it a try no matter what.

Connection to the cycles of life is a blessing worth pursuing. If it saves the world, so much the better.

In The Eyes of God: Mother's Day Sermon 2010

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! I'm not posting my sermon here, but you can read the text by clicking the link here.

A request to sign a petition to free the detained health workers in the Philippines.

Below is the text of a request to sign on to a letter of support for the 43 Health Workers. This letter will be published in the Philippines and perhaps other international newspapers.

A scanned copy or PDF may be emailed to kuusela (at) gmail.com, and is needed by Monday March 1, 2010 at noon.

Below the letter are two resources for your information.

--One is a list of links to legal documents in the case, news reports, and to the GBGM and GBCS websites.

-- The other is my initial report of our advocacy team's 8-day immersion trip, Feb. 14-21, 2010.

Grace and Peace!

Sandie Richards

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Free the 43 health workers

We, undersigned, express our condemnation of the illegal raid on the house of Philippine General Hospital consultant Dr . Melecia Velmonte on February 6 which resulted in the illegal mass arrest of 43 health workers and volunteers, including 2 doctors, a nurse and a midwife.

The arrests were made based on a patently defective search warrant and were done with brazen disregard for the rule of law and due process.

We condemn the violations of the rights of the 43 as attested to by no less than the Commission on Human Rights. We deplore the psychological and physical torture inflicted on them, including: being blindfolded and handcuffed for 36 hours, subjected to continuing and prolonged tactical interrogation with death threats, harassment and intimidation, deprived of sleep and urgent medication, manhandled and beaten, denied legal counsel and medical treatment for days, coerced to wrongly make admissions and implicate others, and subjected to various indignities during their captivity. Some were held incommunicado or remain in solitary confinement up to now. Others face continuing threats and harassment.

We deplore the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) initial defiance of a Supreme Court order to produce the 43 before a hearing on their petition for habeas corpus. We decry the vilification heaped against 62-year-old Dr. Alexis Montes, Dr. Merry Mia-Clamor and their fellow participants in the health training. The AFP continues to make the sweeping and baseless allegation that all 43 are members of the New People's Army (NPA) in order justify their illegal arrest and detention.

The arrest of the 43 puts to risk health professionals and community health workers who serve the poor and disadvantaged especially in remote areas of the country. Many are already being accused as members of the NPA, subjected to military and police harassment and worse, have become victims of outright human rights violations.

The incident underscores the fact that grievous human rights violations not seen since the martial law regime of Marcos continue with impunity under the Arroyo administration.

Justice demands that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo order the immediate and unconditional release of the 43 health workers detained by the AFP.

We call on political and religious leaders, colleagues in the various professions, and all freedom-loving Filipinos to make a stand for human rights. Let us unite to FREE THE 43 health workers!

Signed:

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Important Links:

Legal Documents in the case on behalf of the 43 health workers

"Military Accused of Torturing Detained Health Workers", Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2/9/2010

"Health Workers Tortured-CHR", Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2/10/2010

"International Outrage Growing over 'Morong 43' Case", Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2/18/2010

"Mission Board Expresses Concern for Detained Health Workers", United Methodist Global Ministries, 2/11/2010

"Military Denies Health Workers Rights", Faith in Action Newsletter, UM Church & Society 2/19/2010

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Rev. Sandie Richards

Chair, Cal-Pac Board of Church & Society

February 21, 2010

National Council of Churches of the Philippines

Manila

Dear Friends:

Tonight (Sunday) I leave for home! Right now it's almost 10am Sunday morning here, almost 6pm (Saturday) in Los Angeles. I wanted to write to say thanks to the team that has stepped up to

lead while I'm away-- I know everything is being taken care of there.

I look forward to coming home today-- we've only been here 8 days, but it has been a very full trip!

We learned about the excellent work of the National Council of Churches of the Philippines, a convening body for several non-Roman Catholic churches; we met with some who were forcibly detained by the military, and some whose family members are either missing or killed because they chose to speak up for the rights of the poor and marginalized. Still others are under threat.

We met the Chair of the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines, Chair Leila DeLima. She is scrupulous in her fair, 'facts-only' approach, and because of that, when she states a fact one may be sure of its truth.

We spent a day at the gates of Camp Capinpin, home of the Philippine 2nd Infantry Jungle Fighters. This is where the 43 health workers are being detained. A bit of background:

There are several organizations that are working on training health workers in the under-served poor, rural areas of the Philippines. The trainings have been ongoing, teaching first basic skills such as CPR, and basic information-gathering such as taking blood pressure and testing for diabetes. The training that was ongoing when the 43 were rounded up and detained was an advanced training, particularly meant to equip folks for disaster response. The flooding last fall was one event which prompted the need for such a training. Hospitals were flooded, and people died for lack of even the most basic medical care.

Among the 43 is a long-time church layman and respected surgeon, Dr. Alex Montes, and Dr. Merry Mia, a well-respected health professional.

I will say more about the 43 health workers in my full report, but for now suffice it to say that they are being accused of being a part of the NPA (New People's Army), an uprising that has been warring with the Philippine government for about forty years. It's outrageous that helping the poor and working on improving community health have been made into a crime.

Speaking of the NPA, there has been a peace process slowing inching forward between a coalition of so-called, 'people's groups', called the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.

It is this peace process which most interests me.

Currently it's being financed and supported by the Norwegian Government, and an agreement between the two parties has been formed on the first of four items. This agreement, called the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. (CARHRIHL). I hope to become an advocate for this process to continue-- there have been difficulties as for instance, some of the negotiators on the NDFP side have been labeled 'terrorists' and therefore are on international watch lists. One such person has successfully challenged this label and had it removed by the Europeans, but the USA and the Philippine Government have not obliged. As the negotiations take place in Oslo, and as this negotiator is needed there in order for talks to continue, his presence on watch lists effectively stops the negotiation.

It is my initial assessment that the peace process is key to ending the warring between the NPA and the Philippine military. At our meeting we learned that the Philippine military has about 200,000 troops; the NPA is estimated at 5,000 or fewer. If the terms of peace could be agreed upon, there could be a laying down of arms and the beginning of a time of healing.

We also had a presentation on the environment here in the Philippines. Rich in biodiversity and gold/oil/minerals, the

Philippines

is in danger of becoming a plaything of the multinational corporations who wish to extract the treasures but not share the wealth with the people. US corporations are among those. The environment is in danger because of relentless mining practices to name one thing. (A few years ago mine tailings got into a river, polluting the water and killing all the fish.) The people of the

Philippines

wish to make their own, balanced determinations about how much industry should be allowed, and how much to protect the pristine parts of their islands. They wish to enable the natural resources of the

Philippines

to be used to improve the economy, allowing for living wage jobs to be available in the

Philippines

. This will stop the need for Philippine workers to head overseas. Currently, 60+percent of the Philippine economy are remittances from overseas Philippino workers. As many as 4,000 people PER DAY head overseas to jobs ranging from nurses to housekeepers. Many are exploited in the countries to which they go. There is also a social cost at home. For instance, we met a man who had just returned from Dubai; his wife is still there. Their child is now 12 years old, living in the

Philippines

with his aunt. He does not remember ever seeing his mother.

As you can see, our trip has been jam-packed with important information, but the most important thing remains to be said:

The

Philippines

is a beautiful country, and her people are smart, hard-working, and fully engaged in the restoration of their land and people. The church is alive here, full of people with strong faith and strong morals; those who truly believe in and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. We were able to get out of metro Manila and visit the Union Theological Seminary. There, men and women are equipped for service to the church. It's also the home of UMCOR in the

Philippines

. We traveled about 30 minutes away from the seminary to see the volcanos at Tagaytay; there is a beautiful Roman Catholic retreat center that overlooks the volcano and lake surrounding. I also got to go to Batanga, a province where we visited a beautiful little resort and take a relaxing night and day floating in the warm, clear ocean and marvelling at the natural beauty of the coastline.

I love and miss you all, and look forward to seeing you shortly!

I especially thank the United Methodist Women of FUMCLA and the Cal-Pac Board of Church and Society, who sponsored my trip.

Our advocacy team will be hosting a briefing and report; in the meanwhile, the situation of the 43 health workers grows ever more dire. Urgent action is needed. Please consider signing on to a letter demanding the release of the 43 health workers.

Sandie