June 22, 2009, City & Commonwealth (63), In the News (Richmond) (74)
The Micah Ministry of St. Paul's Episcopal Church serves children at Woodville Elementary School. With 400 students at Woodville, and just over 100 students participating, we continue to seek mentors, tutors, and assistants. Not sure if it's for you? Read this article that appeared in the Father's Day issue of the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
As far as Al Lacy knew, he had no skills in
dealing with children because he'd never had any, so he wasn't keen on
the idea of tutoring at Woodville Elementary School.
But his wife, Beverley, was persistent. The Micah Initiative needed
volunteers, and he had time because he was semiretired. He finally
agreed to help with a summer session at the Richmond school, but
nothing more.
And then he met Antonio Riley.
Read the full article to find out what happened next.
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June 18, 2009, City & Commonwealth (63), Equality (12), Faith & Politics (33), In the News (Richmond) (74)
Posted by Wallace+
Yesterday, Governor Tim Kaine's Latino Liaison distributed an article about a disturbing rise in hate crimes against Latinos and individuals who are gay or lesbian:
Hate crimes targeting Hispanic Americans rose 40 percent from 2003 to
2007, the most recent year for which FBI statistics are available, from
426 to 595 incidents, marking the fourth consecutive year of increases.
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund issued a report
that faulted anti-immigrant rhetoric in the media and mobilization of
extremist groups on the Internet. The conference said that some groups
advocating for tighter immigration laws have invoked "the dehumanizing,
racist stereotypes and bigotry of hate groups."
... The FBI reported in October that the number of hate crimes dropped
in 2007 by about 1 percent, to 7,624. But violence against Latinos and
gay people bucked the trend. The number of hate crimes directed at gay
men and lesbians increased about 6 percent, the FBI reported.
This article saddens me for so many reasons. Yet, here at St. Paul's I see so many
instances of compassion and understanding that give me hope. For our
"Such Great Heights" movement, a number of you wrote that you'd like to
see even more of an open welcome to people who are gay or lesbian.
Also, this Saturday, we will host a "Concert for Caring" with the
Sonorous Brass Quartet, directed by Bartolo Vargas of Puerto Rico. We
have extended an enthusiastic and open invitation to all communities to
attend this event, including the Hispanic community, with the
announcement even being translated into Spanish and appearing the
publication Nuevas Raices.
All this got me to thinking.... In the face of the sad rise in hateful
speech and hate crimes in this country, I can't think of a better
response than our own rising tide of welcome, friendship, and, yes, love to all communities. Here at St. Paul's, we strive to set an example as Christians that, regardless of
our differences of opinion, on immigration or politics or any other
matter, we can agree that there is no place for the dehumanization of
God's children; no place for hatred in God's church on Grace Street, no
place nowhere.
Let us pray that, in the face of hate, we all would embody God's
love; in the face of fear, God's compassion; and, in the face of
ugliness, God's exquisite and unyielding grace.
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June 11, 2009, City & Commonwealth (63), In the News (Richmond) (74)
Posted by Wallace+
In case you missed it, Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist
Michael Paul Williams today featured St. Paul's very own Outreach
Director, Betsy Carr. He described our Betsy as "a quiet force" for
whom "the sky appears to be the limit." Amen!
Betsy has touched
so many lives, including my own. As I told Mike, Betsy truly is an
inspiration to me. She is a compassionate, faithful person dedicated to
social justice, to serving and caring for all God's children.
May we continue to strive for a better world through all of our ministries and all of our work. May the Kingdom come!
You can read the full story online here.
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June 03, 2009, City & Commonwealth (63), In the News (Richmond) (74)
Posted by Wallace+
This compelling article in today's RTD tells about a fascinating program that is spreading across the country and has come to Richmond. Furthermore, the Lawrence Cann described is a grandson of our own Canny Pasco!
Click here to read the complete article: "Daily Planet: Helping the Homeless Reach Goals"
Clip: "The Daily Planet embraces innovative ways to motivate homeless
clients out of their disenfranchisement by re-developing the social
inclusion and community they have lost. This can be as simple as
providing an outlet for people to come together in a social setting and
giving them a goal to aim for. This month, Daily Planet will form its
second annual USA Street Soccer team. Lawrence Cann, a native Richmonder and St. Christopher's alumnus, founded Street Soccer USA just four years ago in Charlotte, NC. With assistance from Help USA and partnerships with homeless shelters throughout the country, USA Street Soccer has spread to 16 cities and has been using the game of soccer to
motivate homeless persons out of poverty and into stable lifestyles."
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