Micah Corps Summer 2010!

Coming to Social Justice with Galen Wray!!

The Micah Corps has had the chance to meet and connect with so many churches throughout Nebraska. Our travels have introduced us to hundreds of people who have their own stories about coming to social justice. These stories motivate and inspire us, they give us the hope that through our togetherness and combined faith in God’s wishes for our welfare on earth, we can begin to give justice to everyone who is oppressed. Because of this we wanted to take the time to interview a man with a particularly great story of coming to an awareness of social justice, and indeed, beginning his own work on freeing the oppressed. Galen Wray serves as District Superintendent for the Blue River District. Through his story I invite you to think and discuss your own journey toward social holiness. Moreover, how can we inspire others to become more justice minded? But most importantly, how can we use our journeys, faith, and resources to bring this good news to the oppressed. Indeed, in Luke 4, Jesus states, “The Spirit of the Good Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” How do we follow Jesus’ message? Proclaim your faith! Talk about your journey to social justice and spread that to all who wish to hear the good news! In doing so we inspire others to a real conversation about beginning the tough, but necessary, work of setting at liberty those who are oppressed. Thanks and God bless!

Imagining a Violence-Free World

In these video clips we are reminded of the price of war. These memorials represent a nation that has been tried and tested by the forces of violence, and it has cost us dearly. Today our nation fights two ongoing wars and so now more than ever we must feel the faithful obligation to resist, to turn the other cheek, to call on our leaders to end the violence. The United Methodist Church has already begun its effort with the “Call to Hope and Action” in the Council of Bishops’ document God’s Renewed Creation. One of the three interconnect threats is the proliferation of weapons and violence. As the Bishops state, “…we cannot remain silent while God’s people and God’s planet suffer.” As global military spending tops 1.2 trillion dollars in 2007, with the U.S. spending 45% of that amount, and as over 639 million small arms and light weapons circulate the world, it is obvious that violence pervades and persists throughout God’s creation. However, the Bishops’ call to hope and action has provided us with the motivation and resources to get involved right now! God’s Renewed Creation is available online at www.hopeandaction.org, and includes six study sessions that look at the biblical foundation of caring for God’s creation, United Methodist Social Principle background, the state of our world, the pledges the Bishops are making, as well as how to pray and act in a way which begins to alleviate the threats of poverty, climate change, and weapons violence. The Micah Corps had the opportunity to do a study session at Aldersgate this last Sunday and in doing so, learned a lot from a great discussion with other United Methodists. Our hope is that churches all across Nebraska will begin to use the resources within God’s Renewed Creation to start their own study group, or find ways in which to use this document within their existing networks. Furthermore, September 30-October 2 there is a gathering at Camp Comeca and we are hoping United Methodists all across Nebraska will attend! The event, called “Come to the Hill,” will focus on God’s Renewed Creation, and this will be a great time to get in touch with other United Methodists who wish to address the concerns of poverty, the environment, and peace. Jim Wrinkler, General Secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, will be talking as well. If you are interested in attending, or would like more information, go to www.umcneb.org, Ministries in Action, and scroll to the Risk-Taking Mission and Justice Ministries Team. In closing I want to remember those memorials, the many names etched in black at the Vietnam Memorial, that remind us of the costs of violence. Everyday conflict takes its toll, so we must not stand by and wait, but instead begin to act out our faith! Challenge the powers that be for peace, break the barriers of injustice, and push forward to a day when the “wolf and the lamb shall feed together,” a day in which our swords are finally turned into plowshares. Thanks and God bless!

Becca and Caryn on the Road!

Becca and I have been traveling a lot around the state in both the Prairie Rivers District and in the Great West District. We've been able to talk to a lot of congregations and groups about what we learned at Nebraska Appleseed and how our faith interacts with the tough immigration issue. We've been sharing this message with congregations along with the idea that to make a real difference, we need federal reform that creates workable solutions that upholds our values and moves us all forward together.

From Columbus to Scottsbluff and many places in between, we've been sharing our message of what God has called us to do about immigration and caring for the sojourners among us. One resource we have been sharing with congregations is the Council of Bishops Statement on the U.S. Immigration Situation. It says, "Our calling as followers of Jesus the Christ is to stand in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors and to advocate for justice on their behalf. ... We acknowledge that all nations have the right to secure their borders, but the primary concern for Christians is the welfare of immigrants and communities." We've also been having a great time playing the Immigration Board Game with people of all ages (to access the immigration board game, visit http://nwfco.org/issues/immigration/). To learn more about Nebraska Appleseed, visit http://www.neappleseed.org/. For more information about immigration and the Church and faith-based immigration resources you can visit the General Board of Church and Society's website at http://www.umc-gbcs.org/.

Columbus, NE - Working for Justice!

(Sandra Sypherd, Rocio Hernández. Rebecca Albers
Maria Davila, and Caryn Vincent)

On July 27th, Sandra Sypherd, Caryn Vincent and myself, Rebecca Albers, had the privilege of meeting with some community leaders in the Columbus area who are advocating for justice for our newest neighbors. Maria Davila with Servicios en General helps immigrants with their taxes. They highlighted that the immigration system is very complicated and that it takes special training and expertise to fill out the paperwork and navigate the proper avenues. Servicios en General is also working toward getting their BIA (Board of Immigration Appeals) accreditation so they can practice some immigration law and further assist members of their community. We also met with Rocio Hernández, a Hispanic Ministries leader in the area. It was wonderful to talk to these ladies and hear how the policies we’ve learned about this summer impact individuals’ lives in their communities.

(Dianna McFarland, Rebecca Albers, Caryn Vincent, Andrea Paret)

That evening we had the opportunity to visit a Justice For Our Neighbors clinic. JFON is a ministry of UMCOR (The United Methodist Committee on Relief). It provides free legal services for our newest neighbors through monthly clinics held at local churches. Trained volunteers help with the intakes and provide hospitality while the immigration lawyer meets with each client to see if they are able to take their case.

Before the clinic, we were able to meet with Diana McFarland, the immigration attorney. She explained what they do at JFON-NE and the restructured immigration system. There are four parts of the immigration system under two departments of the government. The Department of Homeland Security oversees three area: 1) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) , 2) United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and 3) Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Department of Justice now oversees the the judicial part of immigration through The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). She highlighted that having four separate entities makes navigating the immigration system even harder as they are on their own time tables and don’t have a common database.

Thank you, community of Columbus, for being so welcoming to us as well as our immigrant neighbors. Keep up the good work!

Good Times in the Elkhorn Valley and Gateway Distrcits!

While traveling Rachel and I have had some awesome oppurtunities. We have gotten to share what we've learned about children in poverty at Voices for Children with the Elkhorn Valley and Gateway Districts! Some highlights include VBS at Dakota City where we got to help with game time. The Wesley Day Care and Crisis Nursery in Norfolk gave us some great tours of their facilities. They have great progams for children! While at Voices for Children we learned that around 14% of children in Nebraska live in poverty. If you would like to learn more about Voices for Children you can visit their website at http://www.voicesforchildren.com/. On the website you can sign up for the Advokid to get updates on what they are doing and how you can advocate for all kids in Nebraska!

God's Renewed Creation at Aldersgate United Methodist Church!!!

I had the awesome opportunity to visit Aldersgate United Methodist Church on August 1. My time there included a chance to talk about God’s Renewed Creation in service, as well as the great opportunity to lead a study of God’s Renewed Creation with the Aldersgate Faith Link’s class. God’s Renewed Creation is a document, a call to hope and action, put forth by the United Methodist Council of Bishops. It specifically deals with global poverty, environmental degradation, and weapons violence, and in combination with pledges from the Bishops, asks all congregations to form action plans and use all available resources to begin addressing these dire problems. I will be visiting churches as the internship ends to promote this document, just as our Bishop did at Annual Conference. I will also be having conversations with some of your pastors about how to use this document and it’s resources well into the future. You may visit www.hopeandaction.com to download your own copy, or to see the available resources, and I truly hope you do, because in doing so we are not only practicing our faith but also our quest for social holiness…indeed an integral aspect of following Christ. Thanks to Aldersgate for their time and space, and I look forward to talking to other United Methodists as this awesome internship continues!