“We don’t hide the fact that we care about our neighbors.”
“(The church) will continue to insist that solidarity with our most vulnerable neighbors is the way that we best follow the ways of Jesus in the world.”
Have you connected in person with someone this week, on more than a surface level?
These are times to stay connected, to do “self-care” in community, and to defend our sacred spaces- whether local or national parks or our very own congregations This week the Interfaith Alliance and Religion News Service reported that Federal Court filings reveal that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent undercover agents to spy on events being held in (at least) five churches in Minneapolis last winter- one Baptist, one Episcopal, two Lutheran and one Unitarian Universalist. The agents spied on events sponsored by community groups who were using space in the church buildings. In one, a martial arts class, a recorder dropped out of the agent’s pocket but he didn’t notice it was missing until after he left the class. He returned to retrieve it from the gym floor. The name DHS gave to this surveillance inside churches? “Operation Puppet Master”.
These actions seem to have violated a court injunction barring warrantless investigations of a group of churches that are involved in a lawsuit against the Administration regarding immigration enforcement at sensitive locations. They also reminded me of the story Pat Scanlon told at a summer service about an undercover agent infiltrating a group protesting the Seabrook nuclear plant and how this discovery resulted in a huge amount of publicity and a win for the protesters. (Maybe some of us want to post or talk to friends and co-workers about the federal government doing undercover surveillance in houses of worship!)
The Rev. Cody Sanders, of University Baptist Church in Minneapolis, wrote this: “We should, as a society, agree that sacred places and the many and varied community activities taking place within them should not become targets of government infiltration. Yet we know that many churches like University Baptist Church and our sibling congregations around the country have become a threat to those in power- when we care for our neighbors, provide safe spaces for our community members to gather in peace, and strive together toward justice.”That last part sounds like a great plan to me!
Yours, in faith,
Rev. Lee
P.S. Have you collected some water from a beautiful or sacred place, somewhere close to your heart? There’s still time to do so! We have two more summer services, a break for Labor Day weekend, and then our water sharing service (“water communion”) on Sept. 13th. Bring some water (or a stone or shell) on the 13th to help keep the sacred vibes going!
To make an appointment with Rev. Lee, click here.
Email: RevLee@northparish.org
Phone: 978-687-7948