Category Archives: Social justice

Southside Faith Communities Public Statement of Support for our Neighbors and Friends

Southside Faith Communities
Public Statement of Support for our Neighbors and Friends
October 12, 2023

As we write this, we know that both Israelis and Palestinians are living in a state of terror, as war rains down on civilians on both sides. We also know that the horrific violence in Israel and Gaza is exacerbating the fear of Jews, Muslims, and Palestinians living around the world, including here in Birmingham. As an interfaith organization, we focus our energies on what unites us, because unity is how we bring about transformational change in Birmingham and beyond.

With one voice, we condemn all acts of terror. The actions of Hamas this past week were indefensible, targeting Israeli young people, families, and children, and endangering the lives of the Palestinian people by calling down war upon them.

While we do not all agree on the political issues involved, these things we agree on:

● Children should never be considered allowable collateral damage.

● The elderly and disabled and unarmed civilians should be off limits.

● Celebrating the death of enemies is antithetical to our faithful calls to peace.

● Human rights abuses should not be tolerated; kidnapping, rape, depriving citizens of basic survival needs, including freedom of movement.

● Our Jewish, Muslim, and Christian neighbors in Birmingham are suffering, and many are afraid. They are afraid for their families still abroad, and they are afraid for their safety in Birmingham.

We condemn all acts of terrorism on our Jewish, Muslim, and Christian neighbors, including threats to our houses of worship, like the recent threat to Temple Emanu-El. We condemn anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms.

Each of us, in our own traditions, is challenged to love our neighbor and honor our common humanity. Each life lost is a tragedy and each day that war threatens and disintegrates is a stain on our collective soul. We pray for all of those who have lost loved ones. We pray for justice as described by the prophet Zechariah: God’s command to administer true justice, showing mercy and compassion to one another.

It’s times like these that we need to consciously choose love. Love will be our strength and our uniting force. We choose empathy and we choose justice over hatred and perpetual retaliation.

We believe in Birmingham. We believe we can rally one another and support one another even as we watch the devastation abroad. We can be a model of peace, as we pray and work for peace in the most troubled parts of this world.

Beloved Community is proud to be a member of the Southside Interfaith Communities and to endorse these words.

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The Morning After: A Reflection from Rev. Dollie Howell Pankey

Perhaps you, like many in the United States and the world, paid close attention to the election process and, particularly, the presidential election—one that has reflected the state of cultural and ethical crisis that faces our nation. As I watched the process, I often wondered what the climate of our nation would be on “the morning after,” that is, when all was said and done.

Personally, I felt a profound sense of relief and joy as the official projections came on the morning of November 7, 2020, announcing the election of Joseph Biden as President-elect and Kamala Devi Harris as Vice President-elect. However, this joy is tempered by concern of how the current president and segments of his base might respond to this loss. I am greatly concerned about the threat posed by segments of the population who—seeing themselves as well-meaning, righteous, and patriotic—will lash out at people of color, ethnic minorities, the LGBTQIA community, immigrants, and other marginalized groups within society.

When we awoke on Sunday, November 8, 2020, we literally awoke to “the morning after.” We are in “the morning after,” because now the suspense has been lifted and we have some resolution, but I believe that we are, metaphorically, in “the Morning after,” and will remain so for some time. The song “The Morning After” is from The Poseidon Adventure, a 1970s movie that focused on a group of passengers who leave the larger group trying to survive on a capsized cruise ship. When first sung by the ship’s lounge singer, it is just a benign song. However, the song takes on new meaning when it is played in the final scene, where those who remain of the small group—having gone against conventional wisdom—are discovered and rescued. The first verse says:

There’s got to be a morning after

If we can hold on through the night

We have a chance to find the sunshine

Let’s keep on looking for the light

(by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn)

We are, metaphorically, in “The Morning After.”  We are in a struggle for survival for ourselves, for our communities, and for the soul of our nation. What does that mean for us?

To be in “the morning after” requires that we not deny the gravity of the struggle for survival. We can’t fully move towards a “morning after” unless we acknowledge the danger that presently faces us. Rev. Amina S. McIntyre, Connectional Young Adult Ministry President of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church shared this Facebook post the day after the election in response to how close the race for the presidency was at that time:

None of this is surprising. This country has not changed. What we’re experiencing is actually only the dashing of hope. We had the audacity to [hope] but forgot that hope doesn’t fix. And holding onto “swing states” is actually prolonging our ability to start the grieving process. Let’s face it, this cancer in this country has metastasized. Patient is terminal, prognosis is low and there is literally nothing that can be done. Palliative has suggested comfort measures but we’re the family, fighting by the bedside yet praying for a miracle. No matter what happens, this has shown the truth of our family. The real decisions we must make are around how to handle the information our revelations bring.

That’s the stark reality of our nation. This awareness calls for prayerful action on our part. I am reminded of a Hebrew Bible story in which a leper colony was camped outside of the closed walls of Jerusalem in a time of famine while the city was under siege. They said to themselves, “If we stay here, we die. If we go to the city, we die. If we go to the enemy’s camp, at least there’s a chance that we live.” I see this pragmatic resolve in heroes of the faith such as Harriet Tubman and Nat Turner, Fannie Lou Hamer and Congressman John Lewis, who decided not to accept the inhumane conditions of enslavement and Jim Crow. Rather, they prayerfully acted to change their condition (and their communities’) knowing that it could cost them their lives. 

To be in “the morning after” requires us to be rooted and grounded in hope. For this small group of people that came together in crisis to survive, they had to believe in the possibility of “the morning after;” they had to believe that they could get to safety. As believers in God, we may find ourselves praying as the psalmist did, “Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O Lord, make haste to help me” (Psalm 70:1) because we hope in God’s power and desire to help us. As a descendent of formerly enslaved Black people, I am conscious that this thread of hope running through the stories of enslaved people sustained them and kept hope alive.

Although deliverance was often a fleeting and far-off vision, they had brought a knowledge of the God who would come to their aid from the shores of Africa. Although deliverance was filled with great risk and danger, their encounters with Christian scriptures led them to put their hope in the delivering God, which echoed their understanding of God. It was hope that caused them to look for doors to open “that no man can shut” to lead them out of danger. It is hope that causes us to look for God’s open door to freedom that no one can shut. 

To be in “the morning after” requires knowing that we need each other to survive! As this movie theme song reminds us, we can only survive together. Therefore, we ought to not just try to get our own freedom; rather we ought to go back and help somebody else get free. That is why it I draw our attention as the church to God’s words through Amos, “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. . .. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream” (Amos 5:21-24). To sing pretty songs and bring pretty offerings without seeking justice for those who struggle is to offer God empty worship.

As this song written by David Frazier and recorded by Hezekiah Walker reminds us:

I need you, you need me; We’re all a part of God’s body.

Stand with me, agree with me;

We’re all a part of God’s body.

It is God’s will that every need be supplied.

You are important to me, I need you to survive.

Our survival, our deliverance, our freedom is bound together with each other’s survival, deliverance, freedom. As it has been said, “None of us is free until all of us are free.”

To be in “The Morning After” means that we must stay in the fight. Author and scholar Ibram X. Kendi noted his anxiety in this message on Facebook the morning of the election, “The last time I felt this way was the morning of my cancer surgery. It could go either way: the new beginning of life or death. All I remember telling myself was no matter what, I’m going to fight because no matter what there will be a fight. This steeled me then. This steels me now.”

There is an African proverb says it this way, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together!” Perhaps in our focus in individual success and progress, we have been too focused on GOING FAST! I challenge us today, as we have seen coalitions of people come together to create needed change and restore hope in our nation, let’s focus on GOING FAR! That means that we must learn how to GO TOGETHER! I believe in ultimate hope, but while I wait for that great day, I know that I’ve got to keep on fighting; I know that we’ve got to keep on fighting. And that fight requires what Harry Emerson Fosdick prayed for in his famous hymn:

___God of Grace and God of Glory” ___

Harry Emerson Fosdick

1.  God of grace and God of glory,

On your people pour your pow’r;

Crown your ancient church’s story,

Bring its bud to glorious flow’r.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage

For the facing of this hour.

2.  Lo! the hosts of evil round us

Scorn the Christ, assail his ways!

From our fears that long have bound us

Free our hearts to faith and praise.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage

For the living of these days.

3.  Cure your children’s warring madness;

Bend our pride to your control;

Shame our wanton, selfish gladness,

Rich in things and poor in soul.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

Lest we miss your kingdom’s goal.

4.  Save us from weak resignation

To the evils we deplore;

Let the gift of your salvation

Be our glory evermore.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

Serving you whom we adore.

***************************************************

Reverend Dollie Howell Pankey
Theomusicologist-in-Residence
November 2020 Musical Notes Reflection

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South African Preacher Rev. Alan Storey at Beloved Sunday, December 4th

Alan is an ordained minister of the Methodist Church of South Africa and is presently ministering at the Central Methodist Mission in Cape Town.

Alan believes the following: To take the whole Bible literally is an absurdity; Jesus would much rather be taken seriously than worshiped; the division of the world into “saved” and “un-saved” is hate speech; the holy land is not a place to visit but every place to value; there are around 7.2 billion chosen people in the world; the day will come when all guns will be turned into ploughshares (he chairs Gun Free South Africa); the Church must ask the Queer community for forgiveness for its bigotry and exclusion as a matter of urgency; inequality is a weapon of mass destruction.

Alan’s faithfulness to the peacemaking Christ was tested early in his life when he faced conscription into the apartheid regime military. After spending a year of discernment abroad, he returned to South Africa, declaring he would never fight in the apartheid army – or any army. He was arrested and faced trial with a six-year prison sentence as the likely outcome. Alan’s trial was surprisingly abandoned midway, and he became the last conscientious objector to be tried in apartheid South Africa.

Alan will be leading an Advent retreat this weekend with Mary’s House before joining us to preach on Sunday night.

Be sure to join us Sunday night at 5 pm to hear a brilliant theologian & preacher! (Note: Rev. Jennifer will be present as well!)

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Congregational meeting for pastoral vote, Oct. 9th

Almost one year ago, the members of Beloved Community Church entrusted a search committee to select a pastoral candidate for the church’s approval. Since then, we have spent hundreds of hours diligently and prayerfully reviewing in-depth ministerial profiles of fifteen applicants, including candidates from all over the United States, the UCC and other denominations. With great consideration, we narrowed our search to a few.

After interviewing each candidate twice, hearing them preach in person and talking to their references, we recommend Jennifer Sanders as the best candidate to pastor Beloved Community Church.

Continue reading Congregational meeting for pastoral vote, Oct. 9th

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Phoenix Rising spoken word fundraiser September 15th, 2016

Phoenix Rising - SCC Flier PR

Sister City Connection – Phoenix Rising spoken word benefit
Thursday, September 15th, 6:30-8:30 pm

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Sister City Connection is hosting a spoken word event for the benefit of CanSurvive Birmingham GYN Cancer Support Group and the Bust a Move Local team for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, 60 Mile Walk to end breast cancer in Atlanta, Oct. 7-9. Join us for an inspiring evening featuring poignant stories of SURVIVAL, TRANSFORMATION and RENEWAL.

Featuring poetry from:

Phoenix Rising - SCC Flier PR (1)

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Alternatives to Gentrification panel at Beloved August 2nd

Public opinion about Birmingham’s redevelopment has shifted from one of outright support to the acknowledgement that it is uneven.

A panel of experts will explore alternatives to gentrification; specifically, the cooperative economy and ongoing projects in the region and from around the world.

Panelists include Randall Woodfin, Board Member of Birmingham Board of Education; Myeisha Hutchinson, Oak Ridge Park Neighborhood President; Susan Diane Mitchell, President of Dynamite Hill-Smithfield Community Land Trust; Dr. Zac Henson, professor-owner at The Cooperative New School; and Samir Rohlin Hazboun, Highlander Research and Education Center. Moderated by Reverend Majadi Baruti of Udja Temple Ministries.

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Cuba Caravan coming to Beloved Monday, July 11th at 6 pm

As we do every year, we will host a busload of pastors and other members of the faith community traveling on a caravan to Cuba to raise awareness of the US blockade against Cuba. This event is not only educational – it’s a fun, celebratory occasion featuring Cuban Jazz from DJ Bart Grooms, optional dancing, maybe even mojitos!

This is a critical year in US-Cuba relations. Our attention will focus on advocating for Cuba here in the US. Our Cuban partners have told us that what they need most at this moment are our voices in solidarity.

The Caravan will educate about the important role US citizens can play in lifting the US blockade of Cuba and the travel ban. We will visit congressional offices and invite caravan event organizers and supporters to join us in these meetings.

We need you to meet with your Representatives and Senators when the caravan comes to your city. Our elected officials need to hear directly from you, their constituents! Members of Congress need to know that they represent people who support Cuba with no preconditions. Many legislators don’t have an opinion on Cuba or know much about Cuba, so this is a great time for you to share with them why you support Cuba and why US-Cuba relations must be fully normalized while respecting Cuba’s sovereignty.

This year, we will host 8 Caravanistas as they stay the night, share their story with us, and then meet with US Senators and Representatives the next day. This event is sponsored by the Birmingham Peace Project. Contact Diane McNaron at Birmingham Peace Project for more details or to volunteer.

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Memorial Service for Orlando, June 15th, 8-9 pm

Join us in a vigil of prayer, silence, conversation, and creative expression to remember the lives of those killed and injured at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. We will grieve the senseless bloodshed and pray to end violence and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people everywhere.

Offered by The Abbey, Baptist Church of the Covenant, Beloved Community Church, Birmingham Friends Meeting, Covenant Community ChurchPilgrim Church UCC, Saint Junia UMC, and Woodlawn UMC.

We will meet outdoors between Beloved and The Abbey, weather permitting (131 41st Street South, Birmingham, AL 35222). If it is raining, we’ll be inside one or both of the buildings.

Contact Jennifer Sanders for more information.

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Central Alabama Pride Parade Saturday, June 11th, 8 pm

Join us to march in the Central Alabama Pride parade Saturday, June 11th, and let our neighbors know that Beloved is a place for all people!

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Lineup and registration at 7 pm on 7th Ave. S (corner of 30th St. S). Parade starts at 8:30.

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We will be walking on foot, carrying Beloved’s banner and handing out brochures.

Contact Donny Humphrey with any questions.

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Moral Revival, June 6th, 6:30 at New Pilgrim Baptist Church

Monday, June 6, 6:30-8:30 pm

New Pilgrim Baptist Church

708 Goldwire Place SW

Birmingham, AL 35211

RSVP on Eventbrite

The Revival: Time for a Moral Revolution of Values, led by the Rev. Dr. William J. BarberII, Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., Rev. Traci Blackmon and Sister Simone Campbell, aims to be the catalyst for a resurgence of moral political activism among people of conscience and faith leaders. Far too much of our national political discourse and activity have been poisoned by the dominance of regressive immoral and hateful policy directed toward communities of color, the poor, the sick, our children, immigrants, women, voting rights, the environment and religious minorities. We still have too much racism, materialism and militarism.

Our country is in need of a moral revolution of values to champion the sacred values of love, justice and mercy in the public square. We cannot remain silent.

 

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