The New Sanctuary Movement (NSM) of Philadelphia – a growing interfaith coalition with a diverse range of people from many immigrant communities and organizations – is organizing a reunion of the Philadelphia congregations and leaders from the ORIGINAL Sanctuary movement of the 1980s. Some of the families from El Salvador and Guatemala who were supported by the Philadelphia sanctuary congregations also plan to attend this event.
The gathering will be a time to reflect on stories about the passions that created the 1980s movement and to learn from that collective wisdom for the NSM work of accompaniment and solidarity with immigrants seeking justice in Philadelphia today!
All are welcome! Join us on Thursday, Feb 11th, from 7pm to 9pm, at Tabernacle United Church located at Chestnut and 37th Street.
The reunion will include friends from number of key congregations from the 1980s -- Mishkan Shalom, FUMCOG, Tabernacle United Church, Germantown Friends, Chestnut Hill Friends, St. Vincents, and Central Baptist.
To learn more about NSM and for details about this event (including a flyer to download and post) visit www.nsmphilly.blogspot.com. Questions? See Caroline Cargo or email NSM at nsmphiladelphia@gmail.com.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Updates about the Orantes Family
We recently received the disturbing news that Ruth's teaching job at the Colegio Bautista (the Baptist school in Santa Ana) has been eliminated as of January 1st. Ruth's position in the Christian Education department was one of 20 jobs eliminated across various departments.
This puts added pressure on the family budget, especially since Victor Hugo's school tuition was a benefit of Ruth's employment. Happily we can report that a donor to the Cielo Azul Fund has designated funds to cover all of Victor Hugo's school expenses for 2010.
The loss of the teaching job leaves Ruth free to spend herself in her pastoral work at Iglesia Bautista Shekina. But while there is full time work to do at this growing congregation, the congregation can not match the salary she has lost from her teaching position.
Your continued support through the Cielo Azul Fund (www.cieloazulfund.blogspot.com) will help to give the family a stable economic base for their service to the community.
This puts added pressure on the family budget, especially since Victor Hugo's school tuition was a benefit of Ruth's employment. Happily we can report that a donor to the Cielo Azul Fund has designated funds to cover all of Victor Hugo's school expenses for 2010.
The loss of the teaching job leaves Ruth free to spend herself in her pastoral work at Iglesia Bautista Shekina. But while there is full time work to do at this growing congregation, the congregation can not match the salary she has lost from her teaching position.
Your continued support through the Cielo Azul Fund (www.cieloazulfund.blogspot.com) will help to give the family a stable economic base for their service to the community.
New partnership with The Simple Way
Over the years, there have been many mutual visits between the Orantes family and members of The Simple Way community in Philadelphia. (www.thesimpleway.org) We are happy to announce that in January 2010, our friends at The Simple Way has become the new fiscal sponsor for contributions to support the ministries of Ruth and Alex and special projects at Iglesia Bautista Shekina!
Ruth and Alex's commitment to faith-based community development, justice, peacemaking, and healing has been a cherished model and inspiration for The Simple Way and for Central Baptist Church for many years.
We are very excited about an opportunity to deepen this connection between these people whose ministries are rooted in service and accompaniment of the poor and marginalized.
With this transition, the former "Orantes Fund" has been renamed. Now we are the "Cielo Azul Fund" and this mission will be guided by an advisory committee from The Simple Way, El Salvador Partners of CBC, and Iglesia Bautista Shekina.
The Cielo Azul Fund is also now featured on the TSW website as one of their global projects! Find us under the "friends and partners" section of their website at www.thesimpleway.org.
All contributions to the Cielo Azul Fund will be processed by The Simple Way, which also means that we are now able to accept secure on-line credit card donations designated for Cielo Azul through our blog at www.cieloazulfund.blogspot.com. The blog has updated instructions for donating online and by personal check.
We look forward to building a stronger, wider community of new friends who will join with us in our partnership with Ruth and Alex in their ministries of justice, hope, peace, and healing for El Salvador!
Ruth and Alex's commitment to faith-based community development, justice, peacemaking, and healing has been a cherished model and inspiration for The Simple Way and for Central Baptist Church for many years.
We are very excited about an opportunity to deepen this connection between these people whose ministries are rooted in service and accompaniment of the poor and marginalized.
With this transition, the former "Orantes Fund" has been renamed. Now we are the "Cielo Azul Fund" and this mission will be guided by an advisory committee from The Simple Way, El Salvador Partners of CBC, and Iglesia Bautista Shekina.
The Cielo Azul Fund is also now featured on the TSW website as one of their global projects! Find us under the "friends and partners" section of their website at www.thesimpleway.org.
All contributions to the Cielo Azul Fund will be processed by The Simple Way, which also means that we are now able to accept secure on-line credit card donations designated for Cielo Azul through our blog at www.cieloazulfund.blogspot.com. The blog has updated instructions for donating online and by personal check.
We look forward to building a stronger, wider community of new friends who will join with us in our partnership with Ruth and Alex in their ministries of justice, hope, peace, and healing for El Salvador!
Shekina Christmas project aids sister church damaged by Hurricane Ida
Our Sister Church - Iglesia Bautista Discipulos de Cristo - in the outskirts of San Martin suffered dangerous and tremendous damage in the night of Nov. 7/8th 2009 because of Hurricane Ida. There were 2 dead in the congregation. Members of the church lost all fields of beans and corn, which went down into the valley, 300m deep. The church terrace was damaged as well, and they will have to move before the rainy season 2010 (May).
On December 22nd, the Shekina Solidarity Committee (comite de solidaridad) delivered a much appreciated Christmas present of food baskets to 38 families at Iglesia Bautista Discipulos de Cristo. We got to know each other better and celebrated an improvised thanksgiving church service with the pastor.
(Thank you to Bernhard for this update and David Chacon for photos)
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