Updates from Alex in Santa Ana

We send greetings to all in CBC and the Simple Way. As always we are fighting here, hoping that we can see new realities as good news for the poor of our country.

For next year, students in public schools receive uniforms and school supplies, shoes, food and milk from the government . This will reactivate the small tailoring shops, clothing makers, and shoemakers. And this will also benefit small businesses that sell school supplies. It seems to be an excellent sign, but we will see how it turns out in practice. People are happy, full of hope by this news which is already pushing preparation processes within each school.

However, the right of the country is trying to overturn this reality as they have always done . They are telling people that this program will start to turn El Salvador into another Cuba, because people will have to stand in line to receive these packages. But for a long time and even now, people have had to line up outside under the hot sun to pay their utility bills for electricity and telephone.

Well, on 02 November, there will be an ecumenical political activity in Santa Ana in memory of all fallen in a time of war. This will be in St. Elizabeth Cemetery, a place where, in 2010, we will build a monument to honor our fallen martyrs in the struggle.

Alex Orantes / Santa Ana / September 30, 2009

"Old Friends and Guerrillas" program at Brandywine Peace Community

Old Friends & Guerrillas: Will El Salvador Turn in a New Direction?

Talk and photo show with Tom Paine Cronin, long-time Labor Leader in Philadelphia and President emeritus of AFSCME DC 47, and John Grant, Veterans for Peace, photojournalist and film maker, who were in El Salvador for the historic elections in June.

Sunday, September 13, 4:30p.m.
Brandywine Peace Community Monthly Potluck Supper*/Program
(*bring main dish, salad, or dessert to share)

Gathering will be held at University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA

For more information, visit www.brandywinepeace.com

Updates from Shekina

We recently received a number of updates from Ruth about a variety of current projects and upcoming plans at Shekina.

Shekina hosted a delegation from FBC Madison (IN)in early August, and there are plans for a medical delegation from Oregon in November. The congregation offered prayers for Tessa and the youth group said their farewells as Tessa prepared to return (reluctantly!) to the US and to Central Baptist following her 3 month school exchange and homestay with the Baides family from Shekina.

Work continues to progress on the land adjacent to the church where the Community Center will be constructed. They have recently rented a bulldozer to prepare the land for construction.




Ruth also sends another thank you to Central Baptist for providing funds to set up the mini clinic to offer first aid at Shekina and to buy the kitchen stove and equipment for preparing meals at the church.

Read below for more of Ruth's report in Spanish:

Espero que todo este bien con ustedes... Nosotros hemos tenido la semana pasada 12 hermanos y hermanas de la Madison First Baptist Church, Indiana. Ha sido una semana muy bonita. Trabajamos 2 dias en el terreno de la Iglesia; realizamos dos paseos y fueron a Atiquizaya todo el dia viernes... ah y el domingo estuvieron en nuestro culto y disfrutaron una tarde con las familias anfitrionas. Ellos eran 4 senoritas, 3 mujeres adultas y 5 hombres adultos.

Ya puede imaginarse lo cansada que estoy pero muy contenta de como va saliendo el trabajo de la Iglesia. Ahora solo nos quedan preparnos para la delegacion medica que viene en Noviembre de Oregon. Tambien para el mes de "Iglesia de Puertas Abiertas" y todas las actividades de la Iglesia de Navidad y Fin de ano.

En cuanto al Centro Comunitario... ya estamos queriendo comenzar a preparar la tierra para el edificio que sonamos.

Hoy fue el ultimo domingo de Tessa y oramos por ella. Pero el jueves tenemos una fiesta con cena en la Iglesia para despedirla. Y tiene invitaciones especiales a cenar toda la semana en casas de hermanos de la Iglesia.

Compramos el canape, el biombo y el botiquin de primeros auxilios + medicina para el espacio de la mini clinica. Tambien compramos la cocina para las actividades culinarias de a Iglesia. Bueno, esta semana la estrenamos con la delegacion de Madison. Asi que mil gracias por hacer esto posible.

Un abrazo en Cristo,
Ruth Rodriguez de Orantes

El Salvador Partners planning meeting

Please join us at 9:30am Thursday Aug 27 at CBC for a mission group meeting. Our agenda will include:

* reflections / reports by Tessa Bailey on her 3 months in El Salvador

* updates from Shekina, news from Ruth and Alex, etc.

* discussion about our hopes, visions, dreams, and opportunities for CBC's El Salvador relationships in the upcoming church year

* budget proposals for CBC's 2010 stewardship campaign, based on priorities we select from our list of hopes, visions, dreams

* planning calendar for the fall

Invitation to learn about immigration and the New Sanctuary Movement in Philadelphia

The New Sanctuary Movement
Congregations and Immigration: An Issue of Faith

A series of four discussions
9:30am to 10:30am on Sundays
Sept 13th, Sept 20th, Sept 27th, Oct 4th

Central Baptist Church / Wayne, PA

As part of a Central Baptist Church focus on immigration and advocacy for immigration reform, we begin our fall Adult Learning Community with a four session series organized by leaders of the Philadelphia New Sanctuary Movement. Through presentations, group discussions, videos, and conversations with special guests, we'll be looking at a variety of questions:

• Why is immigration a faith / moral issue?

• Who are the people who are immigrating to the U.S.?

• How do current U.S. immigration laws actually work?

• What would a better immigration policy look like?

• What is the potential for reforming immigration policy under the Obama administration?

• What is the current climate like for immigrants in PA, especially in the Philadelphia area?

• What local advocacy efforts are forming around immigration issues and policy reform?

• What is this “New” Sanctuary Movement all about?

Facilitators for this class will include the current co-leaders of the Philadelphia NSM -- Peter Pedemonti, one of the founders of Philadelphia NSM, lives and works at a Philadelphia Catholic Worker House; Jen Rock, who joined Peter in leadership of the Philadelphia NSM in 2009, works for Habitat for Humanity.

We hope to have several special guests share their personal stories, as well. Faheem is Pakistani, and he and his family were accompanied by Phildelphia NSM when he was detained by immigration and sent to the immigration detention center in York, PA. Eva, who is Mexican, has an equally powerful story to tell.

We are also inviting Mishkan Shalom, a progressive Jewish congregation in Philadelphia that was one of the 19 original Sanctuary congregations in Philadelphia in the 1980s, to talk with us about their decision to become the first congregation to officially affiliate with this New Sanctuary Movement.

Central Baptist Church is located in the center of Wayne, one block south of the train station, near the intersection of Route 30 (Lancaster Ave) and Wayne Avenue. Click here for a map and specific directions. We hope to see you in September!

About the Philadelphia New Sanctuary Movement

The Philadelphia New Sanctuary Movement (NSM) is an interfaith coalition of immigrants, congregations, and passionate individuals dedicated to taking a stand for immigrant rights by responding actively and publicly to the injustices faced by our immigrant brothers and sisters living in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia NSM working groups include outreach to faith communities, accompaniment of immigrant families, Know Your Rights workshops, education, fundraising, and Immigration Reform Campaign. We are affiliated with the national NSM which has groups working in metropolitan areas across the United States.

For more information about the Philadelphia NSM, contact Peter Pedemonti (646-226-0848) and Jen Rock (267-275-7810), or email nsmphiladelphia@gmail.com.

We expect to launch a website / blog for the Philadelphia NSM in the near future. To learn more about the national movement, see www.newsanctuarymovement.org.

We encourage you to learn more about the Philadelphia New Sanctuary Movement by attending our monthly coalition meetings. Join us for our gatherings at 7pm on the 2^nd Thursday of every month at Visitation BVM Catholic church at 300 E. Lehigh Ave. in Kensington. (Note that the August meeting is one week early, on Aug 6th.) All are welcome!

Upcoming dates and topics for Philadelphia NSM coalition meetings:

• August 6th at 7pm: Messaging Workshop: Help craft NSM's message and then learn to effectively deliver it! Please note that this is a week earlier than our usual 2nd Thursday schedule.

• September 10th at 7pm: Media Training: Learn the tools necessary to get media, talk to media, and successfully use media to get our message across.

Recent death of El Salvador activist Marcelo Rivera

Marcelo Rivera was a community leader from San Isidro, in the northern department of Cabañas. He had been an outspoken opponent of the mining industry's enviornmental destruction and human rights violations in El Salvador. He was kidnapped on June 18th, 2009, near the town of Ilobasco, Cabañas. On July 1st, his body was found inside a dry well. DNA tests were conducted and confirmed that the body belonged to Marcelo. His belongings were found in a nearby abandoned house in the middle of a corn field. According to the medical examiner, Marcelo was kept alive several days after his disappearance. His body showed signs of brutal torture typical of a death squad killing.

Here are links to full reports from the SHARE Foundation:

• First Victim of the Anti-Mining Struggle

• Anti-Mining Activist Disappears

While Jamie Moffett's film crew was in El Salvador in July for the "Return to El Salvador" documentary, they also had an opportunity to investigate this case. This short film takes a close look at the recent death of activist Marcelo Rivera, the current class-action lawsuit against El Salvadors government, and the connections between the two.

To sign a petition and send a personal message to the office of Arlen Specter demanding an investigation into this crime, click this link http://citizenspeak.org/node/1710



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvXm52BhSHQ

Documentary film will feature Ruth and Alex

Jamie Moffett, Philadelphia filmmaker and friend of the El Salvador Partners, is making great progress on "Return to El Salvador," his upcoming documentary. Jamie and his crew, including CBC members Ron and Betsy Morgan, will be traveling to El Salvador for another round of interviews and filming in July. Their plan is to meet up with Alex and Ruth, who will provide personal stories and commentary about the war and post-war context in El Salvador. Jamie's first visit to El Salvador for filming was in March 2009, when he and Julia Shields were part of the SHARE Election Observers with CBC's delegation.



Here's an excerpt from the Return to El Salvador Blog about the documentary project, where you can also find more information.

The atrocities of the Salvadoran civil war inspired many international human rights groups and faith communities to advocate for justice and peace in El Salvador. Two of the many Americans who became involved in the movement for peace are Dr. Betsy Morgan, a university professor who went on to write a documentary about Salvadoran refugees, and her husband, Ron Morgan, who has volunteered in relief efforts and election monitoring. The Morgans, along with many of their students and their church community (Central Baptist Church in Wayne, PA), have become outspoken advocates for peace and justice in El Salvador both during and after the civil war.

Jamie Moffett, this filmʼs director, was one of those students who heard the stories of El Salvador and was compelled to act. Moffett decided to make a film in which he would travel with Betsy and Ron to reconnect with their friends in El Salvador, and hear and document stories of what happened during the war and what life is like now. He and his crew are traveling to a place teeming with past and current struggle, both to share the stories of pain and suffering that have been kept silent for too long, but also to document the stories of hope. They are going with the desire to understand and communicate the aftermath of war.

Moffett believes that everyday Americans are unaware of the profound impact of their tax dollars and decisions of their elected representatives upon the lives of innocent people. He believes this precisely because, until recently, he himself was ignorant of the particulars of American involvement in El Salvador. He says, “There was just so much that I didn’t know until I started to research. Now that I know, I’m disappointed, upset, and I want to make sure that other Americans are given the opportunity to know the facts.”

With this film, Moffett goes beyond simply educating his fellow citizens on the facts of history. This project is a call to action, urging Americans to become involved in not only knowing the past, but in building a more just and peaceful future.

For more about the documentary and to pre-order a copy of the film, visit the website http://www.returntoelsalvador.com/.

Here's a brief trailer introducing the documentary.Return to El Salvador trailer on YouTube

Celebrations at Shekina - reports and photos

The past month has been a full and busy one for our friends at Shekina in Santa Ana. A special service on May 3rd marking the congregation's 17th anniversary was attended by representatives of many Baptist congregations. On June 7th, Shekina celebrated the completion of the walls and gates for Shekina's Christian Social Center by symbolically presenting a key to the property to one of the children of the congregation.

Bernhard, a member of Shekina, sends these photos and descriptions of the celebrations. For more images and videos, click on the links below.

17th Anniversary photos It was a family festivity: of the congregation, of the Baptist churches of El Salvador sending delegations from all over the country and of the international Shekina family with many messages (and donations!) from Holland, Sweden, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico as well as from different parts in the US.

Shekina's Christian Social Center photos The reason for these photos and videos (with sound!) is the international implication in this (regular) Shekina church service on Sunday at 9:00. We have friends in Sweden, Holland, Costa Rica, Switzerland and different parts of the United States, who dream with us of the Shekina Christian Social Center. June 7th 2009 was the end of the construction of the walls (necessary for security) and the entrance through a sliding door from the church. The youngsters (and their parents) mentioned already, that campments away are no more necessary as all can be done now on church grounds and helps to save costs... Before the turning over the key of the porton (gateway) there were acknowledgments to God indeed and also the different contributers CBC Wayne PA, Madison IND and Portland OR, our main sister churches (with their active contributions).

El Salvador Presidential Inauguration

Submitted by Doug Norton

Perhaps it is no coincidence that as red banners were flying in our Central Baptist Church worship commons this past Sunday for Pentecost, winds of change were blowing through the waves of red FMLN banners and shirts as throngs of Salvadorans celebrated the return of their government to the people.

In the first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another since the long civil war ended in 1992, Mauricio Funes of the FMLN was sworn in as president of El Salvador on June 1. Funes visited the grave of Archbishop Oscar Romero on the morning of his inauguration and invoked the memory of Romero as both his teacher and the spiritual guide of the nation in his inaugural address. He struck a note of contrast with the governments of the past decades, promising an administration that recognizes people because of their talents and honesty rather than their connections or their surname, saving special consideration for the poorest, the vulnerable, and the excluded. Funes held up “the strong examples” of U.S. President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva “as proof that progressive leaders, instead of being a threat, can be a new, safe alternative for their people.” Funes promised to renew and expand relations with the United States, with which “historically, we are bound by many ties, in particular by the presence of millions of our compatriots who live there, work there and build their dreams there.”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton attended the inauguration. Funes praised Clinton in his address as a “woman who honors America” and said in a joint news conference with Clinton after the ceremonies that the FMLN was ready to “turn the page” on its troubled past with the United States.

“We need to reinvent the country. We need to carry out a peaceful, democratic and ethical revolution; the change is starting today,” said Funes. A survey carried out by the University Institute of Public Opinion at the Central American University (UCA) in late May showed support of Funes by 82 percent of the Salvadoran people. This support was reflected in huge celebrations across the country on the days before and after the inauguration. This sense of strong support by the people was felt by the members of CBC who served as
election observers in San Salvador in March.