Have You Heard? Love Knows No Borders

Kids on bikes, people walking to jobs they aren’t getting paid for during the government shutdown, clergy walking, praying, and singing on a beautiful day in Washington, DC, on Capitol Hill. All the while, police guards stand watch with rifles and guns, ready for battle…our tax dollars at work. Overall, guards and police officers did not harass the Conference Ministers until we wanted to pour out the vessels of our shared tears (of water) on the stairs of the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and the Capitol. Those tears weren’t poured out; however, they were carried in the hands of Conference Ministers, your tears, my tears, and tears of many were left on the stairs with love, prayers, and hope for change.

During the Litany of Tears at our Closing worship on the grass in front of our United Church of Christ, DC National Ministries. I offered tears for Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon, Rev. Dr. Deb Lee, and Rev. Jorge Bautista who were directly impacted by the physical assault by the National Guard during the peaceful protest in Alameda. For our sisters, as the witnesses to the pain and suffering of our beloved brother Jorge, who was shot in the face with a canister of pepper spray fired at close range from an assault rifle in his face.

Twenty of thirty-six Conference Ministers of the United Church gathered at our United Church of Christ Washington DC Ministries Offices in the shared space in the United Methodist Building. We engaged in worship, fellowship. Training Love in the Public Square-faithful advocacy and intersections. Love Knows No Borders-Immigration & Refugee Panel. Love in Action training. What happens next: Taking it Home-Vigil preparations, safety precautions, media/social media, and strategies. A Capitol Tour, Supreme Court Museum, and Capitol Hill Train Station. At the Praying, singing, sharing words of encouragement, hope, and even tears on Capitol Hill with my colleagues, Conference Ministers, before meeting with congressional leaders, was more than just a moment for me. It was a movement. It was Jesus!

As your Bishop/Conference Minister, I ask of you, I charge you, I commission you…to go forth and be disciples of Christ Jesus in this mad, bad, sad world. Love one another! Pray for one another. Speak love, NOT gossip and hatred over one another! Create food baskets for families wondering where their next meal will come from, and not just for them, but for their children and grandchildren.

Write letters and speak against power, privilege, and injustice to those making changes, where today many are wondering how they will pay their bills as they work for free. How will their loved ones, parents, grandparents, and the elders in their communities, families, and local churches have their daily medications to survive and be healthy, as a pastor, minister, conference leader, advocate of justice, and youth and young adult leader? Be the voice for those who have been silenced because of who they are, how they present, their sexuality, the color of their skin, silenced due to Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence, the unhoused, and support your frontliners who take to the streets to prompt change.

Pastor, Rev. Jorge Bautista, is still recovering physically, mentally, and spiritually from the brutal and intentional attack. Please continue to pray for him. He is filled with gratitude for the love offerings sent to support him and his local church, the gift cards and food he received from throughout our NCNCUCC Conference and the many conferences and National Ministries of the United Church of Christ. Thank you.

LOVE KNOWS NO BORDERS

Check your District Congress person, and if they are not supporting this Act:

No BAN Act (S.398, H.R. 924) – (National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act) would reform the authority of the President to suspend or restrict the entry of immigrants into the U.S. if deemed “detrimental” to national interests. The bill would guarantee that any President cannot arbitrarily suspend refugee admissions based on national origin or religion.

VISIBLE Act (S.2212, H.R.4667)- (Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement Act) would require immigration enforcement officers in public-facing operations (including ICE) to display clearly visible identification (agency name or acronym + name or badge number) that is unobscured by tactical gear. It would also prohibit non-medical face coverings (such as masks or balaclavas) that hide an officer’s identity during public immigration enforcement actions, with exceptions for environmental hazard, covert operations, or officer safety.

Protecting Sensitive Locations Act (S.455, H.R. 1061)- The legislation seeks to amend Section 287 of the immigration and Nationality Act to limit immigration enforcement actions at or within 1,000 feet of “sensitive locations”, including houses of worship.

Equality Act (H.R. 15, S.1503) – The Equality Act would amend federal anti-discrimination laws to explicitly add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics.

Lyrics to “We Still Believe” by Dr. Patrisha Gill. Licensed by CCLI. Email Dr. Gill for music score and audio file.