Episcopal Urban Caucus Marks 30th Anniversary

by Jeff Walton
http://www.theird.org/Page.aspx?pid=1394
March 3, 2010

(This is a three-part series of articles about the 2010 Episcopal Urban Caucus Assembly meeting in Chicago. The three articles can be read sequentially and form some of the best coverage of this event. VOL is grateful to IRD for sharing these articles with us. They reflect much of the ongoing controversy at the Episcopal Church Center about recent employee layoffs of union employees for non-union church contract and other events surrounding the theme of anti-violence.)

BACKGROUND

Concerned about decline in their churches and neighborhoods but hopeful about the future, a small but influential caucus of clergy and laity from urban Episcopal parishes met in Chicago February 24-27.

The Episcopal Urban Caucus (EUC), founded in 1980, commemorated its 30th year of advocacy in the denomination. Consisting of about 130 members, the caucus exercises an outsized pull in the church, promoting liberal politics and, occasionally, revisionist theology. The caucus has a long and successful record of submitting resolutions at General Convention, in partnership with the larger progressive umbrella group called the Consultation. In 2009, almost every political resolution introduced by the group was adopted.

Urban Struggles

Meeting under the theme "Anti-violence: Keeping our Kids Alive," the caucus focused much of its assembly on gun violence and the challenges of urban ministry. The Rev. Susan Russell of the Diocese of Los Angeles described the afflictions as "a multiplicity of interlocking oppressions."

In response to an invitation by Episcopal Network for Economic Justice Coordinator Martha Gardner, several caucus members took brief turns speaking to the assembly about how churches in the city were surviving.

Caucus members spoke of "too many dioceses" closing parish churches, with the Detroit-area Diocese of Michigan singled out for folding five congregations.

One young vicar shared her story of recently taking over the leadership of St. Luke's Church in Baltimore, a 900-seat church with 21 congregants. The vicar shared that the church was attempting to redevelop itself in order to serve the large number of children in the neighborhood.

The struggle to maintain buildings with large expenses was shared by several caucus members. One noted that "churches in the city learned to live without money long ago," by making ends meet through volunteers and donated supplies.

Another discussed involvement with the Living Stones Partnership, a group within the denomination that encourages the formation of volunteer-led ministry teams. The partnership originated in rural areas but now sees its mission needed in cities.

"The last thing we need to do is close churches in the city," the caucus member said.

Other caucus members noted efforts to combat racism and homelessness. Two caucus members highlighted efforts to minister to homosexual populations in urban areas.

EUC Coordinator Nell Braxton Gibson shared EUC's work with the Harvey Milk School in New York City, a public high school for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. Aside from the assembly itself, the largest portion of the caucus budget goes towards funding the Harvey Milk coordinator position.

Braxton Gibson met with the school principal in order to ascertain how Episcopal churches could assist students. Following budget cuts in the New York City public school system, administrators suggested an arts enrichment program. Braxton Gibson then reached out to three nearby Episcopal parishes who were able to offer volunteers to teach photography, music appreciation, and theater arts.

The EUC had to be vetted before a partnership could begin. According to Braxton Gibson, a large number of individuals in the New York area have expressed interest in volunteering at the Harvey Milk School, but the school exercises caution because motives for the interest in homosexual youth are not always clear.

Music appreciation classes were taught by Jeannine Otis, a member of the national church's Liturgy and Music Commission as well as Director of Music at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery. At the end of each semester, the acting and music classes have performances.

"One young woman got up and read poetry, and two others who are transgendered got up and did a poetry reading to rap music to what it's like to be a transgendered teen," Braxton Gibson recounted. "Just about everyone was in tears when they finished."

Themes of Justice

Many caucus workshops and activities were framed as justice issues: social justice, economic justice and ecological justice (including climate justice).

One workshop focused on environmental efforts was titled "Coming Home: Healing the Rift between Economics and Environment." Led by Michael Schut, Associate Program Officer for Economic & Environmental Affairs with the denomination's advocacy center, the workshop was conducted with Veronica Kyle of the Chicago-based Faith in Place ministry.

"We don't necessarily have sustainable practices or educate our congregants on these," Kyle said, describing a need for more environmental advocacy in churches. Kyle outlined nine steps for individuals to advancing environmental care within their parishes. She argued that much could be done on the grassroots level, but that there was also a need to get involved on the policy level.

"Having green tips in the bulletin is an act of worship," Kyle said.

Kyle suggested that the issue be phrased as about congregation and community care, "not polar bears and glaciers."

"If you focus on those, they will always be 'over there'," Kyle said.

Kyle also said that environmental sustainability requires sacrifice.

"If we're going to talk about eco-justice, we're going to have to talk about how we live."

"If we're going to reduce this [carbon emissions] by 80 percent by 2050, we've got to leave a legacy of environmental integrity," Kyle argued, referring to changes in how people eat, shower, and live overall.

"We are addicted to cheap," Kyle surmised, encouraging the purchase of organic foods over conventionally grown sources. "Every day is a struggle or choice."

The difficulty of always enacting environmentally friendly practices was humorously illustrated early in the workshop, as participants were served bottled water provided by hotel staff. Earlier in the year, the Consultation had supported the passage of resolution A045 at General Convention, discouraging the use of bottled water.

Outgoing Message

At the conclusion of the assembly, caucus members adopted four resolutions.

Resolution 2010-1 reaffirmed the caucus commitment to the participation and presence of youth, asking the board to allocate money for travel and registration costs of youth and young adult members. Throughout the conference, participants noted the event was heavily populated by retirees and had a smaller youth presence.

Resolution 2010-2 called for support of the Episcopal Services Corps, Resolution 2010-3 called for support of the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, and Resolution 2010-4 called for the reinstatement of union cleaning workers at the Episcopal Church Center.

At the conclusion of the assembly, EUC President John L. Rabb, suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, shared that the 2011 EUC assembly will be held in the reorganized Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, hosted by provisional Bishop Kenneth Price. Each year, according to Rabb, the EUC seeks to move the assembly to a different region of the country. The Pittsburgh assembly will be the first EUC assembly in the Northeast since the Newark assembly in 2005.

"We wanted to support these efforts of the diocese to reorganize," Rabb said, adding that EUC's board of directors is "anxious to support the work they are doing."

The Very Rev. George Werner, former President of the House of Deputies, has been named as the local site coordinator.

"They were very enthusiastic about having us," Rabb said.

*****

Episcopal Urban Caucus Criticizes Non-Union Church Contract

by Jeff Walton
http://www.theird.org/Page.aspx?pid=1391
March 2, 2010

A recent decision to hire a non-union housekeeping services contractor at the Episcopal Church Center in New York has led to charges of hypocrisy from an influential liberal caucus group within the denomination.

"I'm very disappointed in what has happened at our national headquarters," said Tim Yeager, a union attorney on the ordination track in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and a member of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship (EPF). "The reason for this change is to save money. We should not be creating more poverty in this world because we need to save a few bucks."

The Episcopal Church Center came under heavy criticism early this year after it did not renew a housekeeping services contract with a unionized company. After a new, non-union contractor was chosen, the existing crew of nine personnel was effectively dismissed, including an employee who had cleaned the church's headquarters for 42 years. According to Yeager, the minimum union contract was $21 an hour with healthcare coverage. The new contractor, Benjamin Enterprises, pays minimum wage and does not offer healthcare coverage to employees.

A church statement read aloud by Yeager referred to the contractor change as a normal business operation.

"When did the church of Christ become a normal business operation?" Yeager asked, declaring that "the people who have cleaned our building for 42 years are our brothers."

"We [the denomination] look really bad as a labor movement right now," Yeager said, noting that demonstrations had been held in front of the Church Center, with 100 protestors on February 4 alone.

Yeager, a union organizer, spoke at an EPF luncheon held during the Episcopal Urban Caucus' recent annual assembly in Chicago. The caucus is small but influential within the denomination, forming part of an umbrella organization of liberal groups known as the Consultation. The Consultation has enthusiastically supported a series of resolutions at successive General Conventions that are favorable to unions.

Yeager cheered labor unions as "the best anti-poverty program going," and devoted much of his hour-long address to the cleaning crew controversy.

"We have a history of supporting people's right to organize," Yeager said, noting the denomination's support of "single-payer" (government directed) healthcare and the Employee Free Choice Act, which would permit unions to be recognized without a secret ballot.

"We marched with workers at Disney, didn't we?" Yeager prompted the caucus members. Bishops and deputies at the 2009 Episcopal General Convention in Anaheim, California joined Disney hotel employees at a labor march.

"The charge of hypocrite sticks," Yeager assessed.

Yeager noted that he looked at a conservative Episcopal blog attached to the Stand Firm web site in order to gauge reaction to the story, prompting murmurs of disapproval from the audience and a cry of "honey no, don't go there."

"They're attacking us now because of this," Yeager said of conservative Episcopalians. "They're calling us hypocrites because we preach one thing and we do another."

The assembled crowd was vocal in its anger about the Church Center's decision.

"The last time I got this irate about something, it was the Archbishop of Canterbury unwilling to speak up for gay and lesbian people in Uganda but willing to have an opinion on my bishop suffragan election," said the Rev. Susan Russell of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

While Yeager was clear about his disappointment with the Church Center's decision, he praised the responsiveness of staff and was hopeful that the situation would be resolved. As a member of the Consultation steering committee, Yeager disclosed that the group was sending a letter to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Linda Watt, the Episcopal Church Chief Operating Officer, thanking them for the opportunity to meet and explaining that their intention was to discuss the matter.

"The people who have made these decisions have acted in a way that I think is wrong," Yeager said. "They're my brothers and sisters, too. They're probably not going to be very happy when they hear this is what we are talking about today. But friends, we need to talk about this."

Yeager's comments came as part of his larger address about there being no separation between people as a church and as workers.

"We as Christians ought to know better than anybody else what it means to be in solidarity with working people," Yeager said. "The person we call the son of God was a carpenter, a man who worked with his hands. The founders of the church were fishermen, they worked with their hands, when the incarnate word of God became flesh. What resulted was not a bank executive, or a prince, or a clergyman. It was a carpenter. When we look at the face of a worker, we ought to be able to see the face of Christ. When Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, when he was executed by the Roman authorities, they killed him with the tools of his own trade. They executed the carpenter from Nazareth by nailing him to a cross of wood. May we not be separate from our brothers and sisters."

Yeager indicated that even if the situation at the Church Center is successfully resolved, it may not be the end of controversy. In 2006 the Episcopal Church adopted a policy to hold future conventions in union-staffed hotels, when possible. Indianapolis, the 2012 General Convention site, does not have any major unionized hotels.

The union attorney noted that in these instances, the church must confirm that a living wage is being paid to employees.

A non-union Hyatt hotel has been selected for the General Convention.

*****

Urban Episcopalians Convene around Anti-Violence Theme

by Jeff Walton
http://www.theird.org/Page.aspx?pid=1395&frcrld=1
March 3, 2010

Concerned about gun violence and sharing stories of youth killed in their communities, an assembly of Episcopal laity and clergy gathered in Chicago last week. Meeting under the theme "Anti-Violence: Keeping our Kids Alive," the Episcopal Urban Caucus visited the south side of Chicago and heard from program officials in anti-gang and anti-gun programs.

The conference came a week before U.S. Supreme Court justices were scheduled to hear a challenge to Chicago's handgun ban. The legal challenge is being made by Chicago residents who say they need guns to protect themselves from armed thugs. Chicago police and prosecutors support the existing ban, saying it gives them a legal basis for confronting gang members and drug dealers.

Participants were originally scheduled to hear from controversial Roman Catholic clergyman Michael Pfleger, rector of St. Sabina's parish in the south side of Chicago. Due to miscommunication, Pfleger did not address the assembly, but instead was represented by Michael Byrd of S.O.S. Children's Village, a parishioner of St. Sabina's, and Maureen Bismark, Chair of the Peace and Justice Committee for the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

"[Pfleger] has broken almost every Roman Catholic rule there is," Bismark declared, recounting the killing of Pfleger's foster son in gang crossfire and Pfleger's controversial efforts in south side Chicago.

"Our children are failing to see an option of success," Byrd said, describing urban youth that were "living in the now, not for the future."

Byrd described an urban landscape plagued by images of drinking and smoking, "tearing at the fabric of your mentality as a young child." The St. Sabina's parishioner asserted that the community needed a church, not a child welfare agency.

"Our children are lost, our families are struggling, our urban communities are disillusioned," Byrd said. "The church needs you to go out into the community and be a presence."

Byrd said that faith changes a community, recounting successful community prayer campaigns to close a hotel known for prostitution and a car wash that was a front for drug sales. Byrd's program, S.O.S. Children's Village, was one of two sites that caucus members visited during the assembly. The Chicago branch of the program offers professional foster parents who live in a community of other foster and biological families. The program assists young mothers in becoming self-sufficient and also helps older teens transitioning out of foster care and into independent living.

Additionally, the Episcopal group visited the Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church in south side Chicago, home to a youth anti-violence program. The Rev. Dr. Leon D. Finney, Jr., spoke about his calling to minister to an economically depressed neighborhood.

Caucus members enthusiastically responded as Finney praised the Great Society policies of President Lyndon Johnson. The pastor recounted his early work as a community organizer on the staff of self-described radical Saul Alinsky's Industrial Areas Foundation, and more recently his work as Volunteer Field Organizer/Coordinator for then-Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign in Indiana.

Multiple workshops at the assembly addressed concerns about gun violence, with several speakers calling for what they termed "common sense" gun laws. Presentations were given by the Illinois Council to End Gun Violence and the group Cease Fire. Cease Fire seeks to reduce gun violence by deploying trained street violence interrupters and outreach staff. A panel of interrupters answered questions about street life and described their work on the streets of Chicago's Auburn-Gresham neighborhood, defusing hostile situations during peak hours of violent activity.

END