Bob Wohlsen, a member here at University Lutheran Chapel in Berkeley presented the following Statement of Conscience at the 2013 Sierra Pacific Synod in Fresno, CA:
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
“Twenty four years ago, a man walked onto a Stockton elementary school playground, adjacent to what was then Faith Lutheran Church, with an assault weapon and started shooting. In his wake, five children died, 31 were wounded and a scarred community was left to pick up the pieces.
This event was the impetus for California’s current gun laws, which are among the strictest in the Nation, the federal Assault Weapons Ban that has expired, and the ELCA Social Message on Community Violence.
Six months ago, a man walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown Connecticut, with an assault weapon and started shooting. In his wake, 20 students and 6 teachers died. [click to continue…]
On May 4, 2013 Andrew Stevens presented the following summary of “Issue of Conscience” at the Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly in Fresno:
Good morning. I want to share a story with you. I am part of the Lutheran
Campus Ministry at the University of California – Berkeley, which is a campus
ministry shared with the Episcopal students in that area. It’s a great ministry. At one
point, a member of a nearby Episcopal church visited one of our worship services
and asked if several students would come visit her home congregation and sing at a
service. So one Sunday morning about five or six of us piled into the chaplain’s car
and drove to St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Albany, CA.
The building was beautiful, and the service was lovely. We sang two songs
during worship, and after the service was over, many members of the congregation
spoke with us, thanking us for coming. While everybody commented on how nice
our singing was, every person I talked with said the same thing: how wonderful it
was to have young people in worship. I looked around, and sure enough, we were
probably the only people under 40 there that Sunday. We were probably the only
people under 40 there all month. [click to continue…]
by admin on April 22, 2013
On Sunday University Lutheran Chapel participated in the annual CROP Hunger Walk in Berkeley.
Our team had 6 walkers and we all successfully finished the 3 miles to help end hunger. (Zack walked for part of it, but finished the walk from the stroller.)
It was a beautiful day and there were so many walkers out for this great cause! Plus, we raised $775 (with a couple more donations possible)…and we expect that we will have a match from our endowment team. Thanks so much for your help!
by admin on March 6, 2013
A is for Activist is an ABC board book written and illustrated for the next generation of progressives: Families that want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and so on.
The rhymes are fun for the kids to hear and play with, but also meaningful for us grownups. It was important to me that the book be one that I too would enjoy reading over and over—not something I’d want to hide after day 3, even if my son loved it. The illustrations are also multi-layered. Your kid will find something they can learn to recognize on each page. There are new things to discover over multiple readings. There are references for grownups to “get”, and maybe even be a conversation starter down the line. Oh, and there’s always a cat.
Take a look at the “A is for Activist” website and get a copy of the book for the children in your life!
by admin on February 5, 2013
From Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, posted on JANUARY 30, 2013 by Jakada Imani and Rhina Ramos:
Remind me again: who lost the past election? Oh…yes, it was Mitt Romney, failing to recognize the contributions of millions of Americans, discarding 47% of the population as victims, and proposing that self-deportation was the cure for our broken immigration system.
“Self-deportation” is the notion that the U.S. government should make conditions for immigrants so harsh and painful that they would voluntarily leave the country. [click to continue…]
