CONGREGATION + COMMUNITY NEWS
PEOPLES PRESS
Joyfully Defiant for the Sake of a Just World
a congregation of the United Church of Christ, the Alliance of Baptists & the American Baptist Churches
INTERIM’S INSIGHTS
“Then the Samaritan put the wounded person on a donkey, went straight to an inn and there took care of the injured one. The next day, the Samaritan took out two silver pieces and gave them to the innkeeper with the request, ‘Look after this person, and if there is any further expense, I’ll repay you on the way back.’” (Luke 10:34-35, The Inclusive Bible)
People of faith have always had a sense of compassion for those who fall on hard times, or who suffer injury or loss. We understand the principle of being generous with what we have, whether it be material aid or financial contributions toward relief and recovery from disasters. I have been around long enough to remember collecting blankets (through Church World Service) to send to refugees; coats and boots for kids at the local children’s home; and Trick or Treating for UNICEF (United Nations). There were stories that were told of farmers who went from door to door collecting grain from other farmers to ship to war-torn Europe (CROP) and even putting hogs and cattle on airplanes to send to Japan and SE Asia after a devastating natural disaster. When our hearts ache for victims of war and natural disasters, we do what we can with whatever we have available.
You might notice that some of these efforts have been abandoned. We no longer ship blankets to refugees or collect grain for people who are starving. It’s not that we no longer care, it’s that shipping material aid is expensive and impractical. Not only that, but we have learned from experience that providing these things from a great distance actually impedes the recovery process. The recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey provide a good example. All disasters, like an earthquake, have an epicenter. In the center of the disaster, there may be little or nothing left – no food, no fuel, no shelter, no sanitation. Everything has to be brought in. As you move away from the center, you will begin to find resources. Those resources can easily be brought in for the rescue and relief efforts. Of course there are exceptions, like search and rescue teams with trained dogs that often have to be flown in from other countries. Not only is it more efficient to tap local resources, it also provides an infusion of “sales” that boosts the local economy, helping victims to find work and begin to provide for themselves. We have learned that the economy has to recover alongside the community itself.
This is why you often find relief and recovery agencies asking for donations of cash instead of material aid. You may also hear messages discouraging people from getting into their cars and driving to the area to “help.” Unless you are completely self-sufficient, you will be a burden to relief operations that are already overtaxed. We also hear this from hunger agencies and food pantries. They have the connections to accomplish more with our cash than we can by going to the store to buy food to donate.
All this is to say that the face of disaster response has changed. It may seem cold and uncaring to send cash, but if we are concerned to do as much good as we can, cash is the better option. It can be used to acquire whatever is needed instead of us trying to figure out what we should send. As aid agencies evaluated the response to hurricane Andrew in Florida, they discovered that one of their greatest expenses was the cost of disposing of donate items that were not needed – a whole truckload of coats from churches in New England, a semi load of rotten potatoes from Idaho – which all had to be discarded. Our giving should not be the stuff we have to spare, it should be what the people at ground zero need.
The ending of the story of the Good Samaritan is instructive: the Samaritan is able to render immediate aid from his own possessions and abilities: the donkey and his knowledge of “first aid”. Then he pulls out some cash. He knows that others are going to have to take over, and that there will be needs he cannot anticipate. We will be collecting soon for One Great Hour of Sharing. The annual offering which both the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Church support. Because we sustain this offering, funds were immediately available to send to Syria and Turkey for rescue, relief and recovery. (one of the benefits of having denominational connections!) We should always be ready to render aid when it is needed, out of our material possessions, AND out of our funds. May we make a practice of being compassionate and generous. Amen.
Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor
Amazon is one of the most trusted corporations in America, but it stands against everything the green economy should be! *
I have to admit it is very easy for me to quit Amazon. I remember when I first began to hate Amazon when we were living in Jackson, Michigan. All the bookstores – 4 or 5 – closed thanks to Amazon. Since then, I ordered black carafes for coffee hour for Woodside Church before we left Court Street and a pair of brown mule shoes. That is about it.
I know Amazon is extremely convenient. You can accomplish in a few clicks what it might take hours or weeks to find elsewhere. But its convenience comes at a high cost. Amazon workers continue to struggle, as does the planet, while the company continues to enrich CEO Jeff Bezos, already the richest man in the world. It is estimated that about $1 out of every $2 spent on the internet is spent on Amazon.
Since I am writing this representing our Creation Justice Team, I won’t talk about the fact that Amazon seemingly undermines workers’ safety and well-being at every opportunity. This is true in the U.S, China, and Bangladesh that I have read about. Also I won’t talk about Amazon being a monopoly because of the way it eliminates competitors and dictates prices.
I will talk about Amazon Web Services which makes up a large portion of the energy Amazon uses, and it uses a lot throughout its supply chain. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions is also much higher than the other top cloud computing companies – Microsoft and Google. Amazon announced after much prodding that it would reach 100% renewable energy by 2030. Apple and Google already reached 100% renewable energy as of 2014 and 2017 respectively.
In addition to all the packaging (boxes within boxes, air pillows, bubble wrap, and excessive paper padding), and all the gas to do all the deliveries there is the issue of returns. Sometimes processing returns is too costly – so retailers may opt to trash those returns instead. Return logistics company, Optoro, reported that five billion pounds of returned items end up in landfills every year. Amazon makes a practice of incinerating its unsold merchandise as well, according to an undercover reporter in the UK.
Amazon needs us more than we need it, and that gives us great power. There is a movement pushing back against Amazon. You can take action to rein in Amazon’s greed at AthenaForAll.com. We can make progress pushing corporations, but only when we act together. Other helpful websites are GreenAmerica.org and CancelPrime.com.
*taken from an article by Eleanor Greene in Green America magazine Spring 2020 Issue 117 p.17.
Leslie Cummings, for the Creation Justice Team
Good Things Happening in and around us
Kindred in Christ –
We have been notified of the death of Diane Thompson’s sister-in-law. Arrangements are pending. Please keep Diane’s family in your prayers. The support of a community of faith is one of the strongest antidotes to the pain of grief. Pastor Dave
OSA is asking for your assistance… This coming spring, hopefully as soon as the month of April. OSA will be opening the café area for Coffee & Tea Time. On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the café area will be open in the effort to promote community hospitality. We plan to offer light refreshments and conversation. To actively take part in our role as members of the community around us. But we need you Peoples People. Located on the Greeter’s Desk you’ll find a sign-up sheet and calendar. Please consider on which day and at what time you’ll be available to engage with our neighbors. For more details please see Jay Cummings or Kendall Brown.
Make Sure that You Are in the Loop!!!
If you are missing some of the alerts and notifications that go out from the Peoples Church office, it may be that they are being diverted into your spam file. One thing you can do to ensure that this doesn’t happen is to add peopleschurchofflint.org to your list of approved senders. That way, anything that comes to you from our “domain” will be more likely to get through.
Thursday night book group
Every Thursday from 7 – 8:30pm.
the Thursday Night Book Group is currently reading Native American Myths & Legends. If you need to purchase the book please click HERE to be taken to the Amazon site.
Join us by clicking the adjacent link: Book Group Zoom Link:
Upcoming Affiliate & Community Activities
IN THE CONGREGATION
Links are on the church calendar. Need more info? Just ask!
Links are on the church calendar: t.ly/ALHB. Need more info? Just ask!
Adult Forum, meets at 9:30 am on Sundays, We’re currently reading, Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis. Join us either in person at church or via Zoom .
Vigil for Racial Justice is still gathering 1-2 pm Thursdays on the Genesee Courthouse lawn.
New Text Alert System. We have shifted to a new text messaging service. If you're in our church directory, you're all set. If you're not, go here to sign up!