Each summer for the last six years a group of parishioners has read a book or two in the summer and gathered on Sunday evenings to discuss it. This summer the group had 12 readers, and we read two books. The first, Disrupting Homelessness: Alternative Christian Approaches, by Laura Stivers, discussed homelessness in America and its causes. We chose this book in part to better understand what our new neighbors in Grace House had faced in their lives.
The group felt it was important to share the new understandings we acquired. We drew up a resolution to be presented to the diocesan convention (which meets this Friday and Saturday). The convention will vote on our resolution. Part of the resolution also suggests that the Diocese of Bethlehem create a resolution to send to General Convention of the national church, which meets every three years, and meets next in 2012.
Here is the resolution. Since we wrote it, other local friends have added their support.
To Establish a Plan of Action:
Relief for the Homeless and Poor in Our Society
Whereas the current increase in suffering of homeless people in our society has been largely ignored during our economic downturn and housing crisis, as almost 700,000 of our citizens are known to be homeless (with four in ten living on the street);
Whereas the greatest increases in recent years in homelessness are among people who have become unemployed (including veterans returning from our wars) and among those who formerly lived in homes now in foreclosure;
Whereas 250,000 persons living in families are homeless;
Whereas, contrary to misconceptions, blame and stereotypes, the root causes of homelessness are lack of affordable housing and poverty;
Whereas in response to our economic downturn and jobs crisis, budgetary reductions at the state, federal, and local levels have had direct and devastating effects upon our parishes' work with the poor - upon shelters for the homeless; upon soup kitchens, upon food banks, upon employment counseling programs, upon legal services programs;
Whereas a large part of Jesus' ministry consisted of the prophetic task of confronting and denouncing not merely the distinct sinful actions of individuals, but a host of systemic, structural evils (e.g., the transformation of the temple into "a den of thieves") that degrade human life and impede the coming of God's reign;
Be it Resolved, therefore, That parishes throughout the Diocese of Bethlehem will form prayer-and study-groups to meet regularly for an extended period in order to discern what is the Church's call to the homeless and the poor in this present era; to discover how our faith in the coming reign of God may be sustained and strengthened in these profoundly difficult days; to devise methods for challenging and changing systems that now severely limit our society's potential for achieving a just distribution of the necessary means of life; to examine government policies that either contribute to or reduce unemployment; to plan actions for relief of the most vulnerable among us; to raise the quality and dignity of life for the poor and the homeless; and to restore compassion to our public and private discourse.
Be it further Resolved, That this convention will create a resolution for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2012 which will commend the same practices to the parishes and Dioceses of the National Church.
Presented by the following:
Members of Grace Church, Allentown, Summer Reading Group, 2011:
Addison Bross, Mary Louise Bross, Kelly Cannon, Kelly Denton-Borhaug, Gunnar Denton-Borhaug, Bob House, Libby House, Lori Molloy, Jean Moody, Jack Moody, the Rev. Beth Reed, Jeff Reed, and Joan Roy. Additional support for the resolution comes from the Rev. T. Scott Allen and the vestry members of St. Andrews Church in Allentown and the clergy and vestry members of Trinity Church in Bethlehem.
