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Greetings!
Do you believe in spiritual warfare?
Last week I asked that question of a minister at a well-known progressive New York City church and he said "Yes."
 It's been a long time since I've talked about spiritual warfare - not because I don't believe in it, but because it's been a while since it's felt so obvious. This past month at New York Faith & Justice we experienced true triumphs and deep battle-wounds.
Battle Wounds
One leader suffered major health complications in her family. Another leader had her Harlem apartment broken into at 6am by a SWAT team on a drug raid. They pulled her and her apartment-mates out of bed at gun-point, threw them to the floor and hand-cuffed them behind the back. After searching the whole building and finding nothing they left with warnings that the women should leave the neighborhood. Meanwhile, NYFJ is struggling to survive from month to month. Pending grant funds have not come through yet and donations have slowed to a trickle. If things don't change quickly, we will need to cut staff - possibly all staff.
These have been especially hard times when we consider the triumphs of recent days.
Triumphs
On March 12th, The Conversations for Change Pilot - Action Forum wrapped up five weeks of facilitated small group discussions between 15 South Bronx NYPD officers, detectives, and sergeants and approx. 30 community leaders. Participants were amazed by how much they had been changed by each other and by the experience. The process of learning from "the other's point of view" offered deeper understanding of the challenges facing participants' communities and has led to shared action. Participants formed two Action Groups to expand the Conversations to reach every South Bronx precinct within the next year.
One woman hugged me as we closed. With tears in her eyes, she said, "This is an answer to many years of prayers... Thank you." As an officer left the building he wept when he realized he didn't want the Conversations to end. Click here to see pictures of the Action Forum.
 Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice working groups took major steps forward in the past few weeks. The Food Justice Working Group has focused in on a few very real opportunities to partner with the city and the community to bring more healthy food above 125th street. The Climate Justice Working Group has launched its mapping project and is in the process of interviewing Harlem faith leaders to determine the parameters and process of the project.
Skilled Artists are gathering this Saturday 11am - 4pm at All Angels Church for our first ever Artists Retreat. Tracy Howe (Singer/Songwriter and NYFJ Artist in Residence), Lea Fulton (dancer/singer/songwriter) and I will lead artists through an exploration of the links between art, faith, community, and justice. (Contact Lea Fulton to RSVP)
Finally, over the past month our work has been acknowledged and honored by Harlem's Sisters Of Wisdom, Sojourners, and Rick Warren's new website PurposeDriven.com. Yesterday, I received an invitation to speak on Shalom in Croatia this summer for students from all over the Balkans and Southeastern Europe.
I started thinking about spiritual battles about two weeks ago when most of the battle wounds listed above came in the course of one 24 hour period. When things were at their lowest point I remembered something a mentor told me once, "When you're under attack, take it as a complement. It means you're doing something right."
At our NYFJ Leaders meeting last Friday, we spent the entire time in prayer.
Now, we ask you to please pray for us.
Pray for:
- Our leaders' families, saftey, and resolve to continue the journey toward justice.
- God to provide for the financial need. We need to raise $7500/month in fiscal partnership through September 09 to make it through this fiscal year.
- God to provide full funding for all needed staff positions.
- God to continue to fan the flames of partnership for justice in the Conversations for Change and the Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice.
Thank you for your continued partnership with New York Faith & Justice
Shalom!
Lisa Sharon Harper
Co-Founder and Executive Director
NY Faith & Justice
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The Mobilization to End Poverty!
 April 26 - 29, 2009
Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Just two and a half years ago the founders of NY
Faith & Justice met each other in the office of Congressman Charles Rangel.
This divine appointment took place during the Lobby Day activities of
Sojourners/Call to Renewal's Pentecost 2006 Conference. This year, we want you to join us us as we travel to our nation's capitol for the Mobilization to End Poverty.
From April 26-29 we will add our voices to thousands of Christians declaring "Yes we can... end poverty!"
World Vision, Ox Fam, The One Campaign, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and other organizations have banded together this year to call our new President and new congress to seize the moment and "Make Poverty History". President Obama has been invited to speak and we will celebrate as our own Lisa
Sharon Harper will receive Sojourners' first annual Organizer's Award alongside
Rachel Anderson, founder and director of the Boston Faith and Justice Network.
The first 25 to register through NYFJ will get a severely reduced rate. General registration through Sojourners is now $299 (not including housing and travel). NYFJ Group registrations are only $200 TOTAL (including housing and travel)!
Please Register by contacting Matt Dunbar @ mdunbar@nyfaithjustice.org or (212) 870-2219
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Worship | Arts | Deep | Community| Justice
| In Motion
Liberal and Conservative
Black, White, Latino, Asian, First Nations
Republican and Democrat
Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten IslandHigh Liturgy and Deep Imagination
Rich, poor, and shrinking middle class
Come.
Stand together
On one Bridge
Learn about the issues facing our city
Hear the Stories
Feel the Holy Spirit press through
Be surprised
by God
Modern Day Slavery
... on The Bridge
THIS Friday, March 20, 2009
7-9pm
@ All Angels Church
255 West 80th Street
(between Broadway and West End)
New York, N.Y.
10024
map it
In our world, in these days, slavery comes in all forms; emotional, mental, and physical, domestic slavery, child soldiers, sex slavery, and sweat-shop labor. Come. Join artists from across the city in a night of worship, liturgy, and prayer through movement, spoken-word, visual art, and song. Our worship will lead to prayer for "the least" ... on The Bridge.
Worship led by Tracy Howe (NY Faith & Justice, Artist in Residence)
No RSVP required.
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House Gatherings
Food
Fellowship
and
Prayers for
Justice
Harlem
SATURDAY, March 28, 6-8pm
@ The Bruderhof - Harlem House
226 West 138th Street
(Btwn 7th and 8th Aves.)
map it
Brooklyn
SATURDAY, April 7th 1-3pm
@ Radical Living - Hart House
32 Hart Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206
map it
To start a House Gathering in your neighborhood or church, please contact Onleilove Alston @ dovepsu@yahoo.com.
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Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice
 Save the Date!
Second Quarterly Breakfast of 2009
Thursday,
May 14, 2009
Breakfast @
8:30
am
Program @ 9am
sharp
The
InterchurchCenter
475
Riverside Drive
New
York,
NY10115
(Corner of Claremont and 120th, enter
on Claremont)map it
Faith
Leaders for Environmental Justice is a
diverse array of faith leaders committed to making deep impact on issues of
environmental justice in New York
City through
coordinated collective action.
Please RSVP to Matt Dunbar @ mdunbar@nyfaithjustice.org or call him @ 212.870.2219. |
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