New year, new possibilities

The physical act of turning to that first blank page of a brand new calendar is a reminder of all the space that lies before us in which we can imagine and create and bring about something new.  The dawning of 2012 brings with it exciting possibilities for folks in this community to come together and work for positive change.  In December, Francisco Lopez, the Director of Causa, a powerful immigrant rights organization in Oregon, came to CUMC with Barbara Ghio, a volunteer Causa lawyer with extensive experience in immigration law.  Not only did they provide valuable information to the 75-some adults who joined us that evening, but they inspired all of us to action, reminding us of the power each of us has to let our voices to be known and to shape policy that affects us and our families and communities. At the end of the lively evening, many participants expressed interest in participating in future gatherings, and they will soon have another opportunity to do so!  In February and March, CUMC will host a Causa-led popular education leadership class for Spanish-speakers in Cornelius.  Soon after the course is completed, the church will be the site for a naturalization workshop, where legal permanent residents who are eligible to apply for US citizenship can come and meet with volunteer lawyers who will help them fill out applications and begin the process.  I am very excited to be partnering with Causa and with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (who will provide the attorneys) as we organize and educate ourselves and empower leaders to advocate for our community in the halls of power.

Feasting

There are times for fasting and times for feasting, and Thanksgiving is certainly one of those feast days.  Several members of the CUMC church family and several members of our neighborhood family gathered for a meal that was abundant in flavor and in conversation.  I am deeply grateful that this family continues to grow. 

Conectando

In late November, Pastor Jorge Rodriguez came to our corner of Oregon from Wilder, Idaho with six leaders from the Wilder Hispanic Mission. It was the first step toward deeper connection and support between those around the conference who are working directly with Hispanic folks in our communities.  It was a whirlwind tour for Jorge's group, with stops at The Supper and the food pantry at CUMC, a Bible study at La Iglesia, the new UM fellowship in Portland, and the Beaverton Hispanic Resource Center at Beaverton 1st UMC. The Wilder folks also provided an incredible amount of help that day at the pantry on Saturday!  After 77 families were served (!) we enjoyed a delicious meal of pupusas and shared where we've seen God at work in our ministries and communities. It was wonderful to get to know one another better and offer support at what we hope is the first of many gatherings!

Jorge and Auggie are good buds:

Preparing to eat mole at The Supper.  There were nearly 30 of us that night!

Elidia, another one of Auggie's new friends:

Making new friends at The Supper:

Some of the last guests to be served at the food pantry:

Pupusas!!

Sharing about our ministries:

It is great to be connected!

Getting out there

At the beginning of September, I officially returned from maternity leave and began to intentionally reconnect with folks in the neighborhood and with those involved in Western Washington County Hispanic Ministries.  Thankfully, these ministries do not rely on my presence, and the Community Table Food Pantry, The Supper, and Creation Vacation all continued during our absence.  It was a joy to sit down with people and to ask them to share stories about how these have all been going over the past few months.  And although I shouldn't have been, I was a bit surprised at the leadership that some people demonstrated as they stepped forward and took on responsibilities that had previously been mine.  A neighbor of ours and long-time food pantry volunteer received all the calls for emergency food boxes from Spanish-speakers, and she did an excellent job at it!  Four women served as the "Dean Team Dream Team" and took on leadership responsibilities at Creation Vacation in addition to being Family Friends, and 16 families had a wonderful time at camp!  Two participants in The Supper, one an English-speaker and one a Spanish-speaker, led folks in discussion over dinner and even hosted several new people who had come from a local migrant camp.  It was hard to be away and wonderful to come back, now with my sweet Auggie strapped to me wherever I go!  I am learning now how to stick to the essentials and how to let go and trust the other capable people in service around me!

Creation Vacation 2011

The below narrative was written by Gracie Garcia, Program Director at Bienestar Housing Development Corporation and family coordinator for Western Washington County Creation Vacation.  For the past three years, she has participated in Creation Vacation family camp with Bienestar families, and this year, was joined by Family Friends (volunteers who accompany families) primarily from Cornelius, Hillsboro and Beaverton, but also from Troutdale and Seaside. 

JULY 2011 CREATION VACATION REPORT

What is Creation Vacation? Creation Vacation is a program of the United Methodist Church offering very low-income families the opportunity to experience a few days of family vacation, enjoying a supportive community and the wonder of creation. For many, it is a respite from the struggles of daily life. The United Methodist Church once again provided funding for Bienestar families. 

Camp Magruder is situated along one of the most pristine stretches of ocean and beach in the Pacific Northwest. The camp is located at the end of Old Pacific Highway just south of the small coastal community of Rockaway Beach, Oregon. The camp has been hosting camp & retreat programs for children, youth, adults and families since 1945.

    
Mira Conklin from the Cornelius church met with the families during the year, preparing them for the time they will spend at camp, followed up after camp through continued contact as friends.

Reverend Eric Conklin and his wife, Mira, from the Cornelius United Methodist Church, are long time community partners and graciously arranged the sponsorship of 15 Bienestar families this year (27 adults and 40 children).  This is the third year that our Bienestar families have had the opportunity to participate in the Creation Vacation program.  Our families came from Elm Park, Jose Echeverria, Willow Park, and Montebello, Sierra West, Sunset Gardens and Reedville apartments. For some of our families this was the first time they experienced this retreat. The church recruits volunteers who serve as “Family Friends” assigned to each Bienestar family to be sure they have a good time.  These cross cultural connections are continued in many cases during the year.

Our families enjoyed a three day retreat in comfortable accommodations in the camp's 16 lodges and rustic cabins and enjoyed nutritious and delicious home style buffet meals prepared on-site, including home-made breads and soups, fresh fruit and vegetables, vegetarian and vegan alternatives and wonderful hospitality in the Carrier Lodge. Families worked cooperatively agreeing to kitchen patrol duties such as setting tables, cleaning tables after meals, and washing dishes.  Families participated in a salsa making contest and everyone enjoyed tasting the different salsas.

They explored trails that meander through dunes, forest, and wetland areas between Smith Lake and the Pacific Ocean. Children and their parents enjoyed the big swing, basketball court, volleyball pit, tetherball, sports fields, playground, table tennis, and archery, kite flying at the beach, boating, swimming, canoeing, wave jumping and use of the campfire circle.  Arts and crafts activities included; a Family Friend (United Methodist church volunteer) taking family photos and families making picture frames. Moms and children also loved making paper tissue flowers, boys and dads learned to make paper airplanes.

          

One family said they were worried that the children would be bored without their IPods and video games but with all the activities that were offered they never once said they were bored or mentioned their video games.  This gave them the idea of planning activities at home and using the community resources.  This family time was positively memorable and the Bienestar families were very appreciative of the opportunity to enjoy this experience.

                                 

Respectfully Submitted,

Gracie Garcia and Staff

Ocupada

I haven't been blogging for the past few months because I've been occupied with this sweet guy:

It's a pretty good reason, I think.

In September, I'll be back to work at back to sharing stories here. Stay tuned!

Ministry with migrants

Several faith communities and non-profit organizations in Washington County form a coalition called PACTO, which is committed to standing in solidarity with those living in local migrant camps and working on farms and in vineyards. The groups take basic supplies like food staples, bedding, and cookware at the beginning of the summer, when workers are beginning to arrive for the season, but before consistent work has begun. Throughout the summer, the groups make regular visits to take food and supplies and visit with the camp residents, and sometimes lead fun activities or faith-based conversations with those interested.

I had the opportunity to go with the Hillsboro UMC Outreach Team a few weeks ago to the camp they have been sponsoring for several years. They've formed relationships with the family that lives there year-round and love catching up with them on their visits.

It was a gift to see first-hand how friendships can develop across income-level and language differences that so often divide us, and to witness how God can work when we walk together to provide for the needs of one another. Three different United Methodist congregations in Washington County are participating in this vibrant ministry. Let me know if you'd like to know more about how you can support or join in.

The joy of play

These two are such good buds, and it makes my heart happy.

When Gerardo, who goes by Geras, first came to the play area, he was so shy and seemed serious much of the time. But more recently, he has really opened up, and this past Thursday, he was all giggles and only stopped chatting long enough to eat some crackers. But then he had to tell me about how much he loves crackers. I love that he now feels so at home in this place and with the folks who are here.

Standing in solidarity with immigrants

On Sunday, the first day of May, and a beautiful day at that, thousands of folks gathered downtown Portland (and in Salem, and in communities all over the country) to march together and make a statement that we believe that all people have basic human rights. In particular, May Day is a time to point to the the contributions that workers and immigrants make to our world and to speak out against injustices.

I walked with a group for the Oregon New Sanctuary Movement, an interfaith coalition of folks standing in solidarity with immigrants and working to create welcome for all.



Among the thousands present, it was wonderful to run into friends working with other justice and advocacy organizations, a teacher at the school where I'm currently subbing, and several families who have been involved in Hispanic Ministries in Western Washington County.

Next weekend, I will travel with Oregon New Sanctuary folks to Tacoma, Washington for a Mothers Day Vigil at the regional immigration detention center there. We will be taking with us cards of support and encouragement made by members of local faith communities to people currently being detained. Here are a few pictures from the end of the last Community Table Food Pantry distribution day in Cornelius, where pantry guests and volunteers were invited to create simple cards that will be shared at our visit.

The visit will be a great time to be with other good people working in immigrant communities, but will also be an opportunity to take on some of the pain of those awaiting deportation and of the ones who love them. We cannot change their individual situations, but we can help them know that they are not alone and that we continue to work for change so that others do not experience their lives being torn apart by our broken immigration system.

Secure Communities Conversation

In has been confirmed that people in this community are concerned about cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration! Earlier this week, 45 people came to Cornelius United Methodist Church to hear a presentation from two gifted Portland Community College students, hear from a staff person from the immigrant rights coalition CAUSA, and engage in conversation about how we can tell our stories and make our voices heard to our local officials.

The focus for the conversation was Secure Communities, a name that should really be in quotes because it does not, in fact, make our communities more secure. This federal program allows ICE (Immigration Customs and Enforcement) to have full access to the fingerprints of any person who enters into a local jail's system, whether or not that person is convicted of a crime. The program encourages racial profiling, breaks down trust between community members and law enforcement, and increases fear among those who are simply seeking to live in provide for their families.

Many participants in this community forum expressed an interest in being part of the ongoing conversation by doing things like telling their own stories, spreading the word, or visiting our county sheriff. It was life-giving to be in a room with so many who are committed to fighting injustice and to truly making our community better. I am especially grateful for the two Hispanic women who continued to bring this up after an initial conversation a month ago at the indoor play area. As their children happily stacked blocks, they asked me how we could make a community conversation like this happen. They helped me design the event, they did an incredible amount of publicity, and one of them spearheaded the hospitality. They are my neighbors and my friends, and they are a gift to me and to this community.

Full house

Older kiddos were home for spring break last week, so we had many siblings join us for CUMC's weekly indoor play area. All together, fifteen children showed up with their parents!

So much going on!

Not only the little ones are proud of their tall towers (this one was taller than me--we checked!):

Chutes and Ladders!

A new toy gifted to us by a participating family:

What great fun!

Secure Communities conversation April 5th

Are you concerned about cooperation between local police and Immigration?

Want to know more?

Come to a

Community conversation

about

Secure Communities

a program that would mean more communication between our jails and ICE

(US Immigration and Customs Enforcement )

Tuesday, April 5th, 6:30 p.m.

Cornelius United Methodist Church, 1095 S. Beech.

For more info: call Mira at 503-828-7444

For more background on and concerns about Secure Communities, click here.

Sweetness

I got to be the informal interpreter for two 3-yr-olds who do not speak each other's language but who were sweetly inseparable at CUMC's indoor play area this morning.

"He's asking if you want to play soccer." She nods, enthusiastically.

"She's offering you one of her crackers. He says 'No, thank you.'"

The two also worked together to roll up a smallish rug and return it to the storage area together and it was hard to not laugh out loud as they tried to walk the rug horizontally, one at each end, through the doorway without realizing that one of them would need to enter the door first.

The moms of these two sweeties each shared how excited they had been that morning to come play. One turned down an offer to go to the Children's Museum (wow! that's one of his favorite places) and the other looked outside at the pouring rain, and back at her mom's doubtful face, then said she was packing her little purple backpack because they had to go to (what she calls) "la escuelita de Mira" (Mira's little school).

On top of all that goodness, some of the moms asked about the Secure Communities program (which would facilitate cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration) and then shared with me what it's like for them and for their family members to live her without documents. I feel incredibly honored that they would be so honest with me, and also feel that it was a blessing for us to share deeply and walk together on the journey, attempting to take on a little bit of the burdens of others. And one of those moms wants to help me organize a community gathering where we can learn more about Secure Communities and strategize about how we can respond together. A bitter-sweetness, but a sweetness none-the-less.

Happy Birthday, Community Table!

February marks the 2-year anniversary of the food pantry, and we have some astounding numbers to share. In 2010, we averaged 70 families per month and served 3100 people total with the helping hands of 30 volunteers who gave 180 volunteer hours each month. An amazing 36,000 pounds of food were shared in 2010! Since our beginnings two years ago, 580 different families have received food through our pantry and we have served 6020 people all together. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, in addition to normal food boxes, 110 holiday baskets have been gifted.

But these numbers are not just numbers! They represent real human faces and families, hard-working hands and hours of life given in selfless and joyful service. They reflect smiles and offers of hospitality, hearts affected by kindness, and new friendships forming because of read human connection. They count just a few of the little lights of Christ that are walking around this world. When we all gather in Hilson Hall on a third Saturday, or when backs bend to lift cans or fill boxes as others zoom around, hard at work, those little lights come together and create a larger blaze that warms us all. Let us give thanks for each belly that is fed, for each set of feet that is welcomed in, for each smiling or crying child, for each hand that reaches out to wave, to give, to receive, to hug, to lift in prayer. And let us give thanks to the One who created all of us and invites us to keep coming together. This pantry has been a gift and many thanks are given for your participation in it. May we have the energy and determination to keep seeking God and one another, to continue to ask, "What's next? How are you calling us to respond now?"

Snow day

Outside, it was frigid and quiet and snowy...

But inside, it was lively and toasty and the action was non-stop. Oh, and I finally learned how to use the church coffee maker, so everyone was happy!

We even had a couple of older siblings join us because school was canceled. Fun!

Reflecting on forgiveness at the Supper

Incredibly, Jesus, as he was dying, asked God to forgive those who were killing him. Are we really called to this kind of counter-cultural forgiveness? Are any sins unforgivable? What happens if we don't forgive? We came together Sunday evening to reflect on these question consider how to live as forgiven and forgiving people in our everyday lives.

Here, participants write messages (to share or not to share) to people they would like to forgive, and write confessions to God.

Our confessions were placed is this pan and burned as we affirmed to one another that yes, indeed, we have each been forgiven.

We watched the powerful clip below from The Mission, a movie I would highly recommend. It is the story of 18th century Jesuits who establish a mission in South America, of the slave trader who experiences transformation, and of the fate of the local indigenous community when the land where the mission is changes hands from Spain to Portugal. It is a devastating, provocative and beautiful story and one that says much with few words.

In this scene, a former mercenary (who had captured many indigenous people and sold them as slaves) has just left prison, where he had been sent for killing his own brother. He has been unwilling or unable to forgive himself for his many sins and has chosen his own penance.

After this scene, he joins the mission community, where he works and lives among the people. A powerful story of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Triple the fun!

Nine kiddos and eight parents came to the second week of the CUMC Indoor Play Area, but you wouldn't have to know the increase in numbers to experience the high level of energy. Nearly all the pictures I took that morning have at least one blurred figure, where a little one was scooting, hopping, or running by. What a gift to see these parents lovingly follow the lead of their children and playing with them and, for me, to get to stack and laugh and snack along with them.

The Indoor Play Area is open!

On our first day, three mamas and three kiddos showed up to play at the CUMC Indoor Play Area! The little ones were all shy at first, but they quickly felt at home as they bounced and giggled and stacked and pushed and crawled and snacked. We had a great time and I'm excited for next week! Come join us Thursdays between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. at the Cornelius United Methodist Church!

Javier was determined to make 100 shots, and he did it! And was sweating by the end!

Sharing the load

In the past few months, the coordinating team of the Community Table Food Pantry has worked to improve the organization of our volunteers so that all who want to can offer their gifts in a meaningful way and so that none are taking on too much. Every Wednesday evening is now a work day so weekly loads of food from the food bank can be sorted and put away. This past week, 12 folks showed up to haul, sort, and organize food, and to knock down and recycle boxes that can't be reused. I love the energy that this collaborative work creates and the friendships that are growing as we share this joyful load.

Coming soon...

This may just look like a pile of colorful boxes now, but soon, these blocks and tunnels will be assembled, and will come together with books and carpet remnants and bean bags to create Cornelius United Methodist church's new indoor play area. Inspired by Tillamook UMCs similar ministry, the free play area will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 on Thursdays starting February 10th, and will be a (warm and dry) place for infants and children not yet in school to come with their parents or caretakers to play together and for parents to connect with one another.

The play area board of directors is made up of neighborhood parents and committed church members.

I can't wait for these things to get out of their boxes and into all those little hands!