New Living Lutheran Post: The Mary Experience

The awkwardness of puberty is such a universally awkward experience that it is one of the first stories in the Bible. As they come of age, Adam and Eve’s self perception changes, they begin to rebel and Eve begins to experience the aches and pains that will soon give her the ability to have a child. If Adam and Eve’s story sets the stage, Cain, Abel, Rebekah, Isaac, Daniel, Esther, David, Michal and Solomon’s stories show some of the many ways teenagers explore, bend and shatter the lines between child and adulthood.

Yet, it is Mary’s story that most reminds me of the bravely awkward teenagers of today. Most scholars believe that Mary was a teen when she was told that she was pregnant, and some wonder (without resolution) if Luke’s description (1:35) of Mary being “overshadowed” is a code word for violence. While politics, science and faith may have different ideas about how Jesus was conceived, it remains a miraculous event that the Messiah is born to bring light to even the deepest, darkest shadows.

Read the rest at LivingLutheran.com

New Living Lutheran Post: For the Children of God

Two hours before the members of St. Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco prayed for their own daily bread, they fed 140 adults and 16 children a casserole, green beans, fruit and dessert. Each week, members and volunteers from the neighborhood sort through excess food donated by Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Some of the food is made into a meal, while the rest is shared with food programs hosted by other Lutheran groups or given away as pantry items.

“Keep eating, it’s the only meal we’re going to be able to have today,” a mother told her oldest of four children under 8 that early Sunday morning. The mother was right; food programs in San Francisco are closed on Sunday afternoons and evenings so the volunteers can go to church. There were no other options for free food that day.

Read the rest at Living Lutheran.

In The News: SF Examiner

Starving out needy is no way to deal with homelessness

By: SF Examiner Editorial | 02/25/13 7:13 PM
SF Examiner Editorial

 

There is a constant chorus of complaints about homelessness in San Francisco, but it has reached a fever pitch in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood that ridiculously includes calls to shutter a church meal program for the needy.

Homelessness is a complicated matter that is the manifestation of myriad root issues — the economy, the lack of mental health services, and drug and alcohol addiction, among others. The most visible fragment of the homeless population, though not nearly the entirety of it, is the street homeless — the men, women and children whom ordinary San Franciscans and those visiting The City see spending their days and nights in public spaces.

Merchants and neighbors around Duboce Park have apparently had enough of the homeless people who traverse the area and, seemingly, stay there on occasion. The anecdotal stories from the neighborhood point to an upswing in criminal behavior from transients, though police and officials who deliver city services have not quantified any such trends in the area.

Even if there has been an influx there, one of the ideas that merchants and residents have proposed is mind-boggling.

The St. Francis Lutheran Church serves meals to needy people every Sunday morning. One key word there is “needy,” not homeless. The church does not differentiate between those who have residences and need meal assistance and those who are homeless. Dr. Raj Parekh of the Department of Public Health’s Homeless Outreach Team told The San Francisco Examiner that many people who visit the church for assistance are not homeless; they simply need help with food for reasons that include poverty.

The neighbors and merchants have unfairly targeted the church’s meal program, saying it should be shut down to see if that drives homeless people out of the neighborhood. While the effects of such a callous proposal would be debatable at best, since many other factors likely play into where people sleep outdoors, the impact on the economically struggling patrons of the church is undeniable. People who, as Parekh pointed out, may have to make choices between such critical items as medicine and food could be forced to pay for food above other urgent needs.

If the neighbors and merchants are truly interested in helping the homeless, and not just pushing them out of the neighborhood into other parts of The City, there are better, more constructive solutions.

For instance, there could be a pooling of resources to fund a dedicated social worker for the area, who could work with the transient population to connect people with housing or mental health services. The groups also could work with The City to bring the successful Project Homeless Connect to Duboce Park to reach the same goal of connecting people with services.

In short, the neighbors and merchants who are vocal about this issue should stop demonizing the transients and a church that is providing a social service to the community. Instead, they can start working toward projects through which the neighborhood can assist The City in tackling the larger issues around homelessness.

Shuttering a meal service program and pushing transients out of one neighborhood might improve the situation for the immediate residents and merchants, but it does nothing to get at the root issues that lead to homelessness.

There is no simple solution to homelessness, but the idea of booting the church’s meal service is a nonstarter that will only do harm.

In the News: SF Examiner

Duboce neighbors think St. Francis Lutheran Church meal program is feeding homeless problem

By: Andrea Koskey | 02/24/13 7:19 PM

Anna Latino/Special to the S.F. Examiner

 

Duboce neighbors think St. Francis Lutheran Church meal program is feeding homeless problem

A church meal program has become the target of residents seeking to reduce the number of homeless people living in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood.

St. Francis Lutheran Church officials say that despite a recommendation introduced last week to suspend Sunday morning meal service for 90 days to see if it affects the area’s homeless population, they intend to keep feeding people.

“It’s not something in our ability to do as a faith community,” said Megan Rohrer, executive director of the Welcome Ministry, which partnered with the church on the meal program. “It’s a mandate for us to serve the poor, particularly during the Lent season.”

The recommendation, along with an increased police presence, was announced during a community meeting last week. The meeting — which included two dozen community members, city leaders, police personnel and elected officials — was the second gathering held to address the increasing number of homeless people in the neighborhood. Residents and businesses have said an increase in criminal activity has coincided with an increase in the homeless population. Such police data was unavailable as of press time.

David Villa-Lobos, director of the meeting’s host, the Community Leadership Alliance, said the church’s program can be improved.

“This is not a target on the church; we just think it can be run better,” he said.

Community members appear to be split on whether the meal program is the culprit. Some merchants said it could be attracting homeless people to the area, while residents of 14th and Belcher streets disagreed.

Pastor Pamela Griffith Pond said the church also deals with the trash and vandalism resulting from homeless people moving into the area.

“If people are acting out, we don’t let them in,” she said. “We want to be a good neighbor, but whatever problems others are having, it’s not related to feeding people at St. Francis.”

Griffith Pond said the church partnered with Rohrer to take the meal program to the next level, such as providing more organization, since the program had been run by volunteers for more than a decade. But the service, which feeds roughly 125 people, will not be discontinued, Griffith Pond said.

Dr. Raj Parekh, of the Department of Public Health’s Homeless Outreach Team, said meal programs help more than just the homeless.

“Many of these people aren’t homeless, but food is an issue,” he said. “They have to make choices between food, medications and clothing. I support the notion to have access to food; if a church wants to be a part of that solution, more power to them.”

And there are solutions, Parekh said. When there is criminal activity such as drug use or vandalism, residents and business owners are encouraged to contact police. But when a person is sleeping on a sidewalk and in obvious need of help, that’s when the Homeless Outreach Team comes in.

Parekh said he expects his team to begin focusing on the Duboce area in the coming months to address the growing homeless population.

In the News: SF Examiner

Increase in homelessness upsets Duboce merchants

By: Andrea Koskey | 01/30/13 7:51 PM

Mike Koozmin/The S.F. Examiner

Homeless people might be heading to the Duboce Triangle area after being pushed out of nearby gathering spaces in the Castro, according to one outreach specialist. 

 

 

Merchants in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood are concerned about what they say is an increase of homeless people in the area — enough to call for a meeting with police and elected officials.

Business owners say they worry that violence and theft are increasing in the area, too, due to the presence of people on the streets who are mentally ill or have substance-abuse problems.

“We’ve been scratching our heads trying to figure it out,” said Dennis Richards, president of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association. “There is additional activity at 14th, Market and Belcher. The question is what’s going on and why now? I wish I had the answers, then maybe we’d be able to curb the problems.”
Richards said the neighborhood association has held meetings with police and city leaders, but if a homeless person denies services, there’s not much that can be done. Since some business owners are not pleased with the progress, they are hosting a community meeting today and have invited police and elected officials, according to the Community Leadership Alliance, which will help host the meeting.

Diego Azevedo, owner of Cybelle’s Pizza on 14th Street at Church Street, said he was in court Jan. 23 dealing with a person who had stolen a prepared salad from the store.

“He was under the influence of something,” he said. “The same guy was doing it to other businesses too.”
Azevedo said he’s had his business in the area since 2007, but the increase in homeless people was noticeable after returning from a few months of vacation in November. 

“They’ve always been around, but there has definitely been more,” he said.  The owner of Golden Produce on Church Street said the population comes and goes.

One possible cause for the increase is the removal of benches in the nearby Castro district, said Megan Rohrer, executive director of Welcome Ministry, a faith-based homeless outreach organization. The ministry is partnering with St. Francis Lutheran Church, located on Church Street, to do outreach and offer services.
Rohrer said gathering places such as staircases in the Duboce neighborhood are a draw for the crowds.

“As The City concentrates on removing them from one area, it’s normal to see them migrate to another,” she said.

Richards said the empty storefronts, such as the one at the former sight of Home restaurant where Church, Market and 14th streets intersect, could be a contributing factor.
“Without the extra eyes on the street, they’re hanging out and congregating,” he said.

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In the News: Bay Area Reporter

Confabs to spotlight trans leaders

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Published 10/25/2012

compiled by Cynthia Laird

Two upcoming conferences in Berkeley are focused on transgender issues; one deals with religious leaders while the other looks at leadership in general.

First up is the Transgender Religious Leaders Summit, taking place November 1-3 at the Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Avenue. The conference is co-sponsored by PSR, the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry, and several seminary schools. Organizers noted that faith communities must be educated and inspired to embrace the inclusion and affirmation of transgender, queer, intersex, transsexual, and gender non-conforming members.

The summit begins with a welcome from Bernie Schlager, CLGS executive director, on Thursday, November 1 at 6 p.m. A catered dinner will then be held, followed by an evening worship service. The conference continues on Friday and Saturday with a variety of sessions, including workshops on religious movements and trans liturgy, the transgender Christ, and gender fluidity. Friday's keynote speaker is the Reverend Megan Rohrer, who will talk about faith leaders acting as bridges to communicate life-changing thoughts and actions.

There are also several partner events, including gatherings of gender non-conforming Jews and Muslims.
New Spirit Community church, which holds its services in the PSR chapel, will have a special transgender service Sunday, November 4 with Jakob Hero preaching. He is a former New Spirit intern and PSR graduate. The service begins at 11 a.m.

Full registration is $95, with a student rate of $60. One-day passes are also available for $55. For a complete schedule and more information, visit http://www.clgs.org/events/2012TransSummit.

One week later, November 9-11, the Transgender Law Center will hold its annual Transgender Leadership Summit on the UC Berkeley campus. The conference begins with welcoming remarks by TLC Executive Director Masen Davis Friday at 7 p.m.

The summit continues Saturday with a morning plenary and workshops, followed by an evening plenary session and celebration. More workshops are scheduled for Sunday morning ahead of closing remarks.
This will be TLC's seventh annual leadership conference and this year it will feature programs from members of the Transgender Advocacy Network, a national network of advocacy and educational organizations. Organizers said that a range of topics will be addressed, including legal issues, health care advocacy, and organizational development.

Registration is $50; limited income is $25. For more information, visit www.transgenderlawcenter.org.