Tag Archives: ELCA

Jun14

Choose Love! #Pride

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On Wednesday night, one of my youth presented me with this collage. (I share this with her permission.) She made this collage for a project she did in her “race and sexuality” session in her high school history class. (Thank you, Senn High School!)

This is really special to me for so many reasons. Earlier this spring this youth asked if she could interview me for this project. She genuinely wanted to learn more about my story and my experiences coming out about my bisexuality. She wanted to know what it is like to be bisexual, how it is important to me and my identity, how my bisexuality enables me to see and experience the world in new (and non-binary) ways, and what my fears, struggles, and joys have been of coming out as bisexual in this society today. She wanted to show me her support.

This was beautiful and incredibly powerful: not only because she genuinely wanted to better understand who I am and learn my story… but also because she (along with several of my high school youth and a few young adults) was one of the first people I came out to (besides my husband and a few family members and friends). I came out to these youth and young adults while spending a week with them at the ELCA Multicultural Youth Leadership Event and Youth Gathering in Houston last summer – only after they created such a safe space throughout the week for all of the youth (and adults) to be themselves. Throughout the week, they supported one another in their struggles, and not only accepted one another’s differences, but they celebrated them.

I am so blessed that these young people allow me to be in their lives and choose to be a part of mine. And I am incredibly proud of who they are!

This world is better because of them.

May we choose to follow their lead! May we choose love!

And to my LGBTQIA+ siblings who are not out for whatever reason: just know that you are wonderful. You are loved and beloved. You are valid. You are not alone. And there are people out there making this a safer place for us all. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💕🖤

#proudpastor #pride #chooselove

May20

Guest Post at RevGalBlogPals: “The Pastoral Is Political: Free Pastor Betty Rendón!”

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Today I am writing over at RevGalBlogPals:

“I was filled with anger and was absolutely horrified to hear about the abusive treatment that Pastor Betty and her family received when ICE arrested and detained them! I cannot even comprehend the amount of trauma this has and is causing the family, including Pastor Betty’s 5 year-old granddaughter. She needs her grandparents. Her mother needs her parents. Pastor Betty and Carlos need their daughter and grandchild.

Families belong together.

Just because something is our “law” does not make it right and just. Just because something is enforced by our legal system does not mean it should be. (All we need to do is look at our country’s history of enforcing laws that implemented genocide, slavery, segregation, and unequal treatment of women and minorities to remember this clear fact.)

And as Christians, when we see laws that oppress and marginalize others, we must call them out and work to dismantle and reform them.”

You can read the rest of the article here to learn more about what happened and how you can support Pastor Betty and her family.

Dec7

Guest Post at Bold Cafe: “A God Who Shows Up”

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Today I’m writing over at Bold Cafe: Women of the ELCA.
“This first Christmas was not a magical holiday homecoming story full of family turkey dinners, carol singing and football games. It did not involve decorating trees, baking cookies and opening wrapped gifts.
Rather, the first Christmas is a refugee story.
And it tells of a young, poor, homeless asylum seeking couple who fearfully flee their country and become residents in a foreign land in order to save their child’s life.
And yet, this story is also a story of hope. It is in the midst of this violent and fearful event when God shows up in the flesh: not as a king who has worldly power, and not as one who is distant and does not understand the plight of the marginalized. Rather, God shows up as one of the marginalized. God shows up in the flesh in a dirty stable, as a vulnerable baby, to a terrified young homeless couple on the margins of society.”
You can read the full article here.
Jul11

ELCA Youth Gathering 2018: E.C.T. Youth Group Posts and Media Coverage

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Want to read up on the ELCA youth Gathering 2018 in Houston?  Below are links to all of the E.C.T. (Edgewater Congregations Together) Youth Group daily blog posts during the trip, a link to the ELCA Youth Gathering youtube channel with videos of speakers, worship, etc. from the youth Gathering, and some media coverage of the Youth Gathering.

ELCA Youth Gathering Youtube Channel (with videos of speakers, worship, recaps, etc.)

E.C.T. blog posts from the ELCA Youth Gathering and Multicultural Youth Leadership 2018: 

Day 1 of the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event

Day 2 of the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event

Day 3 of the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event

Day 4: Final Day of the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event & First Day of the ELCA Youth Gathering

Day 5: ELCA Youth Gathering Synod Day #familiesbelongtogether

Day 6: Service Learning Day at the ELCA Youth Gathering

Day 7: Interactive Learning Day at the ELCA Youth Gathering

Day 8: ELCA Youth Gathering Closing Worship & Exploring Houston

Sermon I Preached Sunday, July 8 (following the ELCA Youth Gathering):

“This Changes Everything” – Sermon on Mark 6:1-13

Media Coverage of the ELCA Youth Gathering:

Coverage of the Families Belong Together Rally and Action Led by our E.C.T. Youth & a Few Other Chicago Youth:

Christian Teenagers in Houston Protest Immigrant Family Separation – Houston Chronicle

Protesting Christian Youth Ask, Who Would Jesus Detain – Houston Chronicle

General Coverage of the ELCA Youth Gathering:

30,000 Teens in Houston For Lutheran Youth Conference – Fox 26 News (Houston)

Lutheran Youth Gathering with Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and Youth Gathering Director Molly Beck-Dean – Fox 26 News (Houston)

30,000 Youth to Descend on Houston for Lutheran Gathering – Houston Chronicle

Lutheran Youth Gathering Helps Teens Relate to Harvey, Maria Disasters – Houston Chronicle

Teens Tackle Human Trafficking in Houston – Houston Public Media

Jul11

Day 8: ELCA Youth Gathering Closing Worship & Exploring Houston

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Sunday, July 1 was our final full day in Houston for the ELCA Youth Gathering. (Yes, I’m a bit late at posting but took a much needed rest last week!)

We got up early and checked out of Wyndham Hotel.

Then we headed to the NRG Stadium for our closing worship.

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton preached and gave a big shout out on stage to our very own Lillian and Ngbarezere! They were two of six youth who met with her in early June for a text study to discuss the scripture she preached on at closing worship. In her sermon, she touched on many things these youth discussed with her. What an awesome experience for them and for her!

Then we participated in some powerful worship.

After closing worship, our group brought more beautiful energy, song, and joy to the other groups as we headed out of the NRG Stadium. I was so proud of them for this!

We had to stop and get a group photo with Kalleb, one of our young adults (and former youth group members) who was at the ELCA Youth Gathering as a volunteer for Valparaiso University. It was so great to worship with him this morning!

While most of the other groups dispersed and began their trips home, we had an extra day to hang out as a group and explore a little bit of Houston.

So we took the train downtown to grab some lunch.

Of course we received a few more Johnny and Maku selfies in our group text along the way.

And to make things even more fun, Maku started on our group chat a Holy Roast with your’s truly: Pastor Emily (PE.) I think we all know who won…

We finally made it to our lunch destination, a small local hot spot: Cajun Stop. It. Was. Delicious!

Some of us even tried new things like: fried pickles, fried gator, popcorn shrimp, crab legs, shrimp and hamburger po’boys, and gumbo.

After lunch, we stopped at the Graffiti Building and took some pics.

Then it was time for us to head to our hotel for the night, which was close to the airport. (We had to get up at 3am to make our 6am flight!)

At the hotel, we got to cool down and spend some more time with each other in the pool.

And because it was Jenny’s birthday the next day, we celebrated with a pizza party and surprised her with an ice-cream cake.

Finally, we crammed into Pastor Michael’s room and had our final check-in’s about the trip with each other. Throughout our trip and during tonight’s check ins, our youth showed love to one another and love and grace to me in so many incredible ways. Tonight was probably one of the most holy encounters I’ve experienced in my life, and it was because of these incredibly welcoming, loving young people who shared their lives and created a safe space for one another and for me to open up and share our stories and important parts of our lives with one another. Throughout this week and during our closing check-in tonight, these youth truly embodied the hands and feet of Christ as they shared, listened, encouraged, prayed, cried, sang to, hugged, held, and said “I gotchu” to one another and to me.

In a world and a country that is so full of suffering, heartbreak, and hate, it is these young people who are giving me hope for a better world and showing people like me how to follow Jesus and how to be the welcoming and loving people he calls us to be.

These young people are the Church. They are Jesus’ body in the world. As our theme for the ELCA Youth Gathering this week says: This Changes Everything!

THEY are my hope and THEY are changing everything.

I’m so incredibly grateful for and blessed by them and for/by my young adult leaders Jordan and Ngbarezere and colleague Pastor Michael Fick for accompanying me and these youth on this life-changing trip.

God’s presence has truly been made known.

May we open our eyes to see God in and through our youth, open our hearts to receive God’s grace that they share with us, and follow their lead in offering love to the world.

This Changes Everything!

Jul2

Day 7: Interactive Learning Day at the ELCA Youth Gathering

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Day 7: (Saturday) was a great day. We began the day by sleeping in! (Yay!)

Some folks swam at the pool for a bit.

And then we went to the bus stop to catch our bus to the NRG Center.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the Interactive Learning Center at the NRG center.

We first made our way to the Valparaiso University booth to say hello to former ECT youth group member and current college student, Kalleb.

Then we visited several other exhibits and learned about a variety of issues:

1. First stop was the #MeToo Exhibit:

2. Second stop was Lantern Hill Mexico: This is an education and nutrition program for impoverished children. This ministry seeks to break the cycle of poverty by ensuring children to stay in school instead of dropping out and working in fields or factories at young ages like many others in rural Mexico.

At the exhibit, we learned about the organization and painted designs and inspirational Spanish phrases on school benches for Mexican students in Ensenada.

3. Third stop was Peace Not Walls. Through accompaniment, advocacy and awareness-raising, Peace Not Walls connects ELCA members to our companions and promotes dignity, full respect for human rights, healing and reconciliation. With our Palestinian Lutheran companions, we also accompany Palestinians and Israelis, Jews, Christians and Muslims working together for peace with justice.

At the center, we learned a bit about the plight of Palestinians in Israel/Palestine.

4. Next, we visited the Reconciling Works Exhibit, an independent Lutheran nonprofit that works for the full welcome, inclusion and celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQIA+) people in the Lutheran church. It is our vision that the church is a place where LGBTQ people and their families can worship and thrive, bringing all their God-given gifts to mission and ministry for the world. There, Pastor Michael Fick walked our group through the different flags and explained what they mean.

5. We stopped at the Racial Justice Ministries booth. The Racial Justice Ministries of the ELCA are catalysts and bridge-builders committed to the work of equipping leaders, training, building alliances and supporting ecumenical networks so that together, throughout the church in public witness, programs and policies advance racial justice – locally and globally.

6. We wanted to go to the LIRS (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services) and AMMPARO booth that takes you through what it would be like as migrants and refugees seeking safety in a new land. The bad news was that the lines were so long that we were unable to make it through the exhibit. The great news is that 5000 people went through the excited and signed letters to their legislators.

Then we needed to have some fun…

Even and especially when we were waiting in long lines!

Mass gathering was full of fun and powerful speakers and worship.

Immanuel Lutheran’s very own Rev. Stephen Bouman spoke about what it was like to be Bishop in New York during 9/11.

The theme for the evening was God’s Hope Changes Everything. So Rev. Bouman said: “But hope cannot be crushed. There were many hero’s in the towers. The question often asked in tragedies “where the hell is God?” was being answered in small acts of compassion. God will use our hope to move our grief and anger into action.

I see you following Jesus who Changes Everything.

I see you: called to radical hope, being what you were born to be.

You are the church who will change everything.

Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton explained:

“Opposite of hope is not hate. It’s apathy. There is so much wrong that you can just right. There is so much more of you to give.”

Carson McCullar shared his powerful story about his addiction.

“I may have lost hope in me but God never did. No matter how hard things might be, there is a light of hope (for me it was through the friends and family who never gave up in me.)

Then Jamie Bruesehoff introduced her 11 year old daughter Rebekah, who shared her story.

Rebekah explained how sometimes as she began to under herself as transgender, she wondered: “Did God mess up? I’ve come to realize God does not make mistakes. God made me me.

I have a lot of support but so many transgender kids don’t.

Transgender kids are just like other kids. We need to be loved and supported.

Hearts and minds can change. I can change the world.

I want people to know that it doesn’t matter our age. We can be hope for the church and all people. They need us.

I have hope for a church where people are not just welcomed, but they are celebrated.

We can make it happen.

You – each and every one of you – made in God’s image are made to be hope in the church and made to be hope in the world. You are my hope.”

Finally, Joe Davis spoke. He explained:

“This generation is the one that will disrupt fear with courage and status quo with radical hope.

You are here for a reason: Not just for the future but for the here and now.

Differences are a gift. We are created for a purpose. Say you have a purpose not just in the church.

Show up unapologetically as your authentic self. The church and world need you.

You are a generation that’s teaching us enough is enough.

…Radical hope is when we celebrate not what we see now but what it can be. Things can and will be transformed. But there will be struggle, and so we practice this hope every day.

This hope changes me. This hope changes you this Hope Changes Everything.”

After the mass gathering, our brought beauty, a positive energy, and joy to those around us as we sang songs from MYLE.

What a wonderful day!

Jun30

Day 6: Service Learning Day at the ELCA Youth Gathering

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Yesterday was our service learning day for the ELCA Youth Gathering. So we got up (suuuper early), put our orange t-shirts on, and had our grocery bought breakfast.

But despite how early it was, we still managed to have a lot of fun!

Then we hopped on the train and headed to the NRG Center to catch our service learning bus. The train was a sea of orange!

We arrived at our service learning destination with one other church from the Metro-Chicago synod: Independence Heights Park, which is located in the national register of historic places Independence Heights, the first black municipality in Texas. We first heard about the history of the community.

Then we got to work. We repainted murals around the park.

Some of the kids attending the summer camp program at the park joined us.

When we finished our murals, we hung out and played games with the kids at the camp.

Our youth group did a fantastic job with the children! One girl, Nevaeh, had tried to make a basketball shot before but could never make it in the hoop. Our youth encouraged her and showed her what she needed to do. At one point, she said she could not do it. But our youth encouraged her, and she ended up making 15-20 baskets! Our group saw God in these children’s and encounters with them and realized that encouragement of others goes a very long way!

At the end of our service day, we headed back to the NRG Arena to have some fun at the community life center.

At dinner time, we had to walk a little ways so we could have some good Texan barbecue at Pappa’s BBQ.

Then we headed back to the NRG Stadium for our mass gathering.

The theme for this day was God’s Grace Changes Everything.

We first heard from Elizabeth Peter, who said: “No matter how you’ve been excluded, god brings you into the fold and says you matter. And there is no limit to God’s grace.”

Then we heard a powerful message from Michaela Shelley, who told her story about her own struggles and how she experienced God’s grace grace in and through them.

She said: “God’s grace isn’t just about forgiveness. It’s also about how God leads us into the person we will be. No matter how many times you may curse God, God will always love you and you will always matter. This is grace.”

We heard another powerful message from the Rev. Will Starkweather about his struggles with anxiety and depression. He said: “Our God is in business of makings beautiful people and things out of broken people and things. We are all recovering from something. There’s grace for that.

Whatever you’re carrying, you are what you: a beloved child of God.”

Finally we heard from the Rev. Nadia Bolz Weber, who explained:

“If your life really sucks right now, just know this is not your ultimate life long reality

Grace is way in which god is great heavenly composter making beautiful things out of feasies

Nobody ever becomes their ideal self. An ideal self is a lie. The truth is an ideal self doesn’t exist. The self God loves is your actual authentic self. The word for this is grace. God doesn’t wait for you to get a little better at or a little skinnier than or a little whatever before loving you. You are magnificently imperfect. And God loves this authentic you. God’s voice calls us worthy.”

She ended having the entire gathering of 30,000 youth and adults publicly renounce the Accuser… we publicly renounced ableism, heteronormativity, sexism, White Supremacy, perfectionism, and the lies we tell ourselves and hear from others.

What a powerful day! We look forward to sleeping in a bit tomorrow!

Jun28

Day 4: Final Day of the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event & First Day of the ELCA Youth Gathering

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Today was our last day at the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event.

After breakfast, we packed our bags and headed to our closing worship.

There, Pastor Yehiel Curry from Shekinah Chapel in Chicago led us in a Libation Ceremony.

The theme for MYLE today was “ONE in Christ,” based on:

“For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it] 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.” – Ephesians 12:14-19

So Pastor Curry PREACHED about our oneness in Christ and reminded us that Christ brings down the walls of hostility that divide us.

“It is not black families alone affected by mass incarceration; we are affected by mass incarceration. Why? Because we are one in Christ.

The Virgin Islands, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Houston: ‘they’ didn’t have a hurricane; we had a hurricane. Why? Because we are one in Christ.

It is not just immigrant families being separated; we are being separated. Why?

Because we are one in Christ.”

He explained that if we want to create change, we need to start within us.

“When you change your heart, you can change your mind. When you change your mind, you can change your community. When you change your community, you can change your city. When you change your city, you can change your state. When you can change your state, you can change your nation. When you can change your nation, you can change your world.

When you can say this is my brother, this is my sister, this is my family: THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING! We are ONE in Christ.”

Pastor Curry explained that it is when we immerse ourselves with others who may look, speak, talk, and act differently than we do and get to know them, that we will begin to realize that we are more alike than we are different.

He saw this taking place at the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event this week.

Pastor Curry said last night he saw black, white, Latinx, and Asian youth dancing together. And when we can dance together, share music and fellowship and call each other a siblings, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!

We ended MYLE with a blessing to go out into the world and proclaim Jesus’ peace and justice for ALL people.

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting ready to head to the ELCA Youth Gathering main event.

At 2:00pm, we finally arrived at our hotel. And as we waited for our rooms, some of us swam and others watched some World Cup games.

We grabbed dinner nearby.

And then, since our hotel is in the Medical Center, we hopped on the metro rail as headed to the NRG Stadium for our first mass gathering.

With 30,000 youth and pastors/adult leaders gathering in one place, we had to do a lot of waiting… but we found lots of ways to bond while doing so!

Our first mass gathering was excellent!

We began with some fun music:

We were greeted by ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton:

And throughout the night, we heard the ELCA Youth Gathering theme: “This Changes Everything.” We also heard this evening’s sub-theme: “God’s Call Changes Everything” through multiple call stories.

We worshipped together:

And then we heard a powerful message from Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. (He is a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping the poor, the incarcerated and the condemned. Under his leadership, EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill and aiding children prosecuted as adults.)

Bryan explained that our call is to change the world.

He explained that there are four things we need to do to change the world:

1. God calls us to get closer to the margins. There is power in proximity. We need to get close to those who are being excluded and suffering. This is how we can change the world.

2. When we see injustice we need to speak out and talk about/address our history of racial injustice.

3. We need to stay hopeful. This can be difficult because hope requires us to believe things we cannot see. Hopelessness is the enemy of justice. It holds us back from doing what we can to make change.

4. We have to be willing to do things that are uncomfortable and difficult in order to pursue justice.

He concluded: “I believe with this room full of 1000s of young people who are willing to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, we WILL change the world.”

We concluded the gathering with more worship.

There is something s powerful about singing “This Little Light of Mine, I’m gonna Let it Shine” with 30,000 young people.)

We ended the evening with a lot of walking and waiting. But we found ways to make it fun!

We look forward to our first full day at the ELCA Youth Gathering tomorrow!

Jun26

Day 2 of the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event

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Our second day of the Multicultural Youth Leadership was packed with fun, worship, service, and learning.

After breakfast, we started out with “Jumpstart,” where the worship group “Ase” from Shekinah Chapel – an ELCA church in Chicago – led us in some incredible music to get us ready for our service learning project. (They rocked the house!)

And our very own Hope and Ngbarazere, helped lead us in dance!

Oh, and so did Jordan!

After Jumpstart, we hopped on a bus with a few other church groups to head to our service learning site.

Our group was assigned to work with the Prestige Learning Institute, which offers ESL classes and other skills classes to new immigrants and refugees in the immediate community. We ended up weeding and planting a community vegetable garden in the backyard of the home of one of the teachers at the institute. Refugee families from the institute will be able to work in the garden once a week and have free and fresh vegetables. Additionally, this garden will serve as a wonderful space for community building.

When we arrived, we were overwhelmed at how much weeding and work was to be done.

However, we got to work!

And made some new friends while doing so.

And despite the heat and the rain, we worked together and created a beautiful community vegetable garden! Shannon and her husband were so grateful for how much all of our hands could get done in one afternoon!

God’s work, Our hands!

After our work project and a little down time, we heard a really important story from Nomar, one of the MYLE volunteers who helped us with our service learning project today. Nomar is a college student in Puerto Rico, and he told us a little about what it’s been like as a Puerto Rican after the devastating Hurricane Maria.

Very little attention and media coverage has been paid to the stories of Puerto Ricans. So please listen to his story here:

Part 1:

Part 2:

After talking with Nomar, we did a little youth group bonding over dinner in the University of Houston dining hall.

Then we headed to the U of Houston’s Cullen Performance Hall for another night of amazing worship.

Today’s sub-theme at the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event was: One mission, many gifts (1Corinthians 12:4-11).

Rev. Patrick Gahagan reminded us:

“YOU are a gift because of who you are, not because of what you do. YOU are a gift, not because of what you do, but because you ARE.”

At the end of worship, we heard from the pastors and leaders of the Latin American and Caribbean congregations that are attending MYLE. They presented a beautiful dance:

After worship, youth met with their small groups and then we gathered together to celebrate Graciela’s birthday!

Then we headed back to the Cullen Performance Center for an awesome talent show. Although there wasn’t enough time for them to perform in front of the entire group, Steve and Ngbarazere did a private performance for our youth group:

Go Darth Vader! (Steve wrote this song on his own! We are so proud of you!)

Finally, we ended the night checking in with each other about our day. We were so grateful to have Kalleb (college student, MYLE volunteer, and former E.C.T. Youth Group member) join us!

What a wonderful and blessed day!

Listen to some of the day’s highlights from Maku and Xanath:

Feb4

Guest Post at Bold Cafe: “Faith Reflections: Beloved and Wonderfully Made”

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flower-pink-love-rose

 

Today I am guest blogging over at Bold Cafe: “Faith Reflections: Beloved and Wonderfully Made.”

It is really hard to be a preteen or teenager today. I unfortunately know this because as a pastor who works with youth, I have seen this firsthand. I’m not saying that it wasn’t difficult to be that age. I received my fair share of unrealistic and unhealthy messages about society’s definition of beauty and who was worthy and who was not. All I had to do was watch a few VH1 videos, stop at the magazine rack at a convenience store, or listen to my middle school classmates who bullied me during lunch to know that I did not fit into society’s most-valued list.

However, it is much more difficult today to shut out the negative messages about who is deemed worthy in the eyes of society and one’s peers.

 

To read the rest, click here.