July 2023 Newsletter

 

Disability Pride Month

by Amy Kelly, House of Prayer Lutheran Church, Aliquippa

In her book My Body Is Not A Prayer Request, Amy Kenny writes “God is more invested in our transformation into mutual thriving throughout the community of creation,” which leaves me wondering how are we, the Church, mutually thriving as a community?

With the approaching 33rd Anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, we can both celebrate how far we’ve come and lament over what we have left undone. Churches are exempt from following the ADA, so any accessibility our congregations have embraced is a step forward, and we have several congregations in our synod who have gone beyond. We have congregations who are learning sign language, adapting for sensory needs, and willing to learn more, but we also have congregations unaware of how they could adapt. We have churches with ramps, but we also have churches with inaccessible bathrooms and altars and a general struggle with change. We livestream our services, but do we remember to add image descriptions and captions to our social media posts? So while we are all moving forward, I still wonder if we are at a point where we can exclaim that we are also mutually thriving?  

Throughout scripture we can see time and time again moments where God uses the disability community, not for inspiration, but for building a thriving community - Moses has a speech impediment, Jacob limps, Paul has a thorn in his flesh, and Jesus comes back not only resurrected, but physically disabled by his death. God did not fix these people, but gave them the tools and support to do their calling as a disabled person. Which leaves me wondering, how can we, the church, help everyone be fully the person God calls them to be? What tools and support do we need to develop to make each of our churches are a mutually thriving community?

Dig Deeper

Books

Picture Books

Take Action

  • Work with your properties community to go through this checklist, so you can be aware of what physical changes your church may need.

  • Start thinking about the language you use and how it could inadvertently harm another person. This language guide is a good starting point to learning more.

Worship Resources

Confession (can be used in addition to the standard one)

Almighty God, we confess that we have not always loved our neighbors as ourselves, and in this moment we especially lift up our disabled neighbors. We have not always been willing to make accommodations for them and to accept them as humans made fully in your image. We have unwillingly and unknowingly participated in systems that suppress and limit them from full participation in our church and our community. We ask you to forgive us and show us the errors of our ways. Lead us to reconciliation and guide us towards creating a more inclusive church and community. Amen.

Absolution

God makes the sun rise on the evil and the good and sends the rain on the righteous and unrighteous. People of God, you are forgiven by God’s spirit and empowered to rise up as disciples made new in Christ Jesus, who calls people of all abilities to know and proclaim God’s everlasting life, Amen. 

Prayers of Intercession 

God, our creator, we pray for those who identify as physically disabled, neurodivergent, those with psychiatric disabilities, those with sensory disabilities and those with invisible and undiagnosed disabilities. Help us to support and affirm them, and love them fully like you do. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God, our reconciler, we ask that you lead us in affirming our neighbors with disabilities. Guide us in developing worship, events, and education programs that are accessible to all. Teach us how to truly be the body of Christ, recognizing the gifts and strengths each person brings. Give us grace when we are ableist and the heart to seek forgiveness. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God, our advocate, help the church speak up for the disability community. Encourage us to be the light and salt that dismantles broken systems, especially the ones that impede people from employment, fair wages, marriage, and healthcare because of their disability. Help us listen to the stories and raise the voices of the disability community. Help our church lead the way towards full inclusion in our community. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Reflections from Pine Ridge, South Dakota

by Pastor Dennis Orson, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Eastmont

A brief summary of the trip: On June 6 Tony Fishovitz, Bob Rich, Carol Ruckert (from New Hope, Economy Borough) and I (from Emmanuel of Eastmont) boarded an airplane for Rapid City, SD. We rented a vehicle for our use while in SD. We landed back in Pittsburgh just before midnight on June 12. 

Our Cultural Immersion began the moment we stepped out of our vehicle at the Pine Ridge Reconciliation Center (PRRC). Located on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and in the city of Pine Ridge, the PRRC is a ministry of the South Dakota Synod, ELCA, in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota. Director Pastor Dan Johnson is on the staff of the South Dakota Synod.

Shortly after our arrival Pastor Dan introduced us to his Native American staff. We also began getting acquainted with the other group at the Center that week - a Chinese ethnic group from San Jose, CA. Throughout the week we heard Mandarin spoken in the kitchen as well as Lakota among the Native Americans.

We visited Red Cloud School which has a Native American Heritage Center, and the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890; we met numerous artists and had conversations with Native Americans in leadership roles on the reservation; we took in a weekend Pow Wow honoring veterans; and, three in our group visited Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument and Wind Cave with a Ogalala Lakota tribal member from the reservation. 

The most solemn and sacred moment for me was visiting the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre. Before we entered the fenced in area of the mass grave site within the larger cemetery, Kelly Looking Horse, whose grandfather at age 14, shared the account of the Massacre as it had been passed on to him:  The men put up a human shield while the women and children escaped though a ravine only to be met by a portion of the 7th Calvary at the end unto the open field. The massacre was an act of revenge by the 7th Calvary because of what happened at Little Big Horn in Montana (called the Battle of "Greasy Grass" by Native Americans because of the blood in the grass). Relatives of the 7th Calvary at Little Big Horn were now in the 7th Calvary.


Kelly went on: The mass grave in the cemetery is where the men are buried. There is another mass grave around here, somewhere, unknown to us, where the women and children were buried; but, I am sure the U.S. government knows. 


While at the cemetery, I felt that I was near the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Innocent blood was shed by the order of an "empire". We heard Kelly and other Native American voices say that they have forgiven the United States government. Kelly expressed thanks and appreciation that we had come to take in what happened at Wounded Knee. It is so important, for our own healing also, to visit sites related to the shadow side of our history.

All four of us will unpack the trip more fully at New Hope, Economy Borough on an upcoming Sunday afternoon. Date and time TBA in the synod's email communication. In the mean time, take in Lakota Nation vs. United States, soon to be in local theaters.  

Drag: A justice issue? Is there a role for the Church?

by Pastor Brenda Henry, PLUM

Have you heard about the art form Drag? According to Joe E. Jeffreys, a drag historian and adjunct instructor at New York University, "[d]rag is the theatrical exaggeration of gender."  It has a history of being used in theater performances. However, in American society, "since the 20th century, Drag is an activity that's become closely associated with gay culture."  One of the earliest expressions of drag in the LGBTQ+ community is credited to William Dorsey Swann in 1882 as he hosted dances in his home.  

The connection of drag to the LGBTQ+ community has resulted in a growing stigmatization of the art form. In the past year, several states have proposed legislation banning drag performances, especially around children, or labeling them as adult performances. The growing concern for LGBTQ+ advocates is that the ruling around drag is so vague that members of the LGBTQ+ community for whom it is an identity issue may face legal ramifications. Additionally, as the art form has gained visibility through media and entertainment events such as Drag Bingo, businesses who engage in/support drag performances also face potential legal consequences. As drag performances have gained increased legislative censorship, there have been increased threats to performers and canceling of events. One such example occurred to Pittsburgh performers earlier this year.  

As the Church, we are called to care for our neighbors in all the spaces where injustices are seen. Censoring an individual's way of expression is an injustice. Arising from this call to care for neighbors in marginalized communities, the congregation of Christ Lutheran, Duquesne is hosting "Drag Brunch Bingo" next month. Church Council Secretary Kalee George thoughtfully explains the goals and background of this event on the congregation's website. Through this event, the congregation hopes to offer a welcoming space to the LGBTQ+ community, as well as raise funds to support the ministry of the congregation and the work of the ACLU Drag Defense Fund. Look for reflections on this event in a future newsletter!

Racial Justice Training

The Region 8 Synods are offering Racial and Social Justice Trainings at United Lutheran Seminary, Gettysburg Campus (in-person or online) on August 29 or November 28, 10am-3pm. For more information, and to register, visit their website.

Looking ahead to August

In next month's newsletter, we'll be highlighting events surrounding the 100th anniversary of the Johnstown banishment, when in response to the fatal shooting of four policemen, the mayor of Johnstown ordered every African American and Mexican immigrant who had lived in the city for less than seven years to leave. Local UMC churches are planning a vigil and discussion, and the book Banished from Johnstown: Racist Backlash in Pennsylvania by Cody McDevitt offers a detailed account of the events.

 
SWPA Synod ELCA