letter from atlanta, 2

Bishop Barbara Harris and Marcus Halley, of the Absalom Jones Center, Atlanta University singing at the opening plenary of the Episcopal Urban Caucus

Nell Braxton Gibson, coordinator of the Episcopal Urban Caucus, receives the President of the House of Deputies Medallion for Exemplary Service from Bonnie Anderson, president of the Episcopal Church’s House of Deputies.


Emmaus House, a social service agency of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, in Peopletown, Atlanta.


Pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta.
Here Rev Dr Martin Luther King preached.

The Episcopal Urban Caucus (http://episcopalurbancaucus.org/purpose.html) connect workers in social justice ministries from around the church, meeting annually for shared fellowship, education, service and ministry working on behalf of the unseen and voiceless of our church.

The incredible thing of the Urban Caucus meeting is the sharing of stories amongst church workers involved in social justice work, especially whilst they work on their own in parishes, dioceses, local community networks. The social justice work is a broad term for the many ways we build the kin-dom of God on earth: human rights, civil rights, economic rights, immigration, workers, education, and on and on. The work takes place in parish buildings, schools, storefronts, and is part of our call to serve God and her Church. I'm particularly remembering viewing a social services office, Emmaus House: they don’t provide social services directly but provide services they need – computer lessons, job training, prayer, birth certificates and state ID's. They were open for drop in services without bars or steel doors or thermopane glass windows keeping people out. 'You're always open' a client remarked: 'yes, we are' was the reply. That's ministry at it's best, that we are available to help one another.

Union of Black Episcopalians Western Region Conference, March 23 - 25, 2012 in Berkeley, CA.
This year's theme is Preparing Leaders for the 21st Century Church, and will take place at Easton Hall, Church Divinity School of the Pacific.
The Union of Black Episcopalians are laypeople and clergy working hard to uplift all peoples to justice in the Church and the World http://www.ube.org/. Contact UBE Chapter President Brenda Paulin (ashpau AT aol.com) for registration information and details, registration forms are in the narthex of St Cyprians)