RE-READ REFLECTING ON ‘HOME’ FROM DAY 1

Questions for Reflection

1. If you were going to design your “dream home” today, how would it be different from the one you envisioned on February 10?
2. How have the 40 days of Lent changed your view of property, home, comfort, and housing for others?
3. What specific action have you taken to address homelessness or housing instability in your community?
4. How will you live differently beyond Easter 2016 as a result of your participation in this year’s Lenten Compact?  

M. Fishman and Co. currently owns 80 properties in Logan Square–most of them multi-unit buildings.  One of his most recent purchases in December 2015 is 2700 N. Milwaukee Ave.  Now, long-time residents whose current leases are set to expire are receiving 30-day notices announcing steep increases in their rents–going up as much as 70%.  Residents either have to pay it or move.  This practice [of raising rents] has occurred in other buildings purchased by M. Fishman. One person has described Mr. Fishman’s practice of “flipping” as “a way to evict people without evicting them.”

On Saturday, March 26, a number of housing rights groups and local clergy will rally in support of residents trying to fight the excessive increases.  The rally will begin at 11:00 am at Palmer Park (Palmer and Sacramento).

In the meantime, some of the residents have draped a banner on the building that reads “Mass Eviction in Progress”.

For more information, link to the DNAinfo article HERE.

 

Not Welcome Here (Words and Music By Brian McLaren)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo5j-Y9hiw8&feature=youtu.be

A couple showed up last Sunday at church

They hoped we could help in their spiritual search

Their marriage is legal but our leaders say

It’s morally wrong so they sent them away and said …

Not welcome here, Not welcome here.

We have our beliefs to which we adhere

It’s a dangerous world. There’s much we should fear

So people like you are not welcome here.

A family showed up at border control

“We want our kids to be safe,” they said. “That is our goal.

We’re homeless and hungry and frightened and poor

And our country is ravaged by hatred and war.” We said

Not welcome here, not welcome here

How do we know if you are sincere?

It’s a dangerous world. There’s much we should fear

So people like you are not welcome here.

A couple rode in from some other town.

The woman was pregnant. They both looked worn down.

You know how things are. What else could I say?

I shut the door tight and sent them away.

Not welcome here. Not welcome here.

You know times are tough. Please don’t interfere.

It’s a dangerous world. There’s much we should fear.

So people like you are not welcome here.

Sometimes I wonder how it would be

If the tables were turned and instead it was me

A different religion or color of skin

A refugee hoping to be welcomed in …

You’re welcome here. You’re welcome here.

You’re safe here with us. You have nothing to fear.

It’s a dangerous world, but be of good cheer.

There’s a place here for you, and you’re welcome here.

 Questions for Reflection:

1. Who is welcomed easily in our church? Who is most likely not to be received openly?
2. What would have to change to ensure that the door was opened to welcome everyone?
3. How much have you saved throughout Lent from your fast from the “comforts of home”?  Bring your gift to Easter Sunday to say “welcome” to a refugee family.

What happens when communities of color become more white?  Those who have lived there for decades are perceived to be “intruders” and “outsiders”.  Alex Nieto, 28, had lived in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco all his life.  Thanks to the recent boom in technology start-ups, the neighborhood has seen an influx of (mostly white) newcomers.  On March 21, 2014, he was identified by several white men as a “suspicious” person carrying a gun (he was licensed to carry a taser for work).  911 dispatchers sent police to the scene and minutes later, Nieto was dead–shot 14 times.

Read the entire story HERE.

 

EPHESIANS 2:11-20

As Gentiles, we were not included in the division of land. We were outsiders. The good news is that those on the outside have been brought near by Christ’s death. Christ has now broken down the barriers that separate so that “outsiders” now participate in the Jubilee blessings.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Are there “outsiders” today? If so, who are they?
2. We often construct fences to differentiate our property from our neighbors. However, fences often become barriers that shout, “Keep Out!” What “fences” have your erected around yourself, your home or your church that would communicate “keep out” or “not welcome”?
3. How can you communicate that Christ has removed the barriers?

That’s the question in Brooklyn, NY.  And an organization called “Right To the City” answers, YES!  Read The Atlantic article to find out why.

ACTS 4:32-37

Several of the first members of the church sold property and shared the money with the poor. The result was profound—there were no needy people among them! Some commentators have suggested that the early church was living out the Jubilee with a voluntary redistribution of wealth.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Why do you think the believers had a change in their view of possessions?
2. How might testifying to the resurrection relate to their new view of property ownership?
3. Who takes the lead in this new economy?
4. How open do you think your faith community would be to this economic arrangement?

 

LUKE 8:26-39

Jesus encountered a man who lived in a cemetery. The man was not in his right mind. He was possessed by a demon that had isolated him from the rest of the community. Rather than avoid the man, Jesus interacted with him (treated him as a human being) and ultimately healed him and returned him to his home.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What is your typical reaction to people live in places that are not intended for overnight accommodations—like viaducts, parks, doorways?
2. Are you more likely to avoid them or interact with them? Why?
3. Do you think people are homeless because they are mentally ill or are they mentally ill because they are homeless?
4. How can you help people avoid isolation?  

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION

In the 1980’s the state of Illinois shifted its provision of mental health services from an institutional model to a community-based model. While well intentioned (place people in community), the result was often devastating to individuals and communities because there were not enough resources to meet their needs. As a result, thousands of people who were “deinstitutionalized” ended up homeless. Veterans, suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and inability to reintegrate into their communities also make up a significant portion of the homeless population. Last year, Chicago closed or cut back city neighborhood mental health clinics. This year, due to the Illinois budget impasse, Lutheran Social Services announced it would discontinue 30 programs. Call your state representative and senators to tell them, “Restore mental health funding!”

LUKE 14:12-14

Easter is often an occasion for family gatherings–and of course a big dinner! Jesus encouraged his followers to have an “untraditional” guest list for their special occasions.

Questions for Reflection:

1. How does your Easter invitation list stack up to those Jesus would include?
2. How will you extend your “table” to people who don’t have a table of their own?  

The following is the Press Release regarding “Occupy Palm Sunday.”

On Palm Sunday, churches “occupy” CHA’s Lathrop Homes

Tell Mayor Emanuel: “Show us the plan” for North Side units

Over 250 people from area churches and the community gathered at 2029 W. Diversey in the heart of the Julia C. Lathrop Homes on Palm Sunday afternoon as a part of the 5th annual “Occupy Palm Sunday”, waving palm branches, carrying signs and chanting, “Show Us the Plan!” The event, organized by the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance (LSEA), Chicago Housing Initiative (CHI) and Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA), was in protest of Wednesday’s City Council action to approve the rezoning of Lathrop Homes that paves the way for elimination of 525 units of public housing on the historic site.

“Mayor Emanuel and the city of Chicago are taking homes that were set aside for low-income families and giving them to the rich,” Rev. Bruce Ray announced to the crowd. “That ain’t right! Mayor Emanuel needs to show us a plan that will replace those units on the North Side, and he needs to do it now.”

Ray, pastor of Kimball Avenue Church in Logan Square, said that the LSEA has demanded a meeting with the Mayor on Monday, March 21, at 10:00 am, to find a way forward, followed by a press conference. “Families are desperate for affordable housing. And the CHA (Chicago Housing Authority) is sitting on millions of dollars that should be used to provide that housing right here and right now,” Ray added.

Youth from local churches turned over a table covered with play money they called “Rahm Bucks” in a re-enactment of Jesus driving out the money changers in the temple in Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday. “CHA has the money. Why won’t they use it to provide housing?” one youth asked. “That’s what they are supposed to do.”

Participants, including many in wheelchairs, then processed to a vacant unit to hold an extended vigil. Laura Donaldson has been on the CHA’s waiting list for 20 years, but the lack of accessible low-income housing units has forced her to live in shelters. “We don’t need more market rate housing,” she said. “Look around, there are plenty of places people can rent. But low-income people with disabilities are left out in the cold.” Those keeping vigil said they were willing to stay throughout the night to show solidarity with those who have been displaced and have few housing options.

Bishop Wayne Miller of the Metropolitan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) also addressed the crowd. “We are once again witnessing a city government breaking faith. This is no longer a matter of public policy; it is a matter of public morality. There is still time for civic leaders to turn, and to choose a better path,” he said to the applause of the crowd.

In February, under pressure from community leaders, CHA CEO Eugene Jones issued a vaguely-worded letter committing that the CHA would create “525 new housing opportunities” on the North Side.  But the letter offered no specifics on how and when those units would be developed and how they would be funded. “The CHA has a long history of broken promises,” said Leah Levinger, Executive Director of the Chicago Housing Initiative (CHI). “The agency has delivered fewer than half of the replacement units it has promised since 1999, so Jones’ ‘commitment”; is empty,” she added. “Why should we believe the CHA would fulfill this new commitment? We need a plan.”

Referencing Martin Luther King, Jr’s, occupation of a public housing unit for 24 hours on Chicago’s West Side 50 years ago, Rev. Liz Muñoz, pastor of Nuestra Señora De Las Americas, said, “Families are being gentrified out of their communities. The result is the economic and racial re-segregation of the city—especially on the North Side. Lathrop represents stable housing for low income families in a great community, with decent schools, job opportunities, and safe streets, but the Mayor is choosing to take that away from the poor to build housing for the rich. That is completely unjust, and we cannot be silent in the face of injustice.”

The crowd was not silent, picking up the chant once again, “Show Us The Plan!” while 10 people, including Ms. Donaldson, Logan Square pastors and housing advocates, entered a vacant unit, vowing to occupy it for 24 hours.