Summer House Gathering

Tomorrow is the last house gathering of the summer.  Come join us in a party as we continue our discussion from Richard J. Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline. This week: Celebration!

When: Wednesday, 6:30-9:30pm

Where: 610 W. 152nd St. Apt. 52 (btw Broadway & Riverside)

How:  Take 1 train to 145th St.

See you tomorrow night! 

Fuel for the Soul

Deuteronomy 24:19-22

19 “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. 22 You shall remember that you were a slave in the and of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this. 

• What are the fields that you harvest, the olive trees that you beat, and the grapes that you gather in your world today?
• Who are the sojourners, fatherless, and widows in your life and in our society?
• What opportunities and special resources do you have that can help those in need?

Feel free to post your thoughts in our comment section. We always love to hear your stories!

Voices To Be Heard

In 2006, Bono was asked to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. In his speech he covers the Biblical teaching of Jubilee, God's demand that we care for the poor, the law of the land and our higher standard, and how all of this is so relevant to our world today.  It's an inspiring speech that forces all people of all faiths to take a look in the mirror.

And for your viewing pleasure, a live concert video from U2's Elevation tour of "Where the Streets Have No Name" along with a portion of his Prayer Breakfast Speech.

Lend Your Voice For Health Care Reform

Unless you have been completely out of the loop, you know that the health care reform debate has heated up in Washington and throughout the country.  With President Obama setting a deadline of August to get health care reform passed in Congress, no time has ever been as urgent as NOW.  

We at New York Faith & Justice view Health Care Reform as a moral necessity, a right not a privilege.  Did you know that nearly 50 million Americans--1 in 6 people--live without health insurance?  In addition, those with insurance have seen their premiums nearly triple in the last decade, paying on average $16,000 per year and rising rapidly.

This month, Congress is working on new reform legislation that will make quality health care affordable and available for ALL Americans.  But, many forces are willing to pay big money to keep the status quo and fight against reform.

So, Congress needs to hear your voice.  Let them know that you WANT health care reform, you WANT a fair and just system for ALL people, and you WANT this legislation passed.

Please, sign this online petition TODAY--and circulate it among your friends. Show Congress you support their efforts to reform health care NOW!! 

http://ga3.org/campaign/healthpetition?source=hc_schumer_dsny

Fuel for the Soul

This weeks Bible verse will be discussed at the Summer House Gathering this Wednesday night @6:30. 610 W. 152nd apt. 52

LUKE 18:18-30

The Rich Ruler

18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

What are the implications of Jesus demand to the Rich Ruler with us today?  Let us know your thoughts!

New Twitter Page

NYFJ has a new Twitter page!  There are two ways to follow us:

Follow NYFJ at  http://twitter.com/NYFJ 

or

Follow Co-founder and Executive Director Lisa Sharon Harper at http://twitter.com/lisasharper

Stay informed about what we are doing and help us know what's going on.  We look forward to your tweets!!

Summer House Gathering

Solitude will be the subject of tomorrow night's Summer House Gathering as the discussion of Richard J. Foster's Celebration of Discipline continues.  

**Important note:  There is a location change for this weeks meeting.  

Tomorrow night's meeting will take place at

86 Auduban Ave.

btw 169th & 170th St.

@6:30pm

See you there!!!

House Gathering-Luke 16

This weeks Wednesday night Summer House Gathering will cover Luke 16!!  

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Come join in on the fun, fellowship, and food for the soul!

Every Wednesday Night

6:30-9:30pm

610 W. 152nd St.

Apt. 52

(Take the 1 train to 145th St. and walk north to 152nd. Turn left and go to 610 W. 152nd. Ring buzzer for Apt. 52.)

Just One Day for Restorative Worship

“I do the work of justice not out of a disdain for the privileged but out of a love for Life" Womanist Theologian Dr. Kelly Douglas Brown

For a little over 2 years I have been working with NY Faith & Justice and I can literally say that this work is an answer to prayers. Early in my Christian walk I desired to do social justice from a Christ-centered perspective. This desire is birthed out of a deep gratitude for the total salvation I experienced at age 14 after four years of being led by the Holy Spirit to pray and read the Bible (outside of the church). I was not raised in a Christian home and had only been to church two times during my entire childhood. Christ did not just save my soul but he saved me from the unjust systems that enacted violence on my very being as a young black woman growing up in the inner city community of East New York.

Recently I realized it has been 20 years since my little brother and I were unjustly removed from our mother and placed in foster care-the response to my mother’s request for assistance while we were living in a welfare hotel in Queens. As I reflected over the past 20 years of my life I realized how much God faithfulness had sustained me and how literal Isaiah 61 has been in my life and the lives of my siblings. Justice work is my song of praise to God not out of a desire to deal with my personal problems through this work or to make those responsible pay but out of a love for the God of the orphan who came to preach good news to those just like me, but who did not stop there but actually said that those like me would repair the ruined cities and restore the devastations (Isaiah 61:4); this gives me joy and no reason to pity myself. God ordained that I would have agency in righting the very wrongs that were committed against me and organizations like NY Faith & Justice have given me the opportunity to work towards the fulfillment of this prophecy. I will not say that the road has been easy because even when you accept Christ you have to “wrestle against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in high places” (Ephesians 6:10-18); which for me has meant systematic injustice that reaches all the way back to my family being owned by one of the largest slave holding families in America, to the racist real estate practices that turned East NY into a ghetto, to the drug epidemic that further eroded my community and the lives of those closest to me. Even as I write this my mother is estranged from the family and homeless dealing with addiction and mental illness so as I work for systemic justice, my family and I are praying and working towards individual justice and restoration for her. Sometimes I have struggled with not feeling equipped to do the work of justice due to my family’s struggles; often we do not see those who are personally effected by injustice actually standing up to it, but Isaiah 61 (which is the foundational scripture for NY Faith & Justice) has encouraged me that God actually can use me because of the injustices I have experienced not in spite of them.

I strongly hold the conviction that each time justice is enacted in the world we get one step closer to salvation, one step closer to his kingdom and one step closer to answering the prayer that God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven and THIS is my song of worship.

Domestic Worker Appreciation Day

Recognizing the Work that Makes All Other Work Possible
With Gloria Steinem and Barbara Ehrenreich
Thursday, July 2, 2009 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Governor Paterson's OfficeThird Avenue and 41st Street

Twelve Hour Appreciation Vigil Press Conference Launch - 11:00 am - 12:00 noon
With programs from 1:00pm -3:00pm, 5:00pm -8:00pm and 10:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Certificates to be presented throughout the vigil

From 11:00 am to 11:00 pm on Thursday, July 2, domestic workers will converge at the Governor's Office to receive Certificates of Appreciation, for their many contributions to the economy, families and homes in New York State. Joined by prominent leaders and writers Barbara Ehrenreich and Gloria Steinem, as well as labor leaders such as Stuart Appelbaum, domestic workers will call upon the Governor and the legislature to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, providing a set of basic rights and benefits, bringing respect to the work, and breaking the isolation of this vulnerable workforce. Solidarity vigils will occur across the country, as supporters of the National Domestic Workers Alliance come together to appreciate and celebrate domestic work.

For more information please call Domestic Workers United

1201 Broadway Suite 907-908
New York, NY 10001
www.domesticworkersunited.org
ph (212) 481-5747