Dynamic Yet Consistent

Check out all the US Fair Trade Chocolate sellers at:

http://www.transfairusa.org/content/certification/licensees2.php#cocoa

A definition:

“Trafficking in human beings” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

Article 3 of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime (Palmero Protocol)

The scale of human trafficking

Men, women and children are trafficked within their own countries and across international borders. Trafficking affects every continent and most countries.

Due to the hidden and illegal nature of human trafficking, gathering statistics on the scale of the problem is a complex and difficult task. There are no reliable national or international estimates as to the extent of trafficking. Figures are usually counted in the countries that people are trafficked into and often fail to include those who are trafficked within their own national borders. The following statistics may represent an underestimation of trafficking, but are the most credible and frequently quoted.

• At least 12.3 million people are victims of forced labour worldwide. Of these 2.4 million are as a result of human trafficking. A global alliance against forced labor, International Labour Organisation, 2005
• 600,000-800,000 men, women and children trafficked across international borders each year. Approximately 80 per cent are women and girls. Up to 50% are minors. US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2005
• An estimated 1.2 million children trafficked each year. UNICEF UK Child Trafficking Information sheet, January 2003
• The majority of trafficked victims arguably come from the poorest countries and poorest strata of the national population. A global alliance against forced labor, International Labour Organisation, 2005
• Trafficking is the fastest growing means by which people are caught in the trap of slavery. Anti-Slavery
• Human trafficking is the third largest source of income for organised crime, exceeded only by arms and drugs trafficking. UN office on drugs and crime
• It is the fastest growing form of international crime, already generating 7 billion dollars per year in criminal proceeds. There are even reports that some trafficking groups are switching their cargo from drugs to human beings, in a search of high profits at lower risk. UN office on drugs and crime
• People are trafficked into prostitution, begging, forced labour, military service, domestic service, forced illegal adoption, forced marriage etc.
• Types of recruitment; include abduction, false agreement with parents, sold by parents, runaways, travel with family, orphans sold from street or institutions.

[from www.stopthetraffik.org]

We held our first organizational meeting for the upcoming BG-ONE event at Broadway UMC and things seem to be coming together nicely. We have decided to label this event as “Voices For Justice” and will work with the theme “Come Together.” While the overall focus is injustice, there will be some elements addressing racial reconciliation. Additionally we will be partnering with the official One Campaign in a more official way.

A Mission Statement has been developed for our work: We seek to educate our community about local and global injustice, encourage our community to take action that will change this injustice, and build a community of activists united to make injustice history. Beyond raising awareness, we are also seeking to raise money to donate to local and global aid organizations including financing part of Kaleidoscope’s trip to New Orleans.

Schedule: We will meet on Wednesdays starting March 28 and will run until April 25. The actual event will be at 6:00 at Broadway UMC (1323 Melrose St). The April 25 date will be a rehearsal at Broadway and we will set up and practice the afternoon of the 28th.

Involvement: The primary artistic elements will be coming from the students in Kaleidoscope. We will be teaching classes in Hip Hop, Poetry, Art and Band. The technical arts will be handled primarily by adults and outside of the Wednesday sessions.

How can you help? Once again we will need your support and your assistance.

If you are available, we would love to have you join us on Wednesday nights to help and participate with the classes. Even if you don’t have a particular “skill set” we would love to have you connect with the students. Additionally, we need help with the technical arts aspect of the event (Rick?? Ron??). That would include videography as well as editing and compiling elements.

If you bring special talents or passions to the table, we would love to include that. Last time we found that some of the most successful elements were those that were not planned, but that were incorporated along the way. We are wanting to include more outside involvement in this event that can take place outside of the Wednesday Night gatherings. Specifically we talked about including artistic pieces from the community and various congregations around Bowling Green. We will need people to coordinate the art sale as well organize and lead setting up environment and displays at the church.
We have a rough outline of what the event will look like. Of course this is open to change and will evolve.

• Prelude / Intro (Video)
• Opening
• Call to Worship
• 8 Goals Video
• ONE (hip-hop performance)
• Racial Reconciliation Creative Piece
• Dialogical Sermon
• Making the Band Original Piece
• Offering (Man on the Street Interview??)
• “Waiting on the World to Change”
• Conclusion (Communion?)
• Closing Performance – Come Together

Please contact Ben Kickert or Gary Hook if you have questions.

Organizational Meeting Tonight!!

Hey folks, we will be meeting at Broadway UMC to discuss upcoming plans for our upcoming Voices Against Poverty Showcase. We will meet in the Video Cafe at Broadway. You can get directions here.

We will be continuing with the focus on the ONE campaign and the Millennium Development Goals, but the theme this time will be “Come Together.”

The preparation sessions will run from March 28 through April 25 with the showcase on April 28th at Broadway. We are in need of people to help organize and lead. If you receive this email it is because you either were involved in the first U2charist or you are a part of Emergent-BG. Either way we would love your help. Please feel free to forward this to anyone else who would like to be involved.

If you have questions I encourage you attend this organizational meeting on Wednesday or to contact Gary Hook or Ben Kickert. We will be sure to keep you posted on developments.

With Valentine’s day fast approach (and a topic Beth and I try to avoid), did you know that 50% of all chocolate is produced using the labor of child slaves? Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing international crimes. What to know more? Check out www.stopthetraffik.com.

Also, here is a story from CNN from today: Jail me, I ate slave-made Ivory Coast chocolate

This is more of a personal post than anything I have written yet, but I value this community as a forum and wanted to post my thoughts.

So I met with a mentor of mine the other day to discuss a variety of issues. As we were discussing my understanding of faith and the struggles I have worked through, I made the comment that during the one of the lowest times of my spiritual life, I came to a point where I either had to walk away from the faith, or come up with a new understanding of it. It was painful experience and for me, the theology of the emerging church and post-modernity offered the new lens that I needed. Rather than “finding faith” I found my beliefs shifted so that I could “keep my faith.”

Her response was, “Sometimes it is better to walk away.”

I understand her perspective – those leading the church should be firmly rooted and it is better to have a false teacher leave the church than to have one lead people away.

The problem comes when that person is you.

That is why I value these friendships so much. Emergent-BG has offered me a place to work through my own doubts and issues (and believe me there are many) without condemnation. At the same time, I hope it has served as an environment where others can explore faith paths even if they don’t prescribe to one.

All that is to say, thank you all for being a community where we each can work journey spiritually together.

The seminar this weekend with Brian McLaren and Steve Chalke was excellent.  Steve was just as impressive as Brian, and the whole conversation was useful and challenging.  Here are some of the soundbites that stuck with me:

“In a post-modern theological setting, our dialog partners are no longer Christians.” -Brian McLaren

“As in art, poetry, music, etc., the best theology is worked out in pain” – Steve Chalke

“Sin is best understood as an infection rather than an infraction” -BM

“In an intelligent church, our Christology shapes our missiology, which shapes our ecclesiology” -SC

“A church is best defined as a dynamic set of ongoing social and spiritual relationships centered on Christ… everything else is cultural baggage.” -SC

“Our task is to create, model and encourage new ways of doing and being church at the heart of every community.” -SC

(in speaking of the Kingdom of God and the deliverance it brings) “We are saved FROM sin, not just from punishment” -BM

“We exist to bring God’s Kingdom, his Shalom, to these people.” -SC

“The greatest danger, and compromise in the church is to hide away and entertain ourselves to death” -SC

“We need to develop a culture among us where we can experiment and fail.” -SC

“There are two synergistic ways to bring about productive change in our churches: planting new churches that innovate to meet the immediate need, and renewing (or reconceiving) existing church that imitate.” -BM

“Let’s hope that churches on all levels and from all backgrounds are successful.” -BM

“I think mega-churches have a bright future, but it is a difficult future.” -BM

“God may not be a universalist, but we should all wish he was.” -SC

“I am not asking the question of who is in and who is out, I am asking the question of how can the Kingdom of God come to earth.” -BM

**quotes may not be verbatum**

Ya gotta love this time of year – when family members you only talk to at the holidays begin calling and asking what you want for Christmas, or more likely, telling you what they want. At least that is how it has been at our house. So what do you tell them? Have you thought about asking for a cow? Or better yet, asking to be an international financier? Check out these alternative gift ideas…

• Oxfam America Unwrapped – Great website where you can buy gifts for other areas of the world such as a cow to provide milk for a village ($75), or a buy an emergency toilet for distaster areas ($50). Of course if you are a bit more conservative, you can buy a heigne kit ($22).
• Heifer International – Perhaps the best know of organizations like the one above. Here you can buy any of a variety of animals (or other gifts) to help families in need. Families in need can use a sheep way more than you can use that cashmere sweater.
• Kiva.org – Loans that save lives. Perhaps you are familiar with Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank, who just won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in micro-financing. This is the same idea, but on a small scale. You can loan money to deserving people world wide so they can establish what they need to sustain themselves.

It is easy to complain about the capitalistic, materialistic atmosphere of Christmas, but here is something you can do to actually make a difference.

What if we celebrated the birth of a King by fulfilling the Kingdom?

The Kingdom of God is at Hand – but God has called his church to bring about its fulfillment.

This was seen in an incredible way last Sunday at the u2charist service held at Christ Episcopal church. Here are some of the reactions from people involved:

Jim Quigley:

I’m sitting here at my desk at work after a day off yesterday. I’m also sitting in a puddle of my own tears. Images of starving children bullet across my consciousness – the Eight video won’t stop playing. ONE! TWO! THREE! Gary and Marcus’ voice keep calling – to you to you to you…may we be one – Sunday Bloody Sunday. There are lives at stake there are lives at stake therearelivesatstaketherearelivesatstaketherearelivesatstakemillionsandmillionsofthemeven ourlivesareatstake. Jesus, I pray it’s all too much. Church may never be the same for me. In fact nothing may be. I’m no stranger to art and performance or the powerful evocative or the mysterious sacred and yet our service is still playing itself out in my mind – most of all in the form of a starving naked boy. My God what have we done? And I mean, my God, what have we done? What have we humans done to the earth and to one another? That white bird covered in oil…

We are sending a check the THE HUNGER PROJECT for more than $7,000. Six million nine-hundred and ninety-three thousand to go. I think that’s a reasonable goal. Another even 7. A biblical number. C’mon.

Thank you all for all of this. You know, I think I have had Christmas now, a little early. In the church we call this incarnation, and for me incarnation is a marriage of pain and love – my image of GOD in Christ – that’s Jesus for me. You all have helped me recognize Christ again – thank you from the bottom of my broken heart.

Gary Hook:

I am kind of late in my response to the beautiful event that we all help create this past weekend. All I would like to say to everyone involved is thank you all for what each person has done…………that night i truly felt something……..something I rarely feel.

I have enjoyed getting to know each one of you during this process. Once I know you I love you. Thank You for being who you are you are all great.

Somebody call Bono and tell him to get down to Bowling Green. We are doing BIG things.

Ron Morehead:

I can really say that this has been one of the highlights of the past year for me. To be able to meet such amazing people as Ben and Gary and Paul and Bonnie and Lauren and Sharon and everyone else over the past few weeks has been great! To work with some of the kids and feel their energy and passion has been uplifting. To have the leadership of Steve and Jim and Ben and others to guide us down this path is inspirational.

Tonight was perfect, in every way! I was sweating bullets hoping that the tech side would come off great (you never know when computers will act up!) Every person involved committed themselves to this project and all the little puzzle pieces of each person’s contribution fit perfectly into a grand picture and message that everyone loved. Everyone I looked at in the crowd was riveted to every word, every picture, every rhythm, every note and everything that we put together. How amazing!

I want to thank everyone for a truly inspiring message for myself and for others. We talked about the service all during dinner with some friends that we invited and because of that, I know that such collaborations between groups such as Christ Episcopal, Broadway, and Kaleidoscope should and hopefully will continue in the future.

Anyone thinking of BG ONE 2007???? I’m up for it!

This is the revolution – We are the revolutionaries – Don’t Close Your Eyes!

I opened up my email today and found the weekly newsletter from Emergent Village to be particularly relevant to where we are as a gathering in our formative stages.

People are drowning in the world—they are rethinking Jesus and church and Christianity and ministry, and they think they are all alone. People are ready to give up on faith and ministry and church. Then, one day, they find a blog or read a book or show up at an event, and they say, “Omigosh! I thought I was all alone. I thought I was the only one feeling these things, and now I find there’s a whole host of people asking the same questions as I am!”

I can’t help but wonder how many more people are out there, about to give up on ministry or even on faith…? Or how many people will never give Jesus a chance because they’re convinced that Christ-followers are a bunch of closed-minded ideologues…?

Those questions reconfirm to me the importance of the Emergent Village friendship, and the necessity of keeping that friendship open into the future—really, into God’s future.

I keep hearing similar sentiments from those of us already engaging this conversation.  We have been burned by what church has become and hoping there is something more.  This is why I am convinced of the importance of getting several of us together to continue discussion.