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Will TPA, TPP and TTIP create “Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All?”

Rachel Williams, Legislative Intern

In the State of the Union speech last month, President Obama reaffirmed his priorities and his interest on passing trade agreements with Asia and the European Union. These agreements, he claimed, would “protect our workers, protect our environment and open new markets to new goods stamped ‘Made in the USA.'” Announcing his intentions, the President is now looking to Congress to help pass three main pieces of legislation, including:

  • Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) – the authority of the President to negotiate trade agreements from Congressional approval. It is a technique which has been used to block opportunities for dissenting members of Congress to amend or filibuster an agreement.
  • The Trans-Pacific Partnership Act (TPP) – A trade agreement between 11 different countries in the Pacific Ocean Region. Congress and the public have not seen the trade agreement itself, making it difficult to know the final compromises and agreements.
  • The Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – A trade agreement with European Union members.

Trade may at times seem insignificant, but it affects many aspects of our daily lives: from jobs, wages, and benefits, to international relations and global poverty. In light of the globalizing economy and reality of these new agreements, we must ask ourselves as people of faith, “will these policies help all of God’s people thrive?”

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America supports policies which help promote holistic economic growth, recognizing the value of raising families out of poverty and fostering a “sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all” (see the ELCA Statement on Economic Life). We believe that everyone should be able to support themselves and prosper within an economy.

Proponents of TPA support the trade agreements because it shows a united government during trade negotiations, creating stronger leverage in the trade talks. However, there is concerned about haste in passing these agreements. Some have indicated that there won’t be enough time to read the agreement, debate it, or know what agreements will actually be upheld in the final version. Opponents worry that, if written carelessly, agreements may continue to weaken standards that harm workers (both domestically and internationally), enable policies which harm the environment, and prey on marginalized communities for their resources. With that being said, strong trade policy can be a chance to create regulations that benefit both businesses and consumers.

The Church has acknowledged that what is in our interest must be placed in the context of what is good for the neighbor.When making decisions in the economic realm how our actions affect our neighbors must also be taken into consideration.Sudden shifts in globalized capital and financial markets can dramatically affect the economic well-being of millions of people, for good or for ill (ELCA statement on Economic Life).

Some Members of Congress have also explained how TPP and TTIP could be a chance to set high-standard trade rules for the international community. These trade agreements could create regulations that benefit both American businesses and consumers. Although TPP and TTIP can be a chance to create regulations that benefit both American businesses and consumers, terms of trade often work to the disadvantage of developing countries. Furthermore, benefits of trade agreements hinge on whether or not the countries signatory to them honor them as well whether there are ways to enforce the trade agreements.

Trade agreements are important reflections of our values as a country and can have a positive or detrimental effect on the daily lives of billions of people. With TPP agreements to finish in March, we will continue to support policies that are inclusive and protect marginalized populations. Trade agreements should give everyone a chance to thrive and create a livelihood can be an agreement we all can stand behind. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus brings good news to the poor and releases the captive. God executed justice for the oppressed. As followers of Christ, we must ensure that the actions of our government do not cause dire consequences to those with less power.

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Nombran a Vásquez-Levy presidente de la Escuela de Religión del Pacífico

El reverendo Vásquez-Levy, pastor de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América (ELCA, por sus siglas en inglés) será el decimosegundo presidente de la Escuela de Religión del Pacífico en Berkeley, California. Vásquez-Levy fue pastor universitario en la Universidad Luther en Decorah, Iowa, una de las 26 universidades y facultades de la ELCA. Vásquez-Levy es el primer luterano y latino en fungir como presidente de la Escuela de Religión del Pacífico y una de las cuatro personas de origen latino que sirven como presidentes de un seminario acreditado en EE.UU.

“Me siente muy emocionado de incorporarme a una comunidad que ha servido de avanzada para traer las buenas nuevas del Evangelio a problemas tan diversos como la igualdad de género, los derechos humanos, la paz y la justicia (y más) y que está posicionada para ser catalizadora de conversaciones ininterrumpidas que amplíen el espectro de las personas de fe y convicción que quieran unirse para moldear el futuro”, dijo Vásquez-Levy.

Obtuvo el título de Maestría en Teología por la Escuela Luterana de Teología en Chicago en 1995 y el Doctorado en Ministerio por la misma institución en 2001. Este es uno de los ocho seminarios de la ELCA. Vásquez-Ley es autor de varias publicaciones. También es un entregado promotor de políticas migratorias humanitarias. Después de la redada migratoria de 2008 en Postville, Iowa, Vásquez-Levy fue uno de los directores del equipo de Ayuda Humanitaria de Postville. Ha prestado sus servicios como asesor en dos documentales sobre la redada, trabajó estrechamente con los Servicios Luteranos para la Inmigración y los Refugiados con sede en Baltimore, y participó en conversaciones en la Casa Blanca y en informes al Congreso sobre la redada en Postville y la inmigración.

“El presidente David Vásquez aportará fortaleza a la dirección estratégica de la Escuela de Religión del Pacífico con el fin de inspirar, capacitar y sostener a líderes con base espiritual que estén a favor del cambio social”, explicó David Tiede, presidente emérito del Seminario Luther en St. Paul, Minnesota, y ex presidente interino de la Universidad Luther.

Amanda Straw es alumna de la Universidad DePauw en Greencastle, Indiana, y sigue estudios de licenciatura en escritura en inglés. Está prestando sus servicios como interna de la organización nacional de la ELCA.​

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March 1, 2015–Losing to Gain

Bob Chell–Sioux Falls, SD

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Warm-up Question

What has been the happiest day of your life? What made it so? Does it give you any insight into how to achieve happiness in the future? Is happiness the goal or key to a fulfilling life? If not, what is?

Losing to Gain

Paul Dolan, a professor who studies happiness suggests there is a disconnect between what we think and how we feel. Sometimes the things we think will make us happy do not. Perhaps the person you’ve crushed on for months has returned your interest but over time you realize you miss other friends, hobbies or even your ‘old self.’ Dolan suggests we pay attention to what makes us happy on a daily basis. His formula for happiness suggests we organize our lives around those things which give us pleasure and purpose.

 

Discussion Questions

  •  How would you rate the following in their ability to provide pleasure and purpose to your life;
    1. Things
    2. Experiences
    3. Relationships
    4. Faith
  • Does the time and energy you spend focusing on these areas reflect which you value most and which you value least?
  • What is it that gives meaning to life? Happiness, Peace, Power, Faith, Love, Work, something else? Why?
  • Professor Dolan doesn’t mention faith in this article on achieving happiness. Does meaning come from deep within ourselves or from something outside and beyond ourselves?

Second Sunday in Lent

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Romans 4:13-25

Mark 8:31-38

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

 

Gospel Reflection

He was 30 years old when he came into the prison where I am pastor. He will become eligible for parole when he is 65. He will complete his sentence when he is 100 years old. One could easily say he has ‘lost his life.’ His life is routine and regimented, each day much like the last. On holidays he, like everyone else, is locked in his cell all day because shops are closed and so more staff can have the holiday off. He earns 25¢ an hour at his prison job. There are four men for every job, so he is happy to be working. The money can only be spent at the prison commissary where prices are high and selection is severely limited. One popular item, Ramen noodles, costs 37¢ each.

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Here is what he has told me about coming to prison.

“This is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Coming to prison saved my life.”

“I lost everything to gain everything.”

If you are skeptical about this I don’t blame you. I would be too if I didn’t see his smile when he says these things. If I didn’t witness how he lives his life day to day. He came into the prison unfamiliar with the Christian faith. He was baptized a year ago and serves on the church council for our prison congregation now. His faith dwarfs my own and his sense of inner peace is astounding to me.

Discussion Questions

  • This man lost his life because of his crime not for Jesus’ sake, do these verses about losing your life to save it apply to him?
  • Is a cross something we freely choose or something that happens to us?
  • What is the cross in your life today? Are you carrying it or nailed to it? Explain.

Activity Suggestions

  •  Ask someone you trust and respect what gives meaning and purpose to their life? What is one piece of advice they would give to someone looking for meaning purpose and happiness in life.
  • Imagine the prisoner described above could have lived one hour of your life last week.  What hour would he choose? (My answer is below. Read it after you decide on your answer.)
  • How would you answer someone younger who asked you the key to happinessn life, success in High School, or inner peace?My answer: As a prison pastor I’ve come to realize I know 700 plus men who would relish the day to day tasks I dislike. I thought of it this week when, running late, I realized I had snow to shovel before leaving home. To me, an hour of cold, hard work and inconvenience. To the men I serve; an hour outdoors, an hour alone, an hour of quiet and peace, an hour to relish the beauty of gently falling snow, cold wind on their cheeks and the tired feeling of well used muscles.  

Closing Prayer

Jesus, open our eyes to the hiddenness of your kingdom. To joy in hard work, meaning in loss and peace in the midst of turmoil.  Amen.

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Lenten Reflection: Thinking about food in a time of fasting

Mary Minette, Director for Environmental Education and Advocacy

“You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.  The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together with joy.”

Psalm 65:11-13

For Lent, some people give up a favorite food as a way to reflect on scarcity and abundance, the gifts that God has given, and the sacrifice embodied in Christ’s life, death and resurrection.  I’ve done this myself because I thought it was a good way to focus on the meaning and purpose of the Lenten season (although my husband says that the year I gave up chocolate I became unbelievably cranky).  Rather than giving up a food this year, my plan for Lent is to try to be more mindful of and thankful for the food that blesses and feeds me and my family. I aim to do this by finding ways to eat more sustainably and avoid waste.

mary23If you’ve been reading the “Living Earth Reflections” I send each month, you probably know that I get a little obsessive about food waste.   I lay that at the feet of my depression-era mother, who never had a leftover too small to stick in a little plastic container against some future need.  For her to do otherwise would have gone against what she was taught during her childhood. Food was a gift and a blessing, especially in times of scarcity. To waste it was wrong.

She definitely had a point.  In our world of abundance, many still don’t have enough to eat.  In our country and in the developed world as a whole, we waste a lot of food.  This waste has economic, environmental and moral costs.

Each year an average U.S. family of four wastes an estimated $1484 in food. In our slowly growing and wage-stagnant economy, that’s not a small amount! In 2010, the USDA estimated that 153 billion pounds of food with a retail value of $161 billion was wasted by U.S. consumers and retailers, more than one-third of our food supply. Wasted food also wastes all of the resources that go into growing, shipping, packaging and refrigerating food before it even reaches your table—and this also includes a lot of energy, much of which comes from polluting fossil fuels.

Most wasted food ends up in a landfill. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food thrown away by consumers, restaurants, grocery stores and others at all points along our industrial food chain is the largest single component of landfills.  Food waste not only takes up space in landfills, it also produces methane as it decays. (Methane is one of the most potent of the greenhouse gases that is causing climate change, and landfills are the third largest source of U.S. methane emissions.)

Then there is the moral cost of food waste. Wasting food shows disregard for the farmer who grew the food, to all those who played a role in bringing it to the table and to our God whose creation offers us food in abundance.  In a world where many of our neighbors are hungry, wasted food seems to embody an indifference to their suffering.  When your mother told you to “think of the starving children” if you refused to clean your plate, she was making a moral point that deserves further reflection.  How should we as Christians view a food system that allows millions of tons of food to rot in landfills while billions go hungry?  And what role does our own wasted food play in that system?

Lent and its focus on spiritual discipline is a good time to ponder the role of food in our lives and to try some new, more sustainable practices (and see if they stick).  Here are just a few:

Thank you for this opportunity to reflect with you today.

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Malawi: Flood recovery and community resilience

Megan Brandsrud

Malawi flooding - courtesy of ELDS

In January, Malawi was hit with unprecedented flooding after days of heavy rains. Approximately 230,000 people were displaced due to the emergency and more than 200 people died – with more than 100 people still missing. Overall, approximately 630,000 people in the southern African country have been impacted by the devastating floods.

Two of the most impacted districts are Chikwawa and Phalombe. Evangelical Lutheran Development Service (ELDS), a program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi, is active in these districts. With ELDS, Lutheran Disaster Response is helping provide assistance to 22,000 people in Chikwawa and Phalombe districts. Assistance will be focused on emergency shelter, health, food security, water and sanitation.

  • Temporary shelter items will include plastic sheeting, nails and poles.
  • Health efforts will include first-aid training and distribution of bed nets to reduce malaria infection, which is currently higher than normal due to the water.
  • Water and sanitation support will include distribution of buckets, water treatment products used to make water potable and hygiene kits. One hundred latrines will also be constructed to serve households in the districts.

Members of the communities where ELDS will be active will also take part in a community-based psychosocial and disaster-risk management program to help build capacity and resilience to the effects of disaster.

In order to ensure that communities are fully represented, ELDS will work to integrate cross-cutting issues into the project so that women, children, elderly parents and people living with HIV/AIDS are reached.

While disaster recovery is just beginning, Lutheran Disaster Response will continue to accompany the people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi throughout their whole journey in working to rebuild communities and bolster resilience.

If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in responding to the flooding in Malawi, please visit theLutheran Disaster Response giving page.

Photo courtesy of Evangelical Lutheran Development Service.

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Reflect and take action with us this Lenten season

Tia Upchurch-Freelove, ELCA Program Director of Communications and Grassroots Outreach
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?”
– Isaiah 58:6-7
This season of Lent is a time of fasting, prayer and reflection in preparation for the feast of Easter. The words of the prophet Isaiah remind us that our fasting should connect deeply to meaningful changes in the way we live our daily lives and the way we see our world.
As we journey through these 40 days of Lent, we invite you to join our ELCA Advocacy staff each week for reflections on important issues and discussions on ways in which we can act together to affect positive and long-lasting changes in our communities.
Today, on Ash Wednesday, we pray that God grants us renewed and honest hearts so that we may fully repent our sins and receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. This day, we begin to think about the beauty and brokenness we see in our world, and we consider how our daily lives affect this beauty and brokenness.

Reflecting on hunger and poverty in our world

As you begin your fasting and reflection this week, consider those in the world for whom going hungry is not a spiritual practice. We encourage you to raise awareness around issues surrounding hunger and poverty by utilizing multiple important ELCA World Hunger resources:
Be the first to recieve our Advocacy Reflections this Lenten season by signing up for our ELCA Advocacy Alerts!
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February 22, 2015–Three Days in the Wilderness

John Wertz–Blacksburg, VA

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Warm-up Question

Have you ever lost a book, or your phone or one of your favorite possession?  What did you lose?  How did losing the item make you feel?

Three Days in the Wilderness

On a Wednesday morning in late January, Julie Abrahamsen, a 20 year old Norwegian native, set out for a day of snowboarding in mountains of British Columbia.  Intent upon exploring some of the wilderness areas around her resort, Ms. Abrahamsen decided to leave the marked trails and ski out of bounds.  Initially, Ms. Abrahamsen connected with a group of backpackers, but she quickly became separated from that group and found herself lost and alone in the wilderness.

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Since Ms. Abrahamsen had only intended to be gone for a short time, she wasn’t carrying an emergency beacon, she didn’t have any extra dry clothing and she only had a small packet of noodles to eat.  While it would have been easy for Ms. Abrahamsen to panic, she stayed calm and made it her mission to get out alive.  During the day, she hiked through the deep snow looking for signs of civilization.  At night, she found cover under rock overhangs and used fir branches for ground cover.  On her third day in the wilderness, Ms. Abrahamsen tried unsuccessfully to hike through a creek which left her soaking wet.

Meanwhile, Ms. Abrahamsen’s father became concerned when she didn’t call him on Wednesday night.  He reached out to people in the area where she was staying.  By Thursday, local officials and her housemates began to search for her.  After two days of unsuccessful searching, people began to worry that they might not find her alive.

Thankfully, after 72 hours alone in the cold Canadian mountains, Ms. Abrahamsen’s tracks were spotted by a rescue helicopter and she was plucked from the wilderness and returned to safety.

Discussion Questions

  • Whhat do you think was the key to Ms. Abrahamsen’s survival in the wilderness?  Do you think she would have made it home without the help of the rescuers?
  • What do you think Ms. Abrahamsen learned from her experience?  What can we learn from her experience that could help us in the event that we ever get lost?
  • What do you think it felt like to be one of the searchers when she was still missing after two days?  How would you feel if you had been the one to spot her tracks and help bring her home?

First Sunday in Lent

Genesis 9:8-17

1 Peter 3:18-22

Mark 1:9-15

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

 

Gospel Reflection

Can you imagine spending 40 days in the wilderness?  Can you imagine spending 40 days with the wild animals away from the comforts of home?  Can you imagine spending 40 days being tired, hungry and uncomfortable plus facing temptation by Satan?  The 40 days in the wilderness following Jesus’ baptism, couldn’t have been much fun.  It would have been easy for Jesus to get discouraged, scared, or feel run down by the experience.  With the help of God, with the presence of the Holy Spirit, and with the assistance of the angels, however, Jesus not only survives his forty days in the wilderness, but he emerges from the wilderness immediately begins to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom to the world.

Hopefully, you won’t every be physically lost in the wilderness, but chances are that someday, you will face a wilderness time in your life – a time when you feel alone, uncomfortable or unsure about what to do next.  The wilderness you face might come from a problem with a family member or friend.  It might come from an issue at school or at work.  Your wilderness time might be the result of a poor decision or an illness. Wilderness moments can pop up in an instant and, in some cases, it can feel like you will never find your way out.  Thankfully, as Jesus’ experience reminds us, with God’s help, it is possible make it through the wilderness.

When we find ourselves in the wilderness, we can find hope in the good news that Jesus has gone to the wilderness before us and overcome the temptation and confusion that wilderness can bring. When we find ourselves in the wilderness, we can find comfort in the knowledge that God will be with us, just as God, through the angels, was with Jesus.   When we find ourselves in the wilderness, we can find encouragement in the knowledge that when Jesus left the wilderness, he was more fully prepared for the life and ministry that was before him.  Just like Jesus, when we face and overcome difficult times, we can emerge stronger, more confident and more connected to God.

Discussion Questions

  • Why do you think the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness following his baptism instead of sending Jesus to immediately begin preaching and teaching?
  • What is one lesson you have learned from going through a difficult time?
  • While Jesus is in the wilderness, the Gospel of Mark says that the angels waited on Jesus.  Who helps and supports you when you face difficult times?

Activity Suggestions

  • Work together to make a list of resources that God has given you to help you when you face wilderness times.  Be specific.  Include resources like the names of individuals who can help, cite specific passages from the Bible that offer hope and list local community agencies that can help in times of crisis.
  • Jesus emerged from the wilderness and began proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.  Create a series of tweets, Facebook posts or images for Instagram that you or your congregation could use to proclaim the kingdom of God to the world.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, our good shepherd, you are present with us in our times of need.  Help us to know that nothing will ever be able to separate us from your love. Guide us through the wilderness times in our lives and help us to proclaim your Word to a hurting world.  In your name we pray.  Amen.

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Ya disponible: Manual bilingüe de la Primera Comunión para congregaciones de la ELCA

El Manual bilingüe de Primera Comunión y el CD de acompañamiento ya está disponible de forma gratuita para las congregaciones latinas de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América. La guía ha sido diseñada de tal manera que se puede trabajar en español, en inglés o en ambos idiomas según la realidad y preferencias de cada congregación. Consta de veinte lecciones, y está diseñado para niños y niñas en edad escolar de entre tercero y sexto grado. Los contenidos de esta guía combinan temáticas selectivas de la Biblia (Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento), del Catecismo Menor de Martín Lutero, y del calendario litúrgico (festividades religiosas anuales).

Cada lección contiene tres partes: la guía del maestro, la guía del alumno y la sesión de arte o manualidades. Cada parte ha sido originalmente elaborada para desarrollarse en treinta minutos, es decir, que cada lección supone una clase de una hora y media. Sin embargo, cada congregación puede adaptarlo según su

propia realidad y necesidad. “Otra práctica que también se recomienda es ofrecer un grupo de estudio bíblico para los padres de familia mientras los niños y niñas están recibiendo su clase de primera comunión.”, indicó el Rev. Dr. Héctor Carrasquillo, director de los Ministerios Latinos de la ELCA.

Esta guía también va acompañada de un disco compacto (CD) que contiene 20 cantos cristianos tomados del “Libro de Liturgia y Cántico” (Libro rojo de la Iglesia Luterana). Es decir que hay un canto sugerido para cada lección, el cual también puede incluirse como parte de la clase si usted así lo desea o si el tiempo se lo permite. El canto en sí es una “pista” la cual puede cantar con los estudiantes en el idioma de su preferencia (español o inglés), tomando en consideración que no todos están disponibles de forma bilingüe. En el CD también se incluye una guía de respuestas para los ejercicios de los estudiantes y la guía completa de primera comunión, de tal manera que en cada congregación se puedan imprimir y reproducir no solo los ejercicios para los estudiantes sino también todas las partes que se necesiten

Para ordenar, favor de mandar un mensaje por email a hector.carrasquillo@elca.org.

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Peace Not Walls Action Alert: Help End Augusta Victoria Hospital Cash Crisis

Peace Not Walls

Last November, with the help of ELCA members like you, advocates for the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH), operated by The Lutheran World Federation in East Jerusalem, applauded the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for releasing more than $13 million in helping relieve the cash flow crisis facing the hospital. AVH is again facing a cash flow crisis as a result of the inability of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to pay the fees for the patients it referred to AVH during the period of June through December 2014.

The funding from USAID, along with a similar contribution from the European Union, covered debt owed to the Hospital by the Palestinian Authority for patients referred by the PA to the AVH for medical care provided during the year 2013 through mid-May 2014.

Even though the PA made an additional payment of the equivalent of approximately $263,000 in December 2014, unfortunately, the uncovered costs of care for the rest of 2014 (about $16.6 million) as well as 2015 have not been met because the PA’s budgetary shortfalls persist.  Meanwhile, the costs for patients referred to the AVH continue to mount at the rate of between $2 and $2.5 million per month.

The situation has taken on considerable urgency again because the PA’s already precarious financial situation has been exacerbated by the Israeli government’s recent decision to freeze $127 million in tax revenues as well as by the possibility of new U.S. Congressional restrictions on American assistance to the Palestinian Authority due to the PA’s plan to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Please ask the US Congress to issue a letter of authorization for the immediate transfer of unspent 2014 funds and 2015 allocations to USAID in order to meet an urgent humanitarian need of the Palestinian people by covering at least 50% of the PA debt to Augusta Victoria Hospital and the other East Jerusalem hospitals.

We have an online form to make it easy to contact your representative, including a sample letter.

Contact the Peace Not Walls team for additional information: peacenotwalls@elca.org

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Loving the Neighbor – Guest Post from Rev. Linda Johnson Seyenkulo

Megan Brandsrud

This is a guest post from Rev. Linda Johnson Seyenkulo, an ELCA missionary to Liberia.

I’ve been thinking about the Good Samaritan story lately and the concept of neighbor.

“Who is my neighbor?” the Pharisee asked Jesus. Even if we are not well-versed in Christian faith or the Bible, we know the story of the Good Samaritan and the definition of neighbor. Or do we?

Recently, I was called as a missionary to Liberia, West Africa. Due to the terrible Ebola epidemic that has swept West Africa – most especially Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – I found myself back home in Minnesota, where I grew up.  For a time, I was living in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota. It sounds weird, but I was a missionary to Liberia deployed to Minnesota. I soon found myself connected with the Liberian community in Minnesota, which is home to the largest Liberian immigrant community in the U.S. Approximately 30-40,000 Liberians live and work in Minnesota, many of whom have been in the Minneapolis area for more than 20 years.

Seeing the reality of life for Liberian Minnesotans, given the Ebola crisis in West Africa, brought to mind the concept of neighbor and how it has been playing out in their lives. I had several opportunities to worship, preach and speak at services and events held in Lutheran churches. During some of those opportunities, there were Liberian Minnesotans present and I heard stories about how Ebola in West Africa has affected the Liberian community in Minnesota.

At a memorial service for victims of Ebola attended by about 500 people, there were stories of loss and of Ebola victims who were loved. We heard from the fiancée of the man who died in Dallas, Texas. One man shared about losing 7 family members to Ebola. He and others prayed and testified.

The stories were hard to hear, but what was even harder to hear were the stories of children being bullied at school because they are Liberian and might have Ebola. Or stories from adults who were sent home from work for sneezing or coughing because they are Liberian and might have Ebola. And stories of people’s long-time co-workers and friends (some as long as 20 years) becoming distant and fearful around them because of Ebola. These are people whose only connection to Ebola is that they are Liberian and have relatives living where the epidemic is.

At Lutheran church services in Minneapolis and St. Paul, people shared the same stories of bullying and being ostracized because of being Liberian.

To top it off,  a local politician ran an ad the night before the elections in Minnesota, telling people his opponent would not be able to protect them from Ebola (and by extension seemed to say, “Be afraid of your Liberian friends and neighbors.”)

I need to say that during this same time, the Bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod spoke at the memorial service for Ebola victims. The Bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod wrote a pastoral letter detailing the realities facing our Liberian brothers and sisters in Minneapolis/St. Paul and the surrounding communities to the congregations under her care. These actions were very important because Lutherans abound in Minnesota and their witness is key to living as neighbors together. It was a start, from a certain level of the Lutheran church. Some of the congregations I met with, many of them fairly recent immigrant churches (within the last 100 years), are starting to be home to more recent immigrants. In addition, a few Liberian Minnesotans shared stories about friends who had not turned away.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, the man from Samaria overlooked everything that his culture and social structure told him. Instead, he saw someone who was human, like him, and needed relationship.

What we sometimes overlook is how hard it is to be neighbor to people who seem different from what we know—especially when that difference is connected to fear and stereotypes that fill our senses. Being a neighbor is a hard and time-consuming process that moves us away from seeing difference and into being connected in real and meaningful ways. It’s living in love, risking in love, being connected in love. Remember, love casts out fear. Things like our fear of Ebola, what we see in media reports about people, and even popular opinion can’t be allowed to take over and keep us from real and true relationship with the neighbor.

I found myself thinking how different some situations would have been if we asked, “Who is my neighbor, and what does it mean to be a neighbor?” Those are not abstract, academic questions.  They are a basic part of being a Lutheran Christian; a basic ethic of how to live the way of Jesus.  Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  It is as simple and as difficult as that.

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