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\u201cTherefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely.\u201d (Hebrews 12:1)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Wall of Moms.\u00a0 And Dads, Veterans, and Nurses. The number of groups who support #BlackLivesMatter in Portland and beyond is steadily growing.\u00a0Since the first demonstrations arose after the murder of George Floyd, the movement for justice has been constant and increasing.<\/p>\n Oh, the clergy are definitely present!\u00a0 But they\u2019re not always given the same media coverage.<\/p>\n Just as many groups have stepped up to be in solidarity with the protesters, clergy have been a constant presence at these events. We might say they are the #CloudOfClergy.\u00a0 And the #CloudOfClergy is everywhere!\u00a0 Some faith leaders have been on the front lines. Others have offered care and prayer for protesters needing respite.\u00a0 Some are engaging in community organizing or teaching in seminary classrooms. Still others are in their houses of worship preaching sermons and teaching their congregations the importance of protest as an act of faith.<\/p>\n In Portland, for example, Rabbi Ariel Stone leads the Portland Interfaith Resistance<\/a>, a group of more than 100 clergy with a visible presence at the protests.\u00a0 In their purple vests with a \u201cClergy Witness\u201d<\/a> sign on their backs, these faith leaders take their cue from ACLU observers, but with an emphasis on bringing a moral lens to the protests.<\/p>\n Another group is the Faith Matters Network<\/a>, a Womanist-led organization equipping community organizers, faith leaders, and activists with resources for connection, spiritual sustainability, and accompaniment.\u00a0 Founded by Rev. Jen Bailey, FMN has a \u201cMovement Chaplaincy\u201d training program called \u201cDaring Compassion.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0The program equips faith leaders to offer spiritual, emotional and relational support to people engaged in social justice movements. Micky ScottBey Jones, FMN\u2019s Director of Healing and Resilience Initiatives, notes that movement chaplains don\u2019t just show up at protests. They also\u00a0accompany activists in the spiritually demanding work of fighting systemic injustice<\/a>.<\/p>\n And, of course, there is the Poor People\u2019s Campaign<\/a> \u2013 A National Call for a Moral Revival, led by the Revs. Dr. William Barber and Liz Theoharis.\u00a0 Continuing the work of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s Poor People\u2019s Campaign of the 1960\u2019s, the current iteration had its genesis in the \u201cMoral Monday\u201d<\/a> movement in North Carolina in 2013.\u00a0 With chapters in 23 states, PPC has mobilized thousands of clergy and other people of faith to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience. They address the intersecting injustices<\/a> of systemic racism, poverty\/inequality, ecological devastation, and the war economy\/militarism.<\/p>\n After June 1, a clergy group formed in response to the president\u2019s military incursion against St. John\u2019s Episcopal Church in Washington D.C.\u00a0 It\u2019s a group that I helped to co-found called the Clergy Emergency League<\/a> (CEL).\u00a0 CEL is a grassroots network of primarily Christian clergy speaking with a unified voice against the abuses of power at the federal, state, and local levels. The recent events involving the brutality of law enforcement and federal agents across the U.S. compelled the group to form in June. We speak against the unlawful, violent, abusive, and unconstitutional conduct of the State against U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n In less than two months, the group has drawn more than 1,500 members spanning forty states across ten different denominations.<\/p>\n We recognize that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) have endured oppression and abuse for hundreds of years. This abuse has often been ignored (or even encouraged) by white Christian clergy and their congregations.<\/p>\n CEL draws on the historic work of the Pastor\u2019s Emergency League that formed in 1930\u2019s Germany. With the Confessing Church movement, they resisted the Nazi take-over of the Christian Church. Today, we resist the State\u2019s intrusion on the First Amendment\u2019s establishment clause and the rights free speech, freedom of religion, and peaceable assembly.\u00a0 We repudiate the fusion of politics with radical, right-wing, fundamentalist Christianity.\u00a0 And we denounce the growing power of racist white nationalism and a militarized police state.<\/p>\n The goal of CEL is to provide support, accountability, resources, and networking for clergy to prophetically minister in their congregations and the public square in this time of political upheaval, social unrest, and partisan division.<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s putting on a mask and linking arms with protesters. Or setting up chaplaincy tents where people can find refreshment, a calming presence, and a listening ear. Even if it\u2019s simply finding the courage to publicly preach, teach, pray, or lead worship in a way that supports justice in your own congregation, that work is important as well.<\/p>\n #CloudOfClergy refers to the image of the \u201cgreat cloud of witnesses\u201d described in Hebrews Chapter 12 who resist evil and oppression, persevere in their proclamation, and look to God to sustain their faith in the midst of persecution.<\/p>\n This includes reaching out to existing ministeriums and interfaith\/multifaith groups. Clergy can also offer support to justice groups who are already organizing.\u00a0Rather than take the lead, white clergy would do well to humbly listen to those who are already on the ground organizing these efforts.\u00a0 Find out what is needed and how you can be helpful.<\/p>\n We encourage all faith leaders who attend protests and demonstrations to wear their clerical or liturgical garb to signify that they are a faith leader standing in solidarity with those who are engaging in the struggle for justice. Faith leaders can use #CloudOfClergy in their social media posts to support the movement.<\/p>\n If you are a member of the clergy, a seminarian, or designated leader in your congregation\/denomination and you wish to request membership in the CEL Facebook group, click\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 (Be sure to answer the admission questions to expedite your entry into the group.)<\/em><\/p>\n Announcing: Clergy Emergency League! Resist, Reclaim, Renew<\/a><\/p>\n Trump Has Crossed the Line: A Call for Pastors\u2019 Emergency League 2020<\/a><\/p>\n Being Theological in a Political World<\/a><\/p>\n Clergy Speak Out About Abuses of Power in Portland<\/a><\/p>\n Sources:\u00a0 \u201cIn Portland, this rabbi leads the clergy resistance.\u201d Yonat Shimron, Religious News Service.\u00a0 July 23, 2020.\u00a0 https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2020\/07\/23\/in-portland-this-rabbi-is-called-to-lead-the-resistance\/<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIn emerging role, chaplains are providing spiritual care for activists in movements across the nation.\u201d Alejandra Molina, Religious News Service. July 23, 2020.\u00a0 https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2020\/07\/23\/in-emerging-role-chaplains-are-providing-spiritual-care-for-activists-in-movements-across-the-nation\/<\/a><\/p>\n Leah D. Schade<\/strong>\u00a0is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at\u00a0<\/em>Lexington Theological Seminary<\/i><\/a>\u00a0in Kentucky and ordained in the ELCA. Dr. Schade does not speak for LTS or the ELCA; her opinions are her own. She is the author of\u00a0<\/em>Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide<\/a>\u00a0(Rowman & Littlefield, 2019)<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit<\/a>\u00a0(Chalice Press, 2015). She is also the co-editor of\u00a0Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis<\/a>\u00a0(Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).<\/em><\/p>\n Twitter<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/em>@LeahSchade<\/i><\/a><\/p>\nSo where are the faith leaders in the midst of these demonstrations and protests?<\/h2>\n
The #CloudOfClergy is everywhere!<\/h2>\n
Clergy Emergency League<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n[See the CEL Portland Statement, signed by 350 clergy, here<\/a>.]<\/h3>\n
We encourage this #CloudOfClergy to find creative and faithful ways to support the Beloved Community.<\/h2>\n
CEL urges the #CloudOfClergy in cities and towns across the U.S. to connect and collaborate on how they can resist authoritarianism in their communities and be\u00a0a force for peaceful nonviolent civil disobedience.<\/h3>\n
Read also:<\/h4>\n
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