Thinking out loud

Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others (Phil. 2:4) On Sunday morning, April 10, I worshipped in the College Community Church Mennonite Brethren in Fresno, CA. It was the kick-off Sunday for a capital campaign to build much needed new facilities. Pastor Bill Braun told us God is the owner of all, we are stewards of all God has given us and we are blessed by God to bless others. I can't tell you how often I've heard churches say when they are building new facilities that spending money internally on a new sanctuary will prepare them for ministry externally in their community and around the world. In the case of College Community Church, I believe its true. A year ago, immediately following the earthquake in Haiti, this congregation gave generously to Mennonite Central Committee's relief efforts there, plus it prepared over 400 school kits for use by children in Haiti. And members in the congregation gave individually as well. College Co...

Make me an instrument of your peace (St. Fransis of Assisi) Santa Barbara CA is 17th highest on a list of 100s of municipalities across the country in the deportation rate of non criminals. Why would this be the case for a picturesque tourist town on the California coast? One reason is most certainly because Santa Barbara is participating in the federal Secure Communities program administered by and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) . ICE requires the state and local law enforcement agencies of participating communities to automatically forward the fingerprints of all people arrested to them, whether or not the people arrested are guilty, or even in the country legally. I joined 10 others from West Coast MCC staff in a workshop coordinated by Borderlinks to specifically look at how these national policies are affecting one community. The group included educators and students, social service agencies, law enforcement officials and others from the community. We are spending billions of d...