Members of St. Andrew’s may represent our church in local marches for justice. These have included the Women’s March, Science March, Families Belong Together March, Gun Control March, Pride March, Black Lives Matter, No Kings.
St. Andrew’s Peace and Justice Committee
Mission Statement
We strive to follow Jesus in the way of love by advocating for laws, policies, and practices that counter discrimination based on skin color, national origin, faith, economic status, gender identity, and who people choose to love. We also work toward minimizing our impact on the environment. We engage by voting, direct action, policy advocacy, mobilizing resources, and prayer.
The Committee is aware that we may not all be of one mind, but that we all share the Baptismal vow to “strive for peace and justice.” We aim to embrace our differences and come together, learning from and listening to each other always.
During 2022, the group discussed the materials in the “Sacred Ground” series from the Episcopal Church. These remain available for our use. For more information or to join the committee, please contact Kathy Cartelli.
Other helpful resources:
- https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/racial-reconciliation/
- https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/office-government-relations/advocacy-resources/
Support For Immigrants and Refugees
Members of St. Andrew’s participate in immigration court observation under the leadership of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) and the Orange County Rapid Response Network (OCRNN). The focus is twofold:
- Accompanying impacted individuals and family members we encounter there and bearing witness to the physical and bureaucratic violence that is occurring.
- In the spirit of nonviolent resistance, we wish to be a visible presence, inviting those with power to be their best selves, and with our presence casting a moral framework on their role in the immigration detention system.
- The photo at right shows church members giving a forum on their experience as Immigration Court Observers to the congregation.
In 2023, St. Andrew’s worked with the diocesan program Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Service (IRIS) to help support a family who recently immigrated to the United States. We told IRIS that we would love to work with another family if one was looking to settle in our area.
Take Action Against Gun ViolenceHere is a link to the Orange County Women’s Chorus March 2024 Concert, “Arms,” music raising awareness about gun violence.
Since at least the 1970s, The Episcopal Church has resolved to support legislation that would reduce the risk of gun violence. More than a dozen times, General Convention has urged Congress to act to restrict the ownership, sale, and use of firearms, to do all it can to prevent gun violence…
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Voices of Justice
Prof. Jane Stoever is the director of the domestic violence clinic at the University of California, Irvine, and a member of St. Andrew’s. She works to support and empower abuse survivors, teaching the law students who seek justice for those clients in court, and advocating for protective policies and legislative changes to a system that can victimize rather than restore. On March 17 she gave the first of our 2024 Peace and Justice talks. A link to her slide presentation, including helpful resources, is here.
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Prayers for Peace in the Holy LandThe Episcopal Church has consistently advocated for peace and justice, teaching us all what it means to walk in the way of Jesus—the way of love. The Most Rev. Hosam Naoum, Archbishop of Jerusalem, calls upon all congregations to unite in fasting and prayer for reconciliation and end to the war. Read his letter of October 14, 2023, here. Bishop Taylor has written to him on our behalf and invites us to make a gift to the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which supports the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City.
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