| In Memoriam of Fr Leonid Kishkovsky and Our Summer of Action
NCC Newsletter August 6, 2021 |
| | | Does it make any difference? |
| I was part of a group of more than 200 protestors who were arrested earlier this week on Capitol Hill in support of voting rights, immigration reform, a $15 an hour federal minimum wage, and eliminating the Senate filibuster. We were organized by the Poor People’s Campaign and led by Reverends William Barber and Liz Theoharis.
This was the fifth time I have been arrested in protests over the past 40 years. The first occasion on which I was arrested was in 1982 as part of the Nuclear Freeze Campaign. On June 12, 1982, I joined more than one million people who rallied in New York City against the nuclear arms race. Two days later, hundreds of us sat in front of the UN missions of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, all of whom are nuclear powers, to demand action for disarmament.
In 2003, I was part of a group of faith leaders and Nobel Prize winners who were arrested in front of the White House for protesting the US invasion of Iraq. In 2011, I joined 10 others who were organized by my good friend and former NCC general secretary, Bob Edgar, as we were arrested for kneeling in prayer in the Capitol Rotunda while protesting proposed federal government cuts in social services.
And, several years ago I was arrested in the Poor People’s Campaign 40 days of protests against policies that cause children to go hungry, the sick to be denied health care, and citizens having their votes suppressed.
I’m proud to have been part of these witnesses and expect to be involved in more such protests. I am thankful for the support I have received from the National Council of Churches in my last two actions Before each such arrest over the years I have asked myself if it makes any difference. I think it does. The lunch counter sit ins and the Freedom Rides across the South in the early 1960s must have seemed like forlorn efforts or like spitting into the wind, but they helped change the nation.
I have been part of efforts intended to confront vast and powerful forces: the military-industrial complex, the drive to war in Iraq in spite of massive opposition around the world, corporate interests that resist paying livable wages, intense attempts to suppress the vote by those who desire to maintain power. I want to be on record as one of those who stood against injustice, against war, against greed.
And, in spite of the deep divisions in our nation and the furious hatred expressed by those who violently invaded the Capitol this past January, I believe a moral awakening is upon us. I don’t believe people are indifferent to poverty, to rampant gun violence, to climate change, to a deadlocked government, to lies and misinformation, to the surveillance state. I think people desire a better future, but they’re not sure how to get there or who to trust.
So, we Christians join others to push for fundamental reforms, economic and environmental justice, and peace. Can anyone doubt this is where the teachings of Jesus lead us?
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| | V. Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky: In Memoriam
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A great man among us, and a humble servant of the Lord, has passed. The Very Reverend Leonid Kishkovsky – Orthodox Christian priest; husband, father and grandfather; mentor and colleague; and friend to many – died after a long illness on the evening of August 3, 2021. May we be blessed by his memory!
Fr Leonid was well known around the world. He conferred with religious leaders, advised political leaders, and served on countless boards, committees, and advisory panels. Everyone who met with him knew him to be wise, knowledgeable, and genuine. What many people may not know is that, in addition to his family, the center of his life was his parish community. The Church of Our Lady of Kazan, in the hamlet of Sea Cliff, NY, grounded him, and his parishioners were always in his heart.
His wife, Alexandra (Mimi), was a devoted partner in life, and indeed served as the mother of the parish. Together, they reveled in their children and grandchildren, even if for extended periods the reveling was done from a distance, for his family, like many families today, was spread across the globe. When Fr Leonid traveled, and before his illness he did so frequently, Mimi attended to the concerns of their parishioners.
Outside his local community, and beyond the Orthodox Church in America and the wider Orthodox community, Fr Leonid was never timid when it came to participating in ecumenical and interfaith settings. In this he was a great mentor to many of his contemporaries and younger Christian leaders and ecumenists, for he saw it as his mission to honestly translate Orthodoxy to ecumenical and interfaith audiences, and to “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands of you an accounting of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15b-16a, NRSV). As to the last part of this instruction, Fr Leonid was always ready to embrace the generosity of spirit displayed by ecumenical and interfaith partners around the world, and to learn from them. Indeed, he held fast to Orthodoxy, yet he was open to the faiths of others. He was their friend, and with them he enjoyed intense conversation, shared keen observations, and gave in to hearty laughter.
At various times, and among many other roles, Fr. Leonid served as president of the National Council of Churches USA and as chair of its World Council of Churches Relations committee, moderator of Religions for Peace International and Religions for Peace USA, and as a member of the World Council of Churches Central Committee. He also served as Moderator of Christian Churches Together in the USA, as well as a long-time board member of International Orthodox Christian Charities and an original co-moderator of ACT (Action by Churches Together) International. For his service over many years, in 2020 the NCC conferred upon him the President’s Award for Excellence in Faithful Leadership. His message, as he accepted the award, is available on video here.
Fr Leonid’s model of leadership extended to his mentorship of younger priests. His biography, as posted on his parish webpage, is here.
Later in life, he lost part of a leg due to his illness, but characteristic of his faith and witness, he was determined to serve at the altar in his parish. Aided by other priests and parish members, he was able to do so. In this, until near the end of his life, he faithfully served his flock, gave witness to his courage, and fortified their souls. May he therefore now hear the words of the Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23, RSV).
We will miss Fr Leonid. We grieve his passing. But we will always remember his generosity, his kindness, and yes, his laughter. May Fr Leonid rest in peace! And as prayed in the Orthodox Christian tradition, may his memory be eternal!
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| | | | WCC mourns passing of Fr Leonid Kishkovsky |
| WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca wrote a letter to the Orthodox Church in America expressing condolences and celebrating Protopresbyter Leonid Kishkovsky’s life. The message begins:
"It is with deep sadness that we heard of the falling asleep in the Lord of Protopresbyter Leonid Kishkovsky. As a former member of the World Council of Churches Executive and Central Committee and as former president of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, he remains in the prayerful memory of many Christians across the globe as an inspired spiritual Father who committed himself to a common and prophetic voice of Christians in the face of societal challenges. His testimony, his witness for Orthodoxy, his ecumenical legacy, and his writings will inspire generations of priests, theologians, and lay people."
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| | | | | | | Faith Leaders Call for Action |
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Abbreviated remarks made by Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland-Tune, NCC Chief Operating Officer, on August 5, 2021 during the Faith In Public Life Press Conference in Support of S1 “For the People Act” and Ending the Filibuster.
"This is an important moment for our nation and for people of faith. It is an inflection point in history and a turning point for our democracy. We have to decide what kind of nation we are going to be. We have been purporting our belief in democracy since our founding as a country. We have been going around the world talking about how great democracy is and how every nation should do as we do. One person, one vote. Free and fair elections. Yet, these days it’s as if in many states across our country the message is very clearly do as we say and not as we do. I’m reminded of Jesus’ stunning rebuke of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:3, “…therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” (NRSV)
In a democracy, voting is a way to reaffirm the dignity of all God’s people and to recognize that we are all created in God’s image. By denying or suppressing the vote in a democracy, which has voting as central to participation in how our governments will run and the kind of laws and policies that will govern us, is to deny the inherent dignity and the very image of God in God’s people. In other words, it is immoral. It is a sin. It is a shame. We can do better than this. We need to be better than this.
That’s why it’s up to the Senate. It is time to end the filibuster with its racist history and to pass the For the People Act!
Now, I do understand the argument by those not wanting to end the filibuster. But I can’t help but wonder if they understand what’s at stake? I can’t help but wonder if they know its racist history and that by holding on to it, they are also upholding white supremacy and one of the worst vestiges of our nation’s history that we are still trying to undo today. I can’t help but wonder if they are so committed to the filibuster that they are willing to preserve white supremacy and end democracy in America? Are they really willing to cut off their noses – our noses – to spite their faces? I certainly hope not, and I have a hard time accepting that this will be the case.
It is time for the Senate to be just as courageous as those people in the South and across this country who stood in lines for hours in Georgia and Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin to exercise their right to vote in the 2020 election. To be as courageous as those who had water hoses turned on them and dogs sicced on them so that they could vote. Those who walked miles to get to the polls. Those who sat in at lunch counters. Those who risked terrorist activities by the Ku Klux Klan and other similar groups who tried to intimidate them so that they wouldn’t vote. It is time for the Senate to not only praise John Lewis but to be courageous like him!
We urge the Senate to pass the For the People Act now and to end the filibuster. And, to be certain, we will continue to push and to fight and to make our voices heard until the America that we call home, that we have been given stewardship over, truly lives up to its promise of being a democracy for all! We are tired. We are weary. We are, as Fannie Lou Hamer once said, sick and tired of being sick and tired! But we are also resilient and ready to do what we have to do to end voter suppression. To end white supremacy. To end racism and all its vestiges. We can’t stop and we won’t stop! And, as the song goes, “We’ve come too far to turn back now.” Not until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream…." |
| | | | COVID-19 Pandemic Response: |
| | Back to School Week of Action for COVID-19 Vaccinations |
| | From August 7 - 15, 2021, Made to Save and the Department of Health and Human Services’ We Can Do This campaign are launching a Week of Action mobilization effort to kick off the school year. The effort is focused on school and campus-based COVID-19 vaccination drives for students, their families, and their communities.
A disproportionately lower vaccination rate has been found among young people 12 and older, and even lower vaccination rates among young people of color. As the Delta variant drives increases in both hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 among the unvaccinated, religious organizations can join the national effort to get young people vaccinated.
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| | | | | Protecting the Safety and Security of Houses of Worship |
| With the uptick of targeted violence and safety and security concerns of faith groups, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships is hosting a webinar to highlight community-based approaches to ensure the safety of houses of worship on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at 2:00 pm EDT.
Entitled, "Preventing Targeted Violence and Protecting the Safety and Security of Houses of Worship through Faith and Community Based Approaches in the US and in Europe" the webinar is in partnership with DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Administration, DHS Center for Prevention, Programs and Partnerships; and the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Services.
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| | | The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, wrote the following letter to her church:
"Jesus taught us that when we welcome the stranger as a person made in God’s image, we also welcome God. Our lives, ministries and congregations have been blessed by many immigrants and refugees over the years — from many of our ancestors to those we welcome among us today. Our faithful witness as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is enriched by people who are recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Earlier this month, a U.S. district judge ruled to end the DACA program on July 19. Finding it unlawful, the judge’s order suspends the acceptance of any new applications while keeping intact the protections for current DACA recipients. The long-awaited decision strikes a blow against the 2012 program, which has provided relief from deportation and the opportunity to pursue an education and start careers for thousands of young people whose remarkable contributions benefit our children, our families, our communities and our church. While these important protections may continue for current recipients, this is little solace to those who may not be able to receive DACA status in the future. We lament the anxiety and turmoil this ruling is causing in our communities. We pray for all who may suffer due to the end of this program. We grieve this potential loss to our church and to the communities in which we serve.
As a church we will continue to welcome all people, regardless of their documented status, seeking to ensure hospitality and safety for all. Bishops and synods are encouraged to find ways to support congregations working with newcomers and existing vulnerable individuals and communities. We also continue our advocacy through the ELCA’s AMMPARO strategy (Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities) and by urging our elected officials to enact legislation such as H.R. 6: the American Dream and Promise Act (or “Dream Act”), which provides a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and other undocumented immigrants with deep ties to this country. We will also pray for the wisdom and courage to welcome the stranger, and in so doing to receive our Lord.
Lord Jesus, as you were taken as a child to Egypt by your parents seeking refuge, you know what it means to be the stranger. By your love, you draw people to yourself and welcome them into the household of faith. May we show your joy by welcoming the stranger as we bear your creative and redeeming love to all the world. Amen.
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Application deadline is August 13!Conference Coordinator for Ecumenical Advocacy Days, April 2022 Virtual Advocacy Days event. The Conference Coordinator will build on the dynamic tradition established by previous annual meetings and be committed to facilitating an ongoing exploration of ways to make the 2022 event and future conferences even more exciting and powerful, with the goal of expanding our impact on the domestic and international policies we address. Experience in working with ecumenical relations and faith-based organizations, and a working knowledge of the denominational church world and familiarity with Christian theology is a plus. The EAD Conference Coordinator is a contracted position from September 1, 2021, through May 31st, 2022, with the possibility of an extension for future conferences as the budget allows and the contractual payment for this period is within the range of $55,000 – $70,000, depending on experience. Full job description for the Conference Coordinator |
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SAVE THE DATE!
NCC's annual Christian Unity Gathering (CUG) will be held virtually on October 11 - 12, 2021 with the theme, "In New Wineskins: From Pandemics to Possibilities to Promises," based on the scripture in Luke 5:37-39.
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