Stand With Us: A Faithful Presence at Protests
The Lenten season, leading to Palm Sunday, can be a busy time in the life of the church. Spring, with its vacation breaks, can be a distracting time in our lives. This year, however, we have an opportunity to view the deeper meaning of Palm Sunday from a new perspective. Jesus was celebrated by the masses as he entered Jerusalem because he proclaimed God’s vision for our shared lives as one of radical inclusion, embracing the foreigner and immigrant and insisting on care for the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the imprisoned and society’s most vulnerable, all in defiance of the Roman order and the high priests and scribes of his day.
We, too, can stand up in defiance of a government bent on radical exclusion, with its horrendous treatment of immigrants, its massive cuts to social safety nets, and its cruel disregard for the vulnerable communities of our day. There are several opportunities to be engaged in advocacy and bearing witness this month:
Shine the Light with Sign of Hope: People still gather on Thursdays at Central and Lincolnwood at 5:00 PM. Please note that the time will change this spring as daylight hours increase, so check for updates.
Sing a Better Future Into Existence: On March 14 at 3:00 PM, Trinity will host a community singing event to learn songs of unity and protest. Read more and register to attend at www.trinityevanston.org/events/sing-a-better-future-into-existence.
On Friday, March 20, at 12:00 PM, gather in front of Sherman Plaza in downtown Evanston to support a campaign to stop Chicago-based Highlands REIT from renting a private prison in Colorado to ICE. Highlands is based in Chicago and owns Sherman Plaza where Target and Northwestern Medicine are located. Click here to view the flyer.
No Kings Rally on Saturday, March 28: Please also join fellow Trinity members on March 28 to participate in a No Kings rally at Dawes Park from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. We will meet at church at 9:30 AM to carpool over to the demonstration.
If you want to do more in the community, on Thursday, March 26, we are hosting a poster-making party, complete with art supplies, at 5:00 PM in the Gathering Space.
All are welcome and encouraged to attend any and all of these events!
As more opportunities to be a witness to the true meaning of Palm Sunday and Easter become available, we will share those with you.
~Carol Wilson
