UPCOMING EVENTS
Lessons of Liberation: From Local to Global Solidarity
Join ECM for an enriching series on Liberation, Faith, and Social Transformation, featuring theologians Dr. Filipe Maia and Dr. James McCarty from Boston University School of Theology on November 12th & 19th and December 3rd and 10th. All sessions are from 6:30pm - 8:00pm EST.
In these interactive sessions, we’ll explore the powerful narratives and faith practices that empower communities to create just and hopeful futures. Together, we’ll delve into Liberation Theology, critique economic systems through a theological lens, and reflect on faith-based organizing and conflict transformation in our complex world. Open and free to all, this series invites you to learn, discuss, and empower your advocacy with a community rooted in action.
Sessions will begin with an opening ritual, and then move to the featured presentation. Afterwards, there will breakout groups and time for Q&A from all participants.
Click HERE to register.
Post-Election Reflection and Prayer
Join us for a Post-Election Reflection and Prayer on Thursday, November 7th, from 6-7:30 pm EST on Zoom. This online gathering will offer a space for friends of ECM to come together, share reflections, and pray in light of the election. All are welcome to join as we hold space for support, contemplation, and solidarity during this time.
Click HERE to register.
Fall Stolen Beam Series
Episcopal City Mission is excited to announce that Dr. Constance Holmes & The Rev. Steven Bonsey are opening a Fall offering of their rendition of “A Stolen Beam,” tailored specifically to members of the Episcopal Church. Weekly sessions will take place every Tuesday for 1.5 hours between October 29th and December 10th. At this moment a time has not been selected. However, we encourage you to register so you may receive follow up information regarding all details of the course.
“A Stolen Beam” is a free course of educational engagement and personal reflection, originating from the Jewish Community of Amherst, focuses on the legacy of African enslavement and 400 years of anti-Black racism to what was stolen and what may be owed. It examines the historical case for reparations; global and national precedents for reparations; practical proposals for national and local reparations; and theological reflections on reparations from Jewish and Christian sources.
Registration now closed.
CLICK HERE to watch a short overview of the course.
Episcopal City Mission's 180th Annual Meeting
Join us for the 180th Annual Meeting of Episcopal City Mission! This year's annual meeting will take place at a new location, All Saints Episcopal Church in Worcester, Massachusetts from 9am - 1pm. This event is hybrid but registration is required. CLICK HERE to register. Once you open up the ECM eventbrite page, click "Select tickets" to register, located on the left of your screen. For those who will attend virtually you will be able to indicate this by clicking the same button and then selecting "virtual attendance." We will follow up with more details in early October regarding live-streaming and parking.
All Canonically Resident Clergy and Two Lay Persons from every parish will be able to vote, and every one else in attendance will be granted seat and voice to participate in the meeting. Please register if you intend to participate to receive updates and other critical information ahead of the meeting.
Any questions? Email ECM at admin@ecmteam.us
Accompanying New Arrivals: Solidarity & Self-Care
Since family shelter stopped being guaranteed in MA in August, volunteers have had a fast-paced and heartbreaking few months supporting unhoused families at the train stations and welcome centers. Others have been working to open the doors of their congregations or personal homes to provide shelter and keep families off the streets. Over the past three months we have witnessed how state systems are deeply failing our newest neighbors. On Oct 22nd from 7-8:30 pm, we will offer a training for volunteers to come together to learn, understand the basic principles of accompaniment and solidarity, and discuss how to take care of ourselves in the face of systemic injustice so that we can stay engaged in this work. If you are new to volunteering, we will include some concrete steps on how to get more involved! Workshop developed by Boston Immigrant Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN), Episcopal City Mission, and MA Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.
Re-Imagining Early Black Boston
Episcopal City Mission, as part of the Reparations Interfaith Coalition (RIC), invites you to the first event of our "Learning and Action" series on September 30th at 7:00pm EST. This first webinar will focus on Massachusetts' little-known history of slavery and its impact and legacies. Our featured presenters, Nicole Aljoe, Professor of Africana Studies and English at Northeastern University, and Savita Maharaj, a Ph.D. student at Brandeis University, will explore the theme of Re-imagining Early Black Boston and discuss their work on the Boston Black History digital project. Those that attend this zoom event will be invited to walking tours for an experiential and community-oriented opportunity to continue our learning and action. Learn more about RIC at their new website, www.reparationsma.org and register for the event at http://bit.ly/ric930
Open Doors: Welcoming New Neighbors (Webinar)
New regulations in Massachusetts' emergency shelter system now limit many families to just five nights of stay, after which they must leave. Parents face a difficult choice: accept the five-night limit or be placed on a wait-list for long-term shelter. As a result, children are being forced to sleep on the streets, leaving faith communities searching for ways to help.
The Massachusetts Interfaith New Neighbor Coalition invites you to a webinar to explore how we can support migrant families in these dire circumstances. We'll discuss various ways to assist, including the possibility of offering housing in our congregations and homes. Together, we will cultivate spiritual courage, gather resources, advocate for just reforms, and take steps to alleviate human suffering within a deeply broken system.
Join ECM this Thursday, September 12 at 6:30pm EST. Registration required. CLICK HERE to register.
This webinar is hosted by The Massachusetts Interfaith New Neighbors Coalition which includes the following organizations:
Massachusetts Council of Churches
Episcopal City Mission
Jewish Community Relations Council
UniteBoston
Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston/Ten Point Coalition
Capuchin Mobile Ministries
UU Massachusetts
Action Network
Boston Faith & Justice Network
Worcester Area Mission Society
Circle of Hope
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
If your congregation is interested in moving forward with sheltering one or more migrant families for any length of time, please email ECM's Lead Organizer, Hannah Hafter, at hannah@ecmteam.us
People over Profit: Introduction to Solidarity Economy in Massachusetts
Join Episcopal City Mission on Zoom to explore the concept of "Solidarity Economy" - alternative models of businesses and investments that center the well-being of people and the planet, co-operation, democracy, and social and racial justice. There is a vibrant solidarity economy growing in MA and many ways for individuals and churches to participate in it! In this webinar we'll hear from the MA Solidarity Economy Network (MA-SEN), Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity, and the Community Purchasing Alliance (CPA) which works with institutions, including many Episcopal churches, to ethically source some of their major building contract needs. CPA has shifted over $30 million dollars in contracts nationally to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-owned businesses, while saving their participants money through group purchasing. We'll also hear from Episcopalians who have been involved in the Solidarity Economy directly. Solidarity Economy is part of Episcopal City Mission's three-pronged strategy for doing our part to shrink the racial wealth gap in Massachusetts, alongside State Policy and Reparations. Click here to learn more about the racial wealth gap.
To register for this event click here.
Raise Our Wage! Cap Our Rent!
Episcopal City Mission is co-sponsoring this upcoming rally in front of the MA State House! You can join "Raise Our Wage! Cap Our Rent!" on May 15 at 12:30 pm by the Embrace statue on the Boston Common, or across from the State House on the Boston Common side at 1 pm.
We plan to bring a strong in-person Episcopal contingent! Come out in person to support the bills that you've been making the calls and emails for! And it's not too late for those either - you can still access the toolkits, and the Rent Control bill's reporting deadline isn't until May 8!
If you want to help out before, during, or after the rally, you can volunteer here! ECM staff will also be part of an "Art Build" on Saturday 5/11 at 12:30 pm if you want to put your creativity to work for justice! E-mail Lead Organizer Hannah Hafter (hannah@ecmteam.us) to join that.
Building a Culture of Repair
Join us on May 14th, from 6:30-7:30pm, the Reparations Interfaith Coalition (RIC) is teaming up with the Resource Organizing Project to amplify BIPOC-led grassroots movements across Massachusetts.
The imperative for reparations resonates deeply with our collective consciousness, urging us to rectify historical injustices and pave the path towards a future anchored in equity and dignity. As we heed this call, Episcopal City Mission (ECM) proudly supports this event, with one of our own, Neha Rayamajhi, stepping forward to host this webinar entitled “Building a Culture of Repair.”
Neha will be joined by three of ECM's Burgess Urban Fund grantees: Families for Justice as Healing, Stories Inspiring Movements, and the Youth Justice & Power Union. Together, they'll illuminate their tireless efforts to construct a socially just world free from the oppressive shackles of racial capitalism and you can learn ways to support their work.
Additionally, save the date for the grand event this summer, the Celebration of Grassroots Organizing, taking place on June 29th. You can support the organizations mentioned above by being a sponsor, buying a ticket, becoming a table host or captain.
Register for the Celebration of Grassroots Organizing by clicking here!
Register for Building a Culture of Repair Webinar by clicking here!
Art Build for Raise Our Wage! Cap Our Rent!
Episcopal City Mission is co-sponsoring this upcoming rally "Raise Our Wage! Cap Our Rent!” The rally will take place on May 15 but in preparation we are looking for volunteers to help create posters, banners, and other visual displays on May 11 at 12:30pm. ECM staff will be there and if you want to put your creativity to work for justice e-mail Lead Organizer Hannah Hafter (hannah@ecmteam.us) to join. This Art Build will take place at the office of City Life/Vida Urbana located at 284 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain.