A Warm Visit from a Pakistani Liberation Theologian
From July 10-13 BCM and a local team hosted Fr. Emmanuel Asi of Maktaba-e-Anaveem PAK/People’s Forum for Contextual Theologies (right, a book launch at MAP). Asi is a leading promoter of liberation theology and women’s rights and empowerment throughout South Asia (see here and here).
Andrew Jilani, a parishioner at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ojai and anti-racism trainer, invited Asi (his mentor and friend) to visit California to talk about and raise support for MAP. Elaine, Rose Berger, Heidi Thompson and I helped coordinate the stay. Friday afternoon Andrew and Ched drove three hours to Ranch Cucamonga to pick up Fr. Asi at Episcopal priests Samuel & Khushnud Azariah, there enjoyed a delicious meal, and had good conversation there and back. On Saturday we took Asi on a tour of Indigenous sites in Santa Barbara, including Painted Cave and the beautifully curated Chumash Museum and Cultural Center. That evening Asi described his work at MAP to us over dinner, then surprised and delighted us by presenting a volume of his translation into Urdu of Ched’s study of Mark that was published in Sojourners back in 1987! (Below clockwise from top left: dinner; cover; Ched reciprocates with a copy of HARP; Rose shows Asi a recent volume of Sojourners. Photos Elaine.)
Sunday Fr. Asi preached at St. A’s, followed by a Pakistani meal (made by Andrew, Heidi and Elaine) and talk about his work. Afterwards Rose interviewed him for Sojourners, and he and Andrew worked on a grant proposal. Fr. Asi has done amazing work for four decades with shoestring support, and it was an honor to get to know him. If you’d like to support the work of MAP, let us know.
“Historical Injustice, Decolonization and Service”: A Talk by Elaine & Ched
In October of last year Elaine & Ched gave an online talk to a conference convened by Prairie View Inc. in Newton, KS, commemorating the 500th anniversary of the beginning of Anabaptism (one of the many events celebrating this milestone among Mennonite-Anabaptist communities). Prairie View was started by Anabaptist young people who had served in mental hospitals as their alternative service area during WWII, and currently is a resource for all people in need of mental health services in a tri- county area. The conference organizer said that Healing Haunted Histories brought “insightful awareness of the pains of history and healing through awareness of songlines, bloodlines and landlines, which resonated with our intentions.”
This talk looks at intergenerational trauma and moral injury with a focus on Mennonite histories. For example, many Mennonite families adopted children from Indigenous communities or other countries, unaware of how this played into colonizing paradigms, and unprepared to face the challenges of their adopted children. And too often Mennonite settlers built their livelihood on stolen land, which brought prosperity to white communities while Indigenous families were displaced, and in most cases continue to struggle socially and economically. We invited you to watch this video (just under an hour long), especially if you have yet to dip into our 2021 Healing Haunted Histories.
Join us next week for an online conversation with Faith & Money Network about how the dominant culture has hijacked the subversive message of Jesus parables!
Register here.
Last chance to sign up for “A Wilder Way: Midwifing the World to Come in an Age of Extinction”: A five-day gathering at Dreaming Stone Arts and Ecology Center, August 19 – 23. This event will feature gifted teachers and cultural organizers among our wider community: Tevyn East, Chris Grataski, Jonathan McRay, and others. We’ll weave skill-shares, song circles, embodiment practices, faith narratives, and community ritual. There will be time for learning and for rest, reflection, informal connection, and swimming in the Broad River.
Meals will weave abundant connections, integrating foraged ingredients with locally grown, storied food.
Together we will experiment in creating a new/old bioregional culture attuning to the land, our bodies, the collective, and sacred presence. Sign up early to get early bird discounts. Work-trade opportunities, partial scholarships, and payment plans are available to make each event accessible. This event will nourish your spirit, grow your skills, and widen your community. Learn more at https://dreamingstone.org/wilder-way/.
Summertide blessings amidst these fraught times. –CM
