Resources on Palestine and Israel
What a gift it is to welcome Pastor Jenny Sung among us to hear about what’s happening in Gaza and Palestine, and to hear how she approaches her work with ELCA Sumud when the current situation there is so devastating. We believe that in learning from one another, we too can get up each day and look at hard things, metabolize it, seek understanding, and both take meaningful action while surviving overwhelming events and media coverage.
A brief definition of Sumud — Sumud is an Arabic word meaning “steadfastness.” The term is widely used by Palestinian theologians and others to signify Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and people. That resistance takes the form of nonviolent advocacy for political change as well as “resistance through existence,” embodied in education, social work, the arts and one’s relationships with the land and community.
Check out this YouTube playlist of videos produced by ELCA Sumud for more information about this ministry. Tracing back to the roots of Christianity leads us to an interwoven-ness not only with Jewish and Muslim people, but to lands and cultures. Start here to recognize the ways justice, courage, and Sumud are all woven deeply in this work.
Learn more at the ELCA Sumud website — As a recognized congregation within the ELCA, Fabric is a part of a larger body of folks with deep relationships with Jewish and Muslim neighbors both domestic and international.
A starting-place for ways to get involved in the accompaniment, advocacy, and awareness-raising efforts of Sumud: for Justice in Palestine and Israel.
Resources on Climate Justice
Thank you to Joshua Lewis from Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light for being with us on April 21, 2024! Below are a list of resources and opportunities you might consider peeking at or participating in as you grow your circle of influence related to climate justice (and all the intersecting areas related to it.) We have the opportunity to create a healthier world than the one we’ve inherited; let’s get to it with good courage! Click through the opportunities listed below, connect with your group, and celebrate wins along the way!
Watch this 13-minute WCCO story about the impact of extreme weather and land use change on wild rice (manoomin, to the Anishinaabe) to hear about a very local example of the intersections between climate, human activity, culture, and history.
Then, read this one-pager from MNIPL about the Rights of Manoomin legislation here in Minnesota!
Earth Day Action! — Earth Day serves as a reminder of the love we have for this world and the people in it, and it calls us to live in that love through acts of repair, healing, and interdependence.
Learn about or join up with the EcoFaith Network — The EcoFaith Network seeks to bring congregations from the Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA together as we build awareness and work towards building a more sustainable, just, and equitable community. As a network, join together to take action for a new vision of God’s creation.
“We celebrate the vision of hope and justice for creation and dedicate ourselves anew. We will act out of the conviction that, as the Holy Spirit renews our minds and hearts, we also must reform our habits and social structures.” –ELCA Statement on Caring for Creation
Resources from United Nations Climate Action — The United Nations has put together an excellent source of up-to-date information related to climate change and climate action.
Actions for a healthy planet — Here’s a pretty comprehensive resource from the United Nations with actions we can take for a healthy planet! Which are you doing already? Which will you commit to next?
Encourage Legislative Action — Join MNIPL in creating a more just and sustainable Minnesota! As people who care passionately about our planet and the people in it, we want to build a future that supports vibrant Native and non-Native communities living in right relationship with the land.
Fridays for Future — or FFF, is a youth-led and -organised global climate strike movement that started in August 2018, when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate. Their call for action sparked an international awakening, with students and activists uniting around the globe to protest outside their local parliaments and city halls. Along with other groups across the world, Fridays for Future is part of a hopeful new wave of change, inspiring millions of people to take action on the climate crisis.
Seek funding for renewable energy projects through the new MN Climate Innovation Finance Authority (MNCIFA) for your family, business, school, or community. It’s a fund for all Minnesotans. As you consider the various places your voice carries weight, this is one way to fund those great ideas cynics may scoff at…
Sign up for MNIPL newsletters to join the multi-faith climate movement — “Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light believes the active care of creation is integral to spiritual life and social justice. We respond to climate change by bringing people of faith and spiritual practice together and providing opportunities for individuals and communities to join the climate justice movement.”
Resources on Political Polarization
(they’re all free!)
We’re grateful to Jeff Thiemann from Braver Angels & the Reduce the Rancor - Minnesota campaign for equipping us with resources to consider as we practice showing up for difficult conversations with good courage! Let’s be brave to engage in an increasingly (and alarmingly) polarized world without succumbing to the impulse to fall into despair, denial, or doubling down. Click through the opportunities listed below, connect with your group, and be prepared to celebrate & brag a bit as we gather next week!
Take an e-Course! (click here) - These professional level courses have been crafted by experts in communications and depolarization. They provide an effective and “safe” way to interact with people in difficult situations. These courses can be taken stand-alone, before a workshop, or after a workshop. Each course takes approximately 40 minutes to complete.
Skills for Bridging the Divide - This course will teach you how to communicate better with people who differ from you politically
Depolarizing Within - The Depolarizing Within Online Course is designed to foster skills to help you lessen the effects of polarization when you encounter them in your political conversations.
Families and Politics - Understand why family differences over politics are uniquely challenging and gain insight, strategies and skills for dealing with family political differences in a constructive way.
Skills for Social Media - This course will teach you the knowledge and skills to avoid contributing to polarization on social media.
Listen to the Braver Way Podcast with Monica Guzman - a podcast about how you can disagree about politics without losing heart.
Have a 1:1 conversation - The process involves one or two hour-long conversations between two people using a structured conversation guide. The goals are to better understand the experiences, feelings, and beliefs of the other person, discover any areas of commonality, and share ideas for how to bridge differences across our country.
Attend a Braver Angels debate
