AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: God On Their Side

AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: God On Their Side

The Religious Voice for Liberalism

"Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit. ..." The murmured words come from the first few pews of St. John's Episcopal Church, absorbed by the dark wood and vaulted ceiling. Founded in 1841, this proud redbrick church stands on the south side of St. Louis, blending with turn-of-the-century homes in varying states of decay or renovation. Last year, about 15 parishioners worshipped here regularly, and they ran the gamut, from a lesbian university professor to a male attorney grumpy about inclusive language. They shared only one passion: keeping St. John's open. And their loyalty caught the attention of the bishop, who funded a full-time priest in an urban experiment to see if St. John's can become self-sustaining again.

The new pastor, Rev. Teresa Mithen, cheerfully admits that she can't prove God exists. She is here because this is where she experiences God: in community. For traditionalists in the congregation, she leads an 8 a.m. Sunday service in the Elizabethan language of Rite I. At 10 a.m, she switches to Rite II in the Book of Common Prayer, supplementing with prayers in which God is as likely to be Mother as Father.

If someone asked where the religious voice for liberalism is – where are the clergy with theological grounds for supporting Kerry – Mithen would raise her hand. But she belongs to the ACLU and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and when she stuck a campaign bumper sticker on her car, she immediately stopped parking it near the church doors. She doesn't want to tell people how to vote, any more than she wants to become a "McChurch offering a weekly Happy Meal" just to increase numbers.

"I don't care about the perpetuation of a human institution," she says bluntly. "I care about the body of Christ. If that means the Episcopal church is eventually a totally voluntary church, fine. That's how the early church was."

The Daily Northwestern - Winter shelters scarce in city

The Daily Northwestern - Winter shelters scarce in city: "Hilda's Place, like many suburban shelters, is inundated in the winter months due to the migration of homeless people from the larger Chicago shelters.

The number of people trying to get into Hilda's Place increases by 20 percent from the summer months, said Dean Miller, the shelter's coordinator and case manager.

'In the winter months, people in the city feel they will be safer and will find a spot if they move into the suburbs,' Miller said.

Hilda's Place, 1458 Chicago Ave., is Evanston's only year-round shelter for the homeless. Last year, the shelter provided 12,166 nights of shelter to 228 homeless people, according to Connections for the Homeless, a social service agency that runs the shelter.

'Unfortunately, we're one of the few shelters,' he said. 'We're almost always full and people always wanted to get in.'

Some homeless people are refused a bed due to space limitations. Bell said he typically goes to a bookstore or the library until closing time. Then, while Hughes is in the shelter, he sleeps at an outdoor 'camp.'

'The other day, my sleeping bag completely froze over,' Bell said.

Connections for the Homeless provides transitional shelter and support for homeless families through its Family Housing Services. It runs EntryPoint, a street outreach program that links the homeless with shelters and services. Other organizations provide job search assistance to the homeless.

The Hospitality Center, located in St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 1509 Ridge Ave., provides career counselors and use of a phone and fax machine. Open from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. each morning, the center also provides hygiene products.

The center is part of the Evanston Ecumenical Action Council, an organization that focuses on the hungry and the homeless. Fifty-two Evanston churches associated with the council run soup kitchens each night of the week on different days. The churches also provide warming centers from November through March, which serve an average of 40 people a day, according to Susan Murphy, the council's administrative director."

This was the picture. True love. Aww.

ginmar: sigh

I'll try to blog more on this on the main main blog, because it turns out I've been reading one of ginmar's commenters (trollprincess) on my Amazing Race feed.

And TP used that photo of the two older ladies getting married that I used last year. Aww!

Chicago Tribune | The Jacko follies

Chicago Tribune | The Jacko follies:

"JUDGE NOT: Sorry to bludgeon you with yet another 'Amazing Race' item, but I just have to. According to Andy Dehnart's RealityBlurred.com site, CBS sent out a letter to a disgruntled 'TAR' viewer who'd complained about the behavior of Jonathan Baker toward his wife (shoving, screaming, etc.). According to the CBS e-mail, 'neither CBS nor the producers of the program judge the behavior or offer opinions about the relationships of the participants.'

As Dehnart points out, 'expelled `Big Brother' contestants Justin Sebik and Scott Weintraub [who were dismissed from the CBS show due to physically intimidating behavior] would probably disagree.'"

See also "Fargate Fans"

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