31st Street Bus!

Bridgeport Alliance is proud to announce that our efforts have been met with partial success!  As announced by Alderman Patrick Thompson earlier today, the Chicago Transit Authority has agreed to reinstate the 31 bus line on an experimental basis. This victory comes after three years of work byBridgeport Alliance, which has organized various meetings and events to both raise awareness and push decision makers to fund and reinstate the 31st Street route; hosting Bike/Rolls along the route, mounting photo petitions, meeting with senators, alderman, commissioners, and state reps, and convening public meetings, among other efforts.  Our 2014 lobbying trip to Dan Lipinki’s front door—we found him gardening—was particularly spirited.  Recently, building an alliance with North Side activists by forming theCTA31/CTA11 Crosstown Bus Coalition was particularly important.  The support of Aldermen Patrick Thompson (11th Ward), Ameya Pawar (47th Ward), and Michele Smith (43rd Ward) has also been pivotal. Stay tuned for more information about a celebratory party! We would like to thank the Crosstown Coalition, the aldermen, and the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community for being our staunch allies.  Especially, thank you, people of Bridgeport and Chinatown, for your fighting spirit. Information on the specifics of the pilot route is incomplete, so let’s keep up the activism!  Please check back to our blog for more on this exciting development in the coming days. PLEASE RIDE THE 31ST STREET BUS! Alderman Thompson announces Pilot Program After 18 Years, CTA Brings Back 31st Street Bus The No. 11 Bus On Lincoln Avenue Is Coming Back, CTA Announces CTA restores Western, Ashland express service, 2 other routes Bridgeport Alliance is a grassroots organization of local residents and institutions committed to engage in the decision making that impacts our community utilizing education, advocacy, and collaborative action to promote responsive government and an improved quality of life for all residents. Connect with us at bridgeportalliance.org If you are on this list you have either attended a meeting or event, signed an petition, or interacted with  Bridgeport Alliance in some way.  We promise not to fill up your inbox, yet, if you would like to be removed from our list use the unsubscribe button below Thank you! Our next General Meeting is Thursday, December 3, 7:00 pm at First Trinity (643 W 31st)

Bridgeport Prayer Vigil For Our Sisters and Brothers, Imprisoned or Detained

To Our Neighbors and Community Members in Bridgeport!

For those who have not yet received an invitation to Thursday's Vigil, please consider this yours!

All are welcome as we gather to pray, especially for those in prison or detained. The prayers will include prayers for prisoners, detainees, parole officers, guards, our elected officials and law makers, police, the sheriff, judges,our youth, our families, our neighbors, ourselves, those caught in the system, and many more—all touched by incarceration, detention, and our criminal justice system.

In addition to prayers, petitions and spiritual songs, we will hear a few brief reflections from community members about their varied experiences with our justice system. Speakers will include a retired parole officer, a former prisoner and convicted felon, clergy, family members and individuals of those migrated to the US. Also, young teenage community member will speak whose father is in prison.

All faith and all walks of life are welcome at the vigil, planned as an ecumenical Christian service. In the longstanding tradition of Christian vigils, community members are invited to wear white to symbolize hope, peace, and unity. You may also bring names or photos to add to the lists of those prayed for, and bring your own candles, or means of remembrance for those apart from us, in prison, or detained.

The vigil will last less than an hour, near the alley just west of 31st and Halsted.

All are welcome.

See you then!

Thanks!

Rev. Tom Gaulke, First Lutheran Church of the Trinity

“I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'” - Jesus, Matthew 25:36

Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the captives go free,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. -Luke 4:17b-21

Re-think Stewardship

During the Season of Re-thinking (Repentance/Lent): Re-think Stewardship

By Drew Rindfleisch, Intern Pastor at First Trinity, LSTC Class of 2015

I will be honest:  I loathe talking about stewardship drives because it’s almost always about money .  Money is a difficult subject for our families, for our churches, and for many of us living in the dominant culture that sees money as an “inappropriate subject” (especially for dinner conversations).   We don’t have to look very far as the money battles waged in city of Chicago over the last few years have affected our lives—cuts to publics schools and cuts to infrastructure investment in buses and roads; the state legislature’s decisions to cut state worker pensions and mental health clinics rather than raise revenue on publicly traded corporations (2/3 of whom don’t pay any income tax).  And of course, Congress’ recent budget showdown shut down our government and vital human services for our people, and the compromise yielded safety net cuts for the poor and most vulnerable among us.

Treasurer, Marge Fashing, dusts the alter to prepare for Advent

Money is difficult to talk about because it is so personal.  Some of us don’t have very much, while others seem to have limitless funds.  But how we spend our money is important because they reflect our priorities as people of faith, as communities, and as citizens.  As we come to grips with emotional and economic hardships, many of us are left asking, “What do we prioritize, and who do we prioritize?”

For me, priorities comes down to investment and relationship.  On different sides of the aisles, folks want to prioritize different things—investment in infrastructure and job training initiatives to sustain families and communities.  And then there are those who want to prioritize subsidies for oil companies and large corporations, lower tax rates and tax credits that only benefit the few, and deficit reduction that cuts education and public services for veterans, seniors, and the poor and disabled who are hit hardest during these harsh economic times.  With Bridgeport Alliance and IIRON, we are working to make those public investments a reality because these priorities make up a moral document called a budget. And the only way to make a budget work is to cut services by cutting spending, or increase revenues to support the initiatives for public investment.  A church is no different.

But during this time of Lent, it is important to remember and to rethink (“repentance” in its greek roots) that stewardship is more than money.   Stewardship is about prioritizing our investment and cultivating our relationships: our gifts and talents whether they be musical or monetary, , our personal free time and personal stories of freedom in God’s love which we can share freely, and the sustainability of our neighborhood and God’s creation on the streets and in the parks.  We are all called to be a part of the stewardship of money, ministries, and space at First Trinity.

When we invest in our sanctuary and community center, we are investing in one another, in our community, and in our own values rooted in faith.    We are saying that God is calling us to continue the work of building a beautiful, warm, hospitable sanctuary where all of God’s Children, and we mean all people, are welcome.

When we hold each other accountable to financial and volunteer commitments we make, AND give gentle grace to those hurting from financial or emotional hardships, we are saying that words and actions matter—that we value and believe that every Child of God, including ourselves, are important and can make an impact.  No matter how small you may feel or how small your bank account may be; your contribution in time, energy, money, and voice matters.

When we show up to invest or volunteer at God’s Closet, and we make donations or grab some new gear; we affirm that clothes, shelter in the winter (housing), and food are human needs which come must be met with our partners in the neighborhood.  We affirm these basic human rights come from God and are not privileged goods for the few who can afford them.  When we seek to create a safe and hazard-free clothing pantry for children and families, and all of our neighbors; we must question and examine our own stewardship of space in the community center, support initiatives with our own dollars, and find partners in the community to help move God’s Closet into our basement.  When we decide to move into the chapel to lower heating costs after Christmas so that we can keep the lights on and keep paying a part-time pastor, we affirm that our mission at Trinity still matters, and that we believe in honoring the work of those who pastor and accompany us through life’s joys and struggles with a dignified wage, health care benefits, and time off.  
So whatever your situation or your background, re-think stewardship this Lent.  Re-think what you can give: to your relationships, to your community, and to your fellow human beings.  Re-think your investments because they do matter, and they make an impact.  Re-think what you can do, and what you can make possible in this church and in this neighborhood, in our city and in our world.  For with God, all things are possible.

Footnotes and what the Bible say about money and stewardship after the jump.

Of Protestants, Protesters, and PB&J -Rene Paquin

This article was recently published in the December 2012 First Trinity Newsletter. If you would like to be on our snail-mail list, email welcome@firsttrinitychicago.com. Enjoy!

Of Protestants, Protesters, and PB&J -Rene Paquin

Two kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give. ~Edwin Arlington Robinson

When I came to this neighborhood, Bridgeport welcomed me.  Over the last year, members of  First Trinity have treated me like I was family, though I am not a member and had never been to worship.  So when I had the opportunity to join Pastor Tom in welcoming the NATO protesters, I had to be there.  Officially I welcomed them as a representative of Bridgeport Alliance, but in reality, I was there because it felt right.

"With Christ, we testify that violence is not the way to peace."

Then they arrived.  Tired, hungry and a little smelly.  They were exhausted from a day of travel, protesting and walking the 4 miles from Grant Park.  They were happy to sign the peace agreement that Tom had written.  They piled wearily into the chapel where we had introductions, learned the rules and welcomed our guests.   More than a few of the travelers asked me if there was any food, so we feasted on a dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and potato chips. They were so grateful, one might have thought that I had presented them with a thanksgiving dinner.  

The thing is, for me, it was a time of thanksgiving.  After the FTP march that had taken place on the previous Tuesday, I was scared.  As a person who dedicates a great deal of my time to enacting positive change, I was scared that a small group of anarchists had reversed all of the good work that Bridgeport Alliance had done.  I wanted these protesters to come to our neighborhood, and I wanted to be able to hold them up as an example of the fact that most of the protesters want peace.  They want to have their voices heard and improve the world.  

When the travelers arrived on Friday night there was a concert going on upstairs.  There would be another concert on Saturday, a quinceañera, and an art show.  Sunday there would be three worship services, and the church's voters meeting.  In other words, it was a busy weekend!  The people hosting the concert allowed all of the occupiers to attend for no charge.  We gave them access to God's Closet where many of them found a clean t-shirt, something warm to sleep in and maybe even a book or two.  They thanked us at every turn.  

"...welcome organizers, protesters, and activists as a part of Christ's ministry at First Trinity in Chicago. "

Many of these people came with no money, no change of clothes, no bedroll.  It seemed that they had been given the impression that once they arrived in Chicago everything that they needed would be provided for them.   They were given sanctuary at First Trinity only to have some of their sense of safety taken on when they woke up with cameras pointed at them on Saturday morning.  The media came, and one channel decided that entering the church and filming sleeping protesters would make good B-roll.  I spoke with the camera crews and reporters who were there and explained that I did not want them to cause our neighbors any distress and that I would appreciate it if they left.  One of the reporters told me, "You're hosting protesters.  You have to expect this."  

That's fair.  I did expect some of it. But what I did not expect was the amount of respect that the protesters showed the church and the neighborhood.  When they walked to the church they broke up into small groups to avoid causing alarm to anyone who may have seen them.  They cleaned up after themselves and the concert goers who left beer bottles around the parking lot.  One young man, eating a banana that we had provided, tried to hand me $5.  I told him that their gratitude and respect for our neighbors was enough, and I meant it.  

I enjoyed their stories, I relished their enthusiasm and even though I did not agree with all of the things that they are protesting, I appreciate that they are fighting for all of us.

"Here I Stand I can do no other"

It's no coincidence that I attended worship services at Trinity for the first time on NATO weekend.  I spend time at the church, but I am not a christian.  Pastor Tom told the guests, "You don't have to be christian to stay here, you just have to be peaceful."  I was inspired by Pastor Tom's openness to attend church services this weekend, for the first time in many years.  I wanted to see what it was all about.  I am glad that I did.  

One of the guests who had come from Oregon told Pastor Tom and I that, "I gotta tell the churches back home, they're not doing it right."  I can't speak for other churches, but I do know that Trinity is doing it right.  You have created a church that acts as a center for the community, and offers sanctuary to lowly, the poor, the peacemakers, and the persecuted ... and even a cynic like me.