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Baptism Means Outreach, Education, and Advocacy
God tells us repeatedly to reach out to the oppressed, the hated, the other – the tax collector, the prostitute, and the Samaritan.
The Proverbs command us: Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute, the poor and the needy.
Deuteronomy orders us: You shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Christ says to us: “Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, tend the sick, visit the imprisoned. When you do these things for the least of these, you do it for me.”
With my baptismal covenant, I have answered, “Yes.” I have promised – with God’s help – to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being.
I have been asked to connect my time and talent ministry with the Cathedral’s important Peace and Justice Committee which I believe helps me as I attempt to live up to my baptismal promise through direct outreach, education, and advocacy. Outreach -- charity to those with immediate physical needs. Education -- of ourselves and our community about who is suffering and why. And advocacy -- for changes in the systems and institutions that lead to suffering in the first place.
What we do:
Just in the past 12 months, the Peace and Justice Committee co-hosted a forum on Just War Theory, and another entitled Crime, Punishment, and God. We have promoted fair trade by both educating ourselves about what fair trade is, and by providing Fair Trade coffee, chocolate and tea after services. We’ve supported the Gay Pride walk and AIDS walks by both walking and by serving as volunteers at Integrity’s hospitality tables. Last fall we held our first annual election discussion group, where we all brought in our paper voter guides and talked about the issues, believing that a faithful voter is an informed voter. This year, we sponsored our first international relief effort, sending a group to El Salvador. And on May 13 we are sponsoring a discussion at UCSD on Stem Cell research.
This fall, we plan to offer a book study on the book The Left Hand of God, by Rabbi Michael Lerner. As with every fall, we’ll make “Alternative Christmas” offerings available to allow gift giving through Heifer International and ERD. And we’ll also host an event focusing on the many issues involved in the immigration debate.
I am grateful to be part of a religious tradition with a long history of working for social justice. I am, more to the point, thrilled to be a part of this cathedral, where our P&J committee receives financial, logistical, and spiritual support. Our clergy wholeheartedly promotes and participates in these events, and they inspire many of our ideas.
I feel blessed to be part of community where I can proclaim and act on these simple beliefs: We are called to be Christ out in the world. We are called to praise God not only with our lips, but in our lives. We are called to be co-authors of a creation, where justice rolls down like water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Marion Gaston is a lawyer who works n the Public Defender’s Office. She is currently chair of the Peace and Justice committee and a new acolyte at the Cathedral.
