Sign up for our Youth (and young at heart) Community Service Opportunity! On Sunday, March 30th, at 2:00 p.m., we'll partner with Ecclesia in the Bowery (10th Street and 2nd Avenue). We'll make sandwiches at St. Peter's, take them to share with the community that gathers outside at St. Mark's, and stay for a brief service of worship. RSVP to lisha@stpeterschelsea.org for more information and, of course, to join in.
A Lenten Invitation to Faithful Action + Spiritual Resistance
“There is a deep relationship between the inner revolution of prayer and the transformation of social structures and social consciousness. Our hope lies in the fact that it is going to change the society that we live in, just as it has changed us.” —RICHARD ROHR
We begin the season of Lent with a sense of holy reverence, mindful of its invitation to repentance - the turning away from all that is unlike God and the turning toward - all that reflects the character of God's son - Jesus. We do this with prayer and, in this spirit and with great hope, share our first community-wide and faithful response to the mass exodus from diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives by some of our favorite retailers.
In alignment with the new administration, Target has backtracked from publicly stated promises in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion. which included a 2 billion dollar pledge to the black business community. They positioned themselves as a business “of and for” the people with a stated: “aim to create a sense of belonging for their team, guests, and communities through a commitment to inclusion.” In response to this troubling decision, we invite you to join the Black Church, led by Pastor Jamal Bryant, for the prophetic action of a Lenten fast, withdrawing our dollars and committing to a season of spiritual resistance through prayer.
Rooted in the principles of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the 40-day Target Fast is planned as phase 1 of a potentially larger effort. The goal is to get 100,000 people to sign up for the Target Fast and to track data for 40 days, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. With tangible data, they hope to begin negotiations with Target. A Black Business Digital Directory will be available to support our efforts in redirecting our dollars.
We understand that not everyone shops at Target and that Target is not the only corporation that has stepped away from commitments expressed in the wake of George Floyd's murder. You may or may not feel that all of the demands are realistic or may wonder about the long-term efficacy of such a fast. Still, we urge you to participate by engaging in some kind of economic boycott of other corporations that have pulled away from the core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion and to invest your dollars in minority-owned and small businesses intentionally.
We do have a say in the world we want to live in, and redirecting our dollars is an act of solidarity with communities most impacted by these decisions. Stand with us as we resist with purpose, employing this faithful action - saying no to companies that have broken our trust. We can and do - expect more.