Lawrence

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February, 2000 - Vol. XXIX No. 1
Jubilee: Hope in New Beginnings

"Jubilee Ministries at St. Michael and All Angels"
by The Rev. Deacon Marla McGarry-Lawrence

St. Michael & All Angels Church was designated a Jubilee Ministry Center in October, 1997. To be a Jubilee Center means to be actively engaged in ministry in a way that directly addresses underlying causes of poverty and supports a person’s social, economic, and spiritual freedom. At St. Michael’s we are committed to the call of liberation principally through the three ministries for which we received Jubilee recognition: our English as a Second Language Program, our Community Meal, and our Hispanic Ministry.

We never set out to be a Jubilee Center – we were simply interested in meeting the needs of the community. Our end-of-the-month Community Meal, in operation since 1990, started with the realization that many of our neighbors in the low-income high rise nearby often had "more month than money." A hot lunch of spaghetti, salad, fruit, garlic bread, coffee and tea on the last Saturday of each month helps stretch food budgets and provides a place of fellowship and care for over 100 persons.

Similarly, our English as a Second Language program began in June, 1995 after members of our Spanish-speaking congregation asked for language assistance. Our students now come to us through referrals from Portland Community College and the Hispanic Access Center as well as through word of mouth recommendations from current and former students. We average between 25 and 30 students each Tuesday evening and have 18 volunteer tutors. In addition to language skills, tutors and students may work on job or housing applications or may be engaged in studying for the citizenship examination. On more than one occasion, tutors have advocated for students in obtaining mortgages, assisted students in finding employment, and have developed friendships which have included shared meals and family celebrations.

Liberation of the whole person includes liberating the spirit. Many in our Spanish-speaking congregation function throughout the week in an English-speaking environment but it’s worship in the native tongue that feeds the soul and nourishes the spirit. Our commitment to cross-cultural ministry is both a challenge and an opportunity to stretch and grow in ways we hadn’t previously considered. In particular, this ministry has enhanced our awareness of the injustices encountered daily by undocumented people and has made us more aware of the economic and environmental challenges faced by people throughout Central and South America.

Being named a Jubilee Center recognizes the seriousness with which we take our baptismal covenant, especially our commitment to "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being."

The Rev. Marla McGarry-Lawrence is deacon of the parish at St. Michael and All Angels, Portland. Contact her at DcnMarla@aol.com