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We’re excited to announce that we’ve hired Ximena (Mena) Ulloa Montemayor as Program Manager for our 2017 Summer Conference in Toluca, Mexico. This will be the first conference BPFNA has held in Mexico.
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Estamos muy contentos de anunciar que hemos contratado a Ximena (Mena) Ulloa Montemayor como administradora de programas para la Conferencia de Verano 2017 en Toluca, México. Esta será la primera conferencia de BPFNA que se celebrará en México.
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As Baptists, we are called to take seriously the words of scripture and to appeal to the spirit of God and to our community to interpret the meaning of those words in our lives. In studying scripture, one of the most pervasive themes we find is that of the importance of offering hospitality. While that might invoke thoughts of the uptown Hilton, in fact, the theme of hospitality in scripture involves welcome and preparation, it involves kindness and an effort to meet the needs of those in one’s care, and, significantly, it involves protection, especially protection of those who are most vulnerable. As mere stewards of that which is God’s, we are called to treat each other as family, and to provide welcome for every person as if he or she were our brother or sister.
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Solo en inglés.
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Read MoreThere isn’t a picture in our scriptures, anywhere, that depicts people who seem to have gotten their act together any better than this text. Just imagine: The people had one language and the same words. No communication barriers. They had migrated together, and had settled, in order to build community. They knew their strength was in numbers. They didn’t want to be scattered so they stopped, to build the first city in the world!
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On Saturday, March 19 at St. John's Baptist Church in Charlotte, BPFNA held its first Conflict Transformation training specifically focused on racial justice and changing the narrative in the midst of racial conflict. Called Do Not Be Afraid, the theme for the training was inspired by a quote from civil rights champion John Lewis, “If we want to build the beloved community, we cannot be afraid.”
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El sábado 19 de marzo 2016 en la Iglesia Bautista St. John's en Charlotte, BPFNA realizó su primer entrenamiento de Transformación de Conflictos específicamente enfocado en la justicia racial y el cambio de la narrativa en medio del conflicto racial. El tema de la capacitación fue inspirado por una cita del campeón de derechos civiles John Lewis: "Si queremos construir la amada comunidad, no podemos tener miedo".
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I am still quite a ways from completely processing all that happened during our time in St. Louis and all that it might mean. The question I have for myself is what I will do with this new knowledge I have gained. How can I translate this experience into something that has benefit to my children? To my church and my community? To my country? I am not sure how to answer those questions yet.
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Todavía estoy muy lejos de procesar completamente todo lo que sucedió durante nuestro tiempo en St. Louis y todo lo que podría significar. La pregunta que tengo para mí es lo que voy a hacer con este nuevo conocimiento que he adquirido. ¿Cómo puedo traducir esta experiencia en algo que beneficie a mis hijos? ¿A mi iglesia y a mi comunidad? ¿A mi país? No estoy segura de cómo responder a esas preguntas todavía.
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From August 6-12, 2015, BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz sent a delegation of 10 to St. Louis in response to a national call put forth by Ferguson Action for participation in #UnitedWeFight, a week of training, education, and direct action during the anniversary of Michael Brown’s murder in August 2014.
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Del 6 al 12 de agosto de 2015, BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz envió una delegación de 10 a St. Louis en respuesta a una llamada nacional presentada por Ferguson Action para participar en #UnitedWeFight, una semana de entrenamiento, educación y acción directa durante el aniversario del asesinato de Michael Brown en agosto de 2014.
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I remember being in the living room of the Amen House in St. Louis on August 7 when I heard about 19-year-old Christian Taylor’s murder in Texas. We had come together to resist the systems that enabled these kind of injustices, but became re-traumatized by another report of a young Black man’s death at the hands of an agent of the state. Our wounds are raw. I find myself in a constant state of pain each time I hear of another black person killed by police or white vigilantes; it is scary to realize I am living in a country that doesn’t value black lives.
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Me recuerdo estando en el salón de la casa Amen en St. Louis el 7 de agosto, cuando me enteré del asesinato en Texas de Christian Taylor, de 19 años de edad. Había llegado a San Luis tan sólo dos días antes y ya había asistido a varios entrenamientos de acción directa y no violencia. Nos habíamos reunido para resistir los sistemas que perimitieron este tipo de injusticias, pero volvimos a traumarnos por otro informe acerca la muerte de un joven hombre negro a manos de un agente del estado.
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When people ask about my experience in Ferguson, I tell them it was the holiest experience of my life, and it was. I felt like I was putting feet on my faith, doing what Jesus has long commanded us to do. To fight with and for the oppressed. What I have carried with me every day since are the people that I met in St. Louis and Ferguson.
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Cuando la gente pregunta acerca de mi experiencia en Ferguson, les digo que fue la experiencia más sagrada de mi vida, y fue así. Sentí que estaba poniendo pies en mi fe, haciendo lo que Jesús nos ha mandado hacer. Luchar con y para los oprimidos. Lo que he llevado conmigo todos los días desde entonces son las personas que conocí en St. Louis y Ferguson.
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Read MoreLabor day reminds us of the love for our neighbors. God does not merely call us to love ourselves and our immediate families and friends. God calls us to love all of our neighbors. This love for neighbors includes the love for the millions of workers in our own country and in the world. Let us not forget that most of us work for a living as well because work is optional only for the wealthiest one percent. Small and mid-size business owners are working people too.
Read MoreMy first "real" job was the summer after graduating from high school. I worked for my uncle at a salmon cannery on the far side of Kodiak Island, Alaska. Days off were few and far between. The 4th of July celebration happened on the 5th that year because the boss said so. The long hours made for tired bodies, albeit with bigger paychecks.
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Yes, the unaccompanied children had to walk a long and treacherous path to arrive at our borders. But once here, the path doesn't necessarily get a lot better.
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Sí, los niños no acompañados tenían que caminar por un camino largo y traicionero para llegar a nuestras fronteras. Pero una vez aquí, el camino no necesariamente va mucho mejor.
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Read MoreSelected by American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) board of directors from nominations submitted by clergy and laypersons across the United States and Puerto Rico, a number of American Baptist clergy and lay leaders will receive awards for significant faith-based work. Many of them are members and/or friends of BPFNA!
Read MoreThe training was held in the Amudat District also known as Karamoja cluster due to mixture of pastoralist grazing their livestock together. It borders Kenya in the West and Uganda in the North East. The region is populated by three tribe communities (Karamoja, Pokot and Turkana) located along the border of Kenya and Uganda. Karomoja tribes are the majority while Pokot and Turkana are minorities in the region. Access to pastures and water for the livestock of the minority groups have been minimalized by the majority group. This has caused daily conflict over sharing of the resources.
Read More"Let us go now to the banquet, to the feast of the universe. The table’s set and a place is waiting. I will rise in the early morning; the community’s waiting for me. With a spring in my step I’m walking with my friends and my family. God invites all the poor and hungry to the banquet of justice and good; where the harvest will not be hoarded so that no one will lack for food. May we build a place among us where all people are equal in love; For God has called us to work together and to share everything we have."
Read MoreIn my work as a Chaplain and Pastoral Educator, I often encounter people in the halls of the hospital looking lost and bewildered. A hospital can feel like a strange and even hostile land to those whose lives have been interrupted with unexpected crisis. It is a self-contained community with a particular language, culture, and set of social norms that can be difficult to navigate for outsiders. Within this world there are structures that can be even more alienating for those who live on the margins of society. As chaplains, we are called to cross the borders that cause persons to feel unseen and unheard in this world of healthcare.
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During my childhood and adolescence I never imagined I could cross a border. This does not mean that I never dreamed of crossing borders. On the contrary, I spent many hours reading the Encyclopedia and the Atlas; learning the names of the nations of the world, the colors of their flags; leaning about their location and their capitals. I enjoyed dreaming that, someday, I will visit as many countries as it was possible.
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En mi niñez y temprana juventud, nunca se me ocurrió que podría cruzar una frontera. Esto no quiere decir que nunca soñé con hacerlo. Por el contrario, pasaba horas leyendo la enciclopedia y el atlas; aprendiendo los nombres de las naciones del mundo y el color de sus banderas; aprendiendo su localización y sus capitales.
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There is a war against women, and men and boys are trained everyday to be the soldiers. But just like soldiers, men aren’t born this way. They are trained.
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Hay una guerra contra las mujeres, y los hombres y los niños están siendo entrenados cada día para ser los soldados. Pero al igual que los soldados, los hombres no nacen de esta manera. Son entrenados.
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They are privileged to live in a country of privileges. I am privileged unfairly, in a country where opportunities do not exist for all. My brother and sister do not have the same opportunities I have. Why? Youth of my people must migrate for pursuing dreams and new opportunities. Why? Not all of them have the same fate of being successful and their dreams become nightmares.
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Son privilegiados por vivir en un país de privilegios. Yo soy Privilegiado injustamente, en un país donde carece de oportunidades para todos(as). ¿Por qué? mi hermano(a) no tienen las mismas oportunidades que yo, ¿Por qué? los jóvenes de mi pueblo migran en busca de sueños y de nuevas oportunidades, ¿Por qué? no todos (as) corren con la misma suerte de ser exitosos(as) y que sus sueños no se conviertan en pesadilla.
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Read MoreI am subbing in an English class at one of the local high schools. A tenth grade boy on the front row is eyeing me suspiciously. Getting eyed suspiciously is nothing new for me, but this guy’s not letting up. His glare is unremitting, almost unblinking. He slouches in his chair as if to get a better view of all 6’2” of me, chews pensively on the eraser of his pencil and stares up as I pace and talk and gesticulate about the importance of verbs. He is definitely skeptical, though I doubt he has heard a word I’ve said about verbs.
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We can’t change what has happened in past, but we can learn from our past to change the future. I had a wonderful experience at the Border Friendship Tour. By hearing some of the familiar stories, this experience brought back some of my old memories as well. I want to share some of my personal background that has shaped my perception toward the border and immigration.
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No podemos cambiar lo que ha sucedido en el pasado, pero podemos aprender de nuestro pasado para cambiar el futuro. Tuve una experiencia maravillosa en la Gira de Amistad de la Frontera. Al escuchar algunas de las historias que nos son familiares, esta experiencia trajo algunos de mis viejos recuerdos también. Quiero compartir algunas de mis antecedentes personales que han dado forma a mi percepción sobre la frontera y la inmigración.
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