Local and Global Acts of Hatred Impact Our Community
Please consider donating to the FāVS Fund for Social Justice Reporting
Guest Column by The Very Rev. Heather VanDeventer | St. John’s Cathedral
This has been a long week with frustrating and frightening news that is both far away and close to home. Last Sunday, we prayed for the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East and also for our mission partners at Odyssey Youth Movement. Both of these our “neighbors” were hurting then and have had more pain across the week.
Hatred Against Odyssey Youth Movement
Odyssey Youth Movement is a newer mission partner — a ministry or organization that the Cathedral’s Outreach Committee has decided to support with funds from the Leuthold Endowment. Odyssey was founded in 1992 and has been in the Perry District, just a block away from the Windfall, for decades. Their mission is to promote equity for LGBTQ youth in the Inland Northwest through youth-driven programs and community education, so LGBTQ youth can thrive.
Their values are community, meaning human connectedness fostering a greater understanding of self, others, and the world around us; social justice, meaning that INW youth deserve equitable access to resources and opportunities; and dignity, meaning that all people have inherent worth.
This past Saturday and Monday, a rainbow-painted crosswalk and then Odyssey Youth Movement’s building were marred by paint, hate speech slurs and damaged property. Their staff, youth and Perry Street neighbors were shaken by this vandalism and attack.
There was a quick response by the City of Spokane and support from the community for clean up, repainting and fixing what was broken, enough so that by Thursday afternoon there was a gathering of support held on the corner where Odyssey’s building is.
Hatred’s Effects
I reached out to Ian Sullivan, the executive director, to offer our support and to find out what the youth need. When I saw Ian on Thursday, I asked him how the youth are. His response was that right now some are being brave and others are using sarcasm as their shield — in other words they are being typical teenagers who don’t yet know what to do or how to feel about their place of refuge and respect being attacked.
He knows that while the rainbows are restored and supportive adults were present to show the community’s love, the youth are still carrying the uncertainty of not being given the dignity and respect that they seek and deserve.
While these youth and their community are not in a physical war, they also know that the wider community is in a battle for human dignity and who gets to be treated and seen as worthy of respect. I hope that you will continue to hold our mission partner Odyssey, their staff, their volunteers and the youth they serve in your prayers.
The Israel-Hamas War
The real war that began and continues in the holy land weighs on our hearts and fills the daily news. I have not yet been to Jerusalem and the holy land, so I cannot reflect in the ways that other clergy can, including our own Canon Kristi.
The atrocities that Hamas has done against Israeli citizens are horrifying. The siege that the Israeli government has declared against the whole of the Gaza strip is also horrifying.
When I was a young priest in the Chicago area, I met another young priest from Jerusalem who was visiting Chicago to talk about life in the Diocese of Jerusalem. Now he is Archbishop Hosam Naoum, leading and serving the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East.
In between then and now, we spent time together and our kids attended preschool while he was a student at Virginia Theological Seminary. (His brother — Fares Naoum who also went to VTS — was a seminarian at the church I served in Virginia, and is now a priest in Jordan.)
While you will not find an official statement on the website for the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, Archbishop Hosam has shared on Facebook statements by the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem.
How the Leaders of Jerusalem Churches Are Responding
Here is some of what they wrote:
“The Holy Land, a place sacred to countless millions around the world, is currently mired in violence and suffering due to the prolonged political conflict and the lamentable absence of justice and respect for human rights.“
“As custodians of the Christian faith, deeply rooted in the Holy Land, we stand in solidarity with the people of this region, who are enduring the devastating consequences of continued strife. Our faith, which is founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ, compels us to advocate for the cessation of all violent and military activities that bring harm to both Palestinian and Israeli civilians.”
“We unequivocally condemn any acts that target civilians, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or faith. Such actions go against the fundamental principles of humanity and the teachings of Christ, who implored us to “love your neighbour as yourself” {Mark 12:31).”
You can read their full statement from October 8th at the Anglican News Service.
Their more recent statement, made Friday (Oct. 13), is not yet available as a link so I share portions with you:
“Today, an emergency committee of the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem met for prayer and consultation over the grave humanitarian crisis that has befallen all of us.
Our beloved Holy Land has changed dramatically over the past week. We are witnessing a new cycle of violence with an unjustifiable attach against all civilians. Tensions continue to rise and more innocent and vulnerable people are paying the ultimate price as the dramatic level of death and destruction in Gaza clearly show.
Many civilians in Gaza have said to us that there are no realistic ways in which they can evacuate to safety in any direction.
We call upon all parties to de-escalate this war in order to save innocent lives while still serving the cause of justice.
Finally, in support of all those who have suffered in this war and of the families reeling from the violence, we call upon the people of our congregations and all those of goodwill around the world to observe a Day of Prayer and Fasting on October 17.
There is yet time to stop the hatred.“
The Archbishop of Canterbury has also issued a statement.
Helping Locally
I had the opportunity to speak with Rabbi Tamar Malino of our neighbors Temple Beth Shalom this week. I asked her what we at the Cathedral could do to support or help. Others have asked her this question and Rabbi Malino is still uncertain as this has been so shocking to their community, many of which have extended family who live in Israel and things are changing so quickly. She appreciated our care and concern and our prayers for peace in the Holy Land.
The violence that our neighbors at Odyssey Youth Movement experienced is so small compared to what our neighbors in the holy land are experiencing. Yet both are rooted in the shared sins of hatred and dehumanizing those who are different from you.
Every day, we splash water on our faces and have an opportunity to remember the Baptismal Covenant and to remember that we are called to a different way of living. It is one where we will strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. It is one where we will seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Final Word
In conclusion, I share with you a prayer written by The Very Rev. Richard Sewell, Dean of Saint George’s College, Jerusalem:
“Oh God of all justice and peace we cry out to you in the midst of the pain and trauma of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land. Be with those who need you in these days of suffering; we pray for people of all faiths-Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land. While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and making of peace, we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples. Guide us into your kingdom where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children for to all of us you are our Heavenly Father. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.“
The Very Rev. Heather VanDeventer has served as Dean of the Cathedral since August 2018.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
