Episode 60: Let My People Go
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The Rev. Ranjit K. Mathews is rector of St. James’ parish in New London, where he has served for 2 years. Previously he was the Partnership Officer for Africa serving on the Presiding Bishop’s staff, and served as a associate rector of a bi-lingual church in California. He is interested in urban ministry and passionate about the realm of God. He lives in New London with his spouse Johanna and their son Dhruv. He has been a previous guest on the podcast in our first season!
The Rev. Deborah Meister is the Associate Clergy for Formation, Justice, and Public Theology at Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal, Canada. She began her ministry as Associate Rector at St. Lukes in Birmingham, AL, then served 10 years as Rector of two urban parishes with deep passion to transforming poverty. She is passionate about the intersection of monastic contemplative spirituality and justice work. Both Ranjit and Deborah are co-creators of the Let my people go Ministry Networkdedicated to raising awareness of the plight of migrants in detention and raising funds to get them out. |
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Alli starts the conversation by asking how Deborah and Ranjit came up with the Let My People Go Ministry Network. Deborah shares that she grew up in a Jewish household hearing stories of people being held captive in camps and not coming home, so when she learned that people at the border were being held in centers, she knew she had to do something. Particularly when the first child died in one of the detention centers, she got into the pulpit and preached a sermon that this was not a political concern but a human concern and religious responsibility to do something. She did some research and found that since these individuals are being held legally, it is possible to post bail for them. So she reached out to her clergy colleagues to start a ministry network dedicated to raising money for bail and awareness about this issue. Ranjit immediately responded to her inquiry.
Ranjit shares his desire to help the ministry network flourish. Particularly that he feels there is an unearthing in this world, and this country, especially around white supremacy and injustices. Ranjit understands himself as a chaplain to power and nationalism and capitalism, and therefore he felt he had to do something. Ranjit shares that the fact that migrant children are being separated from their families at the border is the “liturgy of white supremacy.” As people of faith, Ranjit says, he doesn’t understand how people can be silent about these issues and go one as normalcy.
Deborah focuses on the word normalcy, to describe that throughout Christian history, people have tolerated things that should be (and are) intolerable in God’s eyes. Deborah said that there is gift in the horror of this border issue, which is it allows us to really focus on how to welcome, and if we do welcome, and what that means as a country. That people from other countries and cultures is a gift, if the country, and Deborah adds “we who are trying to be faithful," learn to embrace and respect these individuals.
Let My People Go Ministry Network is focused on raising money and raising awareness. A while ago, Ranjit had a public witness outside of his parish, St. James' in New London, where he put the holy family in two separate dog cages, and ECCT went live on Facebook to cover it. Ranjit said he got the idea from Christ Church, Indianapolis about a year ago, where they put the holy family in a cage in the public square, then later met the clergy behind the idea. Ranjit said he was prodded by a parishioner to actually put the family in two different cages to represent the families being separated. Ranjit received support from both bishops, the vestry, and the congregation. He received a lot of support but also a lot of people who disagreed, saying the church was getting “too political.”
Deborah sees the public witness and action toward raising money as related. The thing she found the most powerful from the witness at St. James’ was taking the holy family out of the beautiful stained glass window and showing that the holy family was flesh and blood. This, along with the church “becoming too political” is actually the church showing the uncomfortable work of the Gospel.
There is a challenge to love the Jesus who has been disposed. Ranjit mentions a statement from the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, that the soul is the seat of our spirituality. Ranjit feels as if we have lost this seat of our spirituality, and now there is an opportunity to reclaim our spirituality and our belief in Jesus.
You can learn more about the ministry network by emailing Ranjit at rector@stjamesnl.org on their ministry network website. People can contribute to the bail fund at RAICEStexas.org.
Ranjit shares his desire to help the ministry network flourish. Particularly that he feels there is an unearthing in this world, and this country, especially around white supremacy and injustices. Ranjit understands himself as a chaplain to power and nationalism and capitalism, and therefore he felt he had to do something. Ranjit shares that the fact that migrant children are being separated from their families at the border is the “liturgy of white supremacy.” As people of faith, Ranjit says, he doesn’t understand how people can be silent about these issues and go one as normalcy.
Deborah focuses on the word normalcy, to describe that throughout Christian history, people have tolerated things that should be (and are) intolerable in God’s eyes. Deborah said that there is gift in the horror of this border issue, which is it allows us to really focus on how to welcome, and if we do welcome, and what that means as a country. That people from other countries and cultures is a gift, if the country, and Deborah adds “we who are trying to be faithful," learn to embrace and respect these individuals.
Let My People Go Ministry Network is focused on raising money and raising awareness. A while ago, Ranjit had a public witness outside of his parish, St. James' in New London, where he put the holy family in two separate dog cages, and ECCT went live on Facebook to cover it. Ranjit said he got the idea from Christ Church, Indianapolis about a year ago, where they put the holy family in a cage in the public square, then later met the clergy behind the idea. Ranjit said he was prodded by a parishioner to actually put the family in two different cages to represent the families being separated. Ranjit received support from both bishops, the vestry, and the congregation. He received a lot of support but also a lot of people who disagreed, saying the church was getting “too political.”
Deborah sees the public witness and action toward raising money as related. The thing she found the most powerful from the witness at St. James’ was taking the holy family out of the beautiful stained glass window and showing that the holy family was flesh and blood. This, along with the church “becoming too political” is actually the church showing the uncomfortable work of the Gospel.
There is a challenge to love the Jesus who has been disposed. Ranjit mentions a statement from the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, that the soul is the seat of our spirituality. Ranjit feels as if we have lost this seat of our spirituality, and now there is an opportunity to reclaim our spirituality and our belief in Jesus.
You can learn more about the ministry network by emailing Ranjit at rector@stjamesnl.org on their ministry network website. People can contribute to the bail fund at RAICEStexas.org.
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In Christ and Coffee,
Alli
In Christ and Coffee,
Alli