A Concert to Support Sanctuary in Bedford ~ Jacqueline Schwab at First Parish on Sunday, March 10 at 2 pm

Submitted on behalf of the Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition

What brought over 250 people from Bedford and surrounding communities to the First Parish in Bedford Church this past January 5th?

Commitment to our country’s founding ideals as a nation of immigrants.  Commitment to welcoming the stranger.  Commitment to living one’s faith.  Commitment to confront and fight injustice.  Commitment to community, friends, and family.  Commitment to continuing the loving and material support of a Central American sanctuary seeker at First Parish in Bedford.

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With song, prayer, and personal testimony in Spanish and English, volunteers from 10 different communities of faith rededicated themselves to the Sanctuary Movement.  January 5, 2019, marked a full year in the ongoing residency of First Parish’s sanctuary guest – Maria — a resilient, devoted Central American mother of 6 with 3 American-born sons.

Continued generosity is needed.  When First Parish in Bedford voted to become a sanctuary church, it was with the understanding that not a penny would come from the regular church budget.  Thus, fundraising has been an integral part of our sanctuary effort.   As of February 17, our sanctuary expenses had exceeded $57,000.  Expenses have included installing a shower and washing machine, furniture, and household goods, installing hard-wired CO and smoke detectors in sleeping areas, significant legal fees, additional gas/electric costs, family rent and utility subsidies, groceries, volunteer needs (space heaters, snacks, etc.) and so on.   Contributions from individuals, congregations, and crowdfunding have kept pace with expenses, but the recent government shutdown created an additional backlog of cases and long delays in immigration courts.  Maria may well be with us for many more months.  Therefore, fundraising continues to be an integral part of providing sanctuary.

So, Citizen readers…

… Please mark your calendar for a benefit piano concert on Sunday, March 10 at 2 PM, by Jacqueline Schwab, noted for her evocative musicianship on the soundtracks for Ken Burns’ productions including Civil War, Baseball, Mark Twain, Frank Lloyd Wright, and The War.

The concert, Burning Bridges—Vintage Music of Latin America, celebrates the sensual spirit, expressive melodies and pulsing dance rhythms of vintage music from Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Mexico. Jacqueline will perform classical arrangements, and her own interpretations of vintage and traditional folk habaneras, tangos, and waltzes, styles that were forerunners of contemporary Latin music.

The proceeds from the concert will support the Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition.  As we know at First Parish in Bedford, it takes a village and a lot of money to offer this sacred protection. Thank you for supporting this endeavor.

Click this link to view/print/download the concert poster

Read on, To Learn More

Most people, upon hearing that First Parish in Bedford, has a guest in sanctuary, want to know more.

Who is she?  How does sanctuary happen?  At Maria’s request, much of her story must remain private.  However, violence, abject poverty, and the devastating diminution of hope play prominent roles.  Her two-decade life in Massachusetts centered on family, faith, community, and hard work.   Then, when “America first” politics embraced fear and loathing of immigrants, Maria’s family was targeted.  Her husband was deported several years ago; her oldest son was deported last year; and she was to be deported in January 2018.   She could not imagine abandoning her 3 American-born sons, two still in high school.  Her immigration lawyer advised her that sanctuary was the only option if she was to remain in this country while her very strong case for asylum made its way through the system.

How did First Parish become a sanctuary church? 

After the 2016 election, at the urging of then Student Minister Josh Leach and the support of Senior Minister John Gibbons, the parishioners of First Parish in Bedford began the process of discernment to answer two questions:  Should we support the Sanctuary Movement?  And if we do, should we become a church that provides physical sanctuary? A “yes” came easily to the former, but the latter…  that was uncharted territory.   A moral imperative? Legal liability? Constructing a living space?  Fundraising?  In-take issues?  Time-critical decision-making?  Finding supportive congregations? Impact on church programs?  Educating parishioners?  Training volunteers?  On-going leadership and management?   YIKES  !!!!!      After a year of research, consultation, planning, and getting comfortable with the unknown, a near-unanimous congregational “yes” vote sent First Parish in Bedford to its rendezvous with Maria.

Rev. John Gibbons states it best: “Being a sanctuary church is not just taking a political position, or even a humanitarian position, but it is an embodied statement: it is putting our bodies where our commitments are. What inspires us is the awareness that we have the capacity to do this work—we are sufficiently privileged that we are free to do this. We have the resources—human, financial, moral, to do this work. There is enough love to make this work possible, and it has been an expression of this congregation’s values.”

Now, fourteen months later:  5 Unitarian Universalist congregations, 2 synagogues, an Episcopal church, and a large number of unaffiliated individuals have formally covenanted with First Parish in Bedford to support our providing physical sanctuary.  355 volunteers from these congregations have been trained and gone through a background check to be able to serve as a “shift volunteer,” one of two volunteers present 24/7 at First Parish to ensure as safe an environment as possible for Maria.  Shift volunteers do 3, 4, or 9-hour individual shifts and are trained in what to do in case of medical and fire emergencies, ICE officials showing up at the door, cross-cultural communication and understanding, trauma recognition, and the monitoring of all visitors.   Maria says, “I feel very safe, cared for, and loved by all the volunteers.  Thank you so much.”

One unaffiliated volunteer (not a member of a covenanted congregation) expressed a near-universal volunteer sentiment when she said, “I had to do something.  I couldn’t just keep watching the horrific treatment of immigrants on the news.”   One of the “overnighters” added, “My wife and I sleep well on the blow-up mattresses, not because they are terribly comfortable, but because we know we are helping our guest sleep well and safely.”

What is sanctuary life like for Maria?

Imagine… one day you are working hard and cooking meals for your 3 sons, and the next day you are miles away in an unfamiliar church, dependent on the kindness and generosity of others.  Surely, Maria’s greatest travail is not being home with her sons.  How will they cope?  In fact, it has not been easy.   Very soon after receiving Maria into sanctuary, it became clear that her family in Massachusetts and her family in Central America needed support that she could no longer provide.   Financial support for rent and utility bills has become part of providing sanctuary.  Working with her sons’ school officials and social workers has become part of providing sanctuary.   Helping raise teenage boys has become part of providing sanctuary.  Maintaining family communication has become part of providing sanctuary.   Finding resources in Central America for her deported family has become part of providing sanctuary.   Rev. Gibbons often reminded us at First Parish that “we had no idea what we might be getting into.”  Prophetic, yet fully embraced.

On the brighter side of sanctuary for Maria, she is being tutored by wonderful volunteers every day in English (and making great progress).  She has learned to knit and crochet.  She insists on helping to keep the church clean.  She interacts with youth groups (they love her guacamole).  She gives tamale-making lessons to adults.  She participates in church events such as pot luck dinners, concerts, and Sunday services.  She regularly makes tea/coffee for and chats with volunteers.   She is learning about the world, the solar system, the universe (she had no schooling at all as a young girl).   In fact, she is serving as a role model to us all on how to deal with extreme adversity, how to maintain a resilient spirit, and how to love your neighbor.

Sanctuary has presented many challenges that can only be met by very generous people.  Some volunteers who cannot do shifts provide grocery shopping services.  Others have used their professional skills as needed by providing a haircut, an eye exam, a medical examination, a prescription, translation services, tutoring, and counseling.   One anonymous donor has contributed to a family rent subsidy every single month.  Another has provided driving school tuition for one of the sons.   One of the most wonderful outcomes of the brighter side of sanctuary has been the forming of powerful, positive relationships among disparate congregations and volunteers.  Thank you, Maria, for bringing us together, but we’d much rather it had never been necessary!

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