Stay Fresh, my blog of musings on politics, faith, sports, food, and other ideas.
In 2021, the summer heat dome killed 69 people in Multnomah County. After this harrowing time, the counties of Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington teamed up to develop an annual heat watch report. To my surprise, the hottest areas in our region were suburban cities near highways. I’d like to do some type of service project that identifies the places that are most vulnerable to extreme heat and work to support the people who live there.
I wrote a poem about the complexity of Mother’s Day and read it at the Parish. I was encouraged to share, so I’m posting it here.
You can listen to the podcast here. I’m a visual learner and speaker, so there’s a gallery of images and links to references in this article.
TODAY’S ARTICLE WILL EXAMINE THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH AND RACIAL EQUITY BY HIGHLIGHTING EXCELLENT RESEARCH BY DR. DAVE KRESTA, CAN CHURCHES CHANGE A NEIGHBORHOOD?, AS WELL AS MY INITIAL IMPRESSIONS OF WILSONVILLE’S FAITH COMMUNITY IN ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE.
As a follower of Jesus, I believe the church – as an intuition, which I define as different from ekklesia - plays an essential role and should be at the political forefront in addressing individual and systemic brokenness of racism.
My hope is that by highlighting Dr. Kresta’s recommended actions for the church we can spur a discussion in Wilsonville that will lead to greater action and coordination.
