Tonight, @ChurchRez is holding a RezFast to "pray and lament regarding the tragic effect of abuse in our Diocese, world, and personal lives."
In case any @ChurchRez congregants are reading this, I want to point out how insulting this language is for many abuse survivors from @midwestanglican.
When the Black Lives Matter movement started, people pushed back and said "but all lives matter!" Sure, but that's not the point. We say Black Lives Matter because so many people treat Black lives as if they *don't* matter.
Similarly, the @MidwestAnglican and @ChurchRez communications about Rivera's trial and the abuse in the diocese have focused on "pray for everyone involved" and for "all involved to embrace the Lord’s redemptive power and love."
midwestanglican.org/rivera-trial/
When survivors have told you hundreds of times that your response to their abuse has harmed them, it is not the time to issue vague statements about healing for everyone.
God meets us in the *specific* instances of our pain and he calls us to do that as well. Gesturing broadly at "our Diocese, world, and personal lives" is the equivalent of "sorry if you were hurt" instead of specifically naming the offense.
If you're at the @ChurchRez RezFast tonight, here is what you can pray and lament. Specifically.
Lament that your bishop called survivors' calls for justice "a vicious spiritual attack of the enemy."
acnatoo.org/january-14-2022-bp-ruch-letter-to-abp-beach
Pray that your @MidwestAnglican leaders would find the integrity to confess the violation of their ordinal vows and to step down from leadership.
Lament that your bishop still claims that there were no mandated reporting or pastoral care failures in @MidwestAnglican.
Lament that @ChurchRez has never held any kind of prayer and lament service that acknowledges @MidwestAnglican survivors specifically.
Pray that tongues at @ChurchRez that lie and slander survivors will be silenced.
Lament the profaning of the Lord's Table that occurred when Mark Rivera used the Sacraments to groom his victims at @ChurchRez.
acnatoo.org/diocese-of-the-upper-midwest/rivers-story
Pray that Mark Rivera is found guilty on all counts at the verdict tomorrow and receives a lengthy sentence at his sentencing hearing.
Lament your part in shunning Cherin's family.
acnatoo.org/piecing-it-all-together-part02
Pray for concrete ways to financially support survivors instead of @ChurchRez's PR firms and lawyers.
Lament that @ChurchRez has never publicly condemned Mark Rivera and Chis Lapeyre or acknowledged the people that they harmed.
Pray for the strength to model survivor-centric belief to children at @ChurchRez.
Lament the moral injury you have inflicted on survivors in your congregation who have learned that @ChurchRez will not protect them nor will you believe them.
acnatoo.org/acnatoo-blog/loving-the-abused
Pray for courage to seek the truth, even if it means that you sacrifice your community at @ChurchRez for the sake of survivors.
As the prophet Amos writes:
"I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them."
"Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" Amos 5:21-24