Church Connects Religion to Activism
Pastor leads
sermon on
maintaining spirit
in protest
(AP)— Rev. Margaret Marcuson
stepped up to the pulpit and po­
litely introduced herself. Then she
screamed.
“How,” she yelled into the crowd.
'H ow can you be an activist —
without wearing yourself out, with­
out burning yourself out?”
I Marcuson became silent, and for
a; moment it seemed as though she
Had nothing more to say. People
sitting in the pews became still. A
baby in the eighth row stopped
slicking his thumb and looked up at
hjs mom, confused.
; Marcuson finally spoke, using a
sjow, deliberate voice: “The les­
sons I’m teaching you today can
extend to all areas of life, so I want
you to pay attention.”
M arcuson spoke at the
A insw orth U nited Church of
Christ, whose congregation mem­
bers last fall voted against a pre­
emptive strike against Iraq.
Since then, congregation mem­
bers have helped organize anti-war
protests, marched in them, orches­
trated vigils and letter-writing cam­
paigns.
The purpose of Marcuson’s ser­
mon was to offer spiritual advice on
maintaining this pace of activism.
Ashley
Cooper rubs
his eyes
while praying
at Ainsworth
United
Church o f
Christ in
northeast
Portland on
Sunday.
(AP photo)
Church-goers seemed to need
little encouragement.
Congregation members say they
see activism as part of their spiritual
journey.
“Religion is conscience,” said
Ashley Cooper, a member of the
congregation. “It gives you the
moral basis to respond to war.”
Cooper, who flew helicopters in
combat missions during the Viet­
nam War, said he knew what war
was like.
“You have to have a good rea­
son to fight, and I’m not convinced
we have one,” he said.
The Ainsworth church is sym­
bolic of a tradition of activism that
has been part of Portland’s person­
ality for decades. President Bush’s
father, former President George
Bush, called the city “Little Beirut”
because of the hostile reception he
got here from protesters.
The Ainsworth church wears its
activism like a badge of honor.
On the entrance walls are post­
ers about poverty, prejudice, dis­
ease and war.
The church began about 20 years
ago when two congregations, one
white the other black, merged. The
congregation’s now roughly one
third white, one third black and on
third Hispanic, said president Linda
Jaramillo said.
The Sunday service began with
a mix of hymns and gospels, which
were sung in both Spanish and
English.
After the music, Marcuson be­
gan her sermon. Her theme was
“How do you become a healthy
activist?”
Marcuson said activists need
clarity — they must "know their
convictions and know whom they
serve.”
People can gain this clarity
through prayer, by listening to
themselves, by "being the change
you wish to see.”
She urged members to gain this
clarity by praying every day this
week.
Marcuson said activists must
connect to others, especially those
with whom they disagree.
“You can’t love humanity and
not love people.”
She urged the congregation to
get to know people they disagree
with and offer to help them out.
Finally, she said activists must
continue working. When they get
tired, they should take the long
view.
“Yes, things look dark today,
but God’s perspective is eternal,”
she said.
“Children laugh 200 times a
day,” she said. “Guess how many
times a day adults laugh?”
“Four,” someone called out.
Marcuson chuckled. “No, but
sometimes it seems like that. It’s
more like 15.... So why don’t we
make it more like 200?”
She said activists who keep
their sense of humor also keep
their drive.
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right to dissent.”
For more information on the
Muslim American Society, call 703-
998-6525 or visit www.masnet.org.