Dear Friend,
Greetings in the name of justice, truth, and liberation!
We are writing to ask you who share the vision and mission of the People’s Church to show our current strength by joining us in worship service on Sunday, December 8th from 11:15 am to 12:45 pm.
Fifty-five years ago, on December 7th, 1969, the Young Lords went to First Spanish United Methodist Church (FSUMC) to ask for space to serve the community. The NYPD was in the back of the church and a fight ensued while the organist played “Onward Christian Soldiers.” Chairman Felipe Luciano suffered a broken arm and 13 stitches, four other Young Lords were also hospitalized, and thirteen were arrested. Three weeks later, on December 28, they took over the church in order to provide a free breakfast for the children of East Harlem. We see the teachings of Jesus in their work.
Now, as we remember the 55th anniversary of these events, we face brutal repression at home, even while our tax dollars pay for the same abroad. Many churches, including the current Methodist-appointed leadership of FSUMC, preach a liberal rhetoric while practicing the top-down methods of Empire. In the past ten months, we have lost eight members of our Leadership Team, six of whom are Puerto Rican and four of whom are El Barrio residents. Last Sunday, worship was attended by five people. Our erasure is near complete.
Jesus was a healer and prophet who loved the homeless, the hungry, and all those at the bottom of the social ladder. Your attendance will help demonstrate community support for a church that sides with the people, rejects all forms of oppression, and embraces revolutionary love and human dignity.
We need everyone to join us who embraces the Young Lords’ legacy. Please, join us this Sunday, December 8th at 11:15 am, not to disrupt the service, but to bear witness to our vision and to help us keep this historic space available for the sacred work of spiritual renewal, holistic healing, and social transformation. The future of the People’s Church is at stake.
Members of the “Save the People’s Church” Committee will be following up this letter with phone calls. We hope to see you on December 8th.
Sincerely,
The Committee to Save the People’s Church