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Contents
Introducing our Labor Day issue
Labor Day reflections (by James Tobler)
Labor in the Pulpits 2004
Prophetic thought
Question of the month
Spotlight: Robert and Telekaki Poort
Upcoming events and observances
Call for submissions
Introducing Our Labor Day Issue
Labor Day was originally meant to be more than the unofficial close of
summer. This holiday emerged in the late 1800s as a celebration of workers.
A typical Labor Day involved a parade of labor unions, followed by community
recreation. Thus Labor Day was both a break for workers and a show of
the power of organized labor. Today, we've kept the recreation, but the
focus on unions--the focus on worker justice--has been largely eclipsed.
There are many ways we might remember worker justice on Labor Day--and
throughout the month of September. This month's issue of Anxiously
Engaged contains Labor Day reflections from James Tobler and the
National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. On the MESJ website,
you'll find Labor Day themed family
home evening lessons, which you might use on Labor Day itself or later
in the month. We also have free electronic
Labor Day cards, which you can set as the background for your computer's
desktop or share with family and friends.
Quite a few MESJ activities have focused on worker justice issues. If
you're not familiar with these, you might check out the following at the
MESJ website:
Labor Day Reflections
by James Tobler
Labor Day is a time to reflect on the nature of work. Work is something
that is easy to forget in today's individualized, supersized, televised,
conveniently packaged and digitalized economy. It's hard to remember that
everything we need doesn't just magically appear at our local neighborhood
SuperCenter. But all of us know that these commercial goods didn't just
magically appear. We know our homes, freeways, and clothes didn't just
. . . appear. We know people work to create what we use. Most of us work
ourselves. Work is significant, and we are grateful for the work of others.
We need to be conscious of the nature of work in the world. As Latter-day
Saints, we know that "pure religion and undefiled before God"
is to serve and empathize with others (James 1:27). We know we should
do unto others as we would have others do unto us. And we know that to
accumulate wealth at the expense of others is, as in Timothy 6:10, "the
root of all evil."
Organized labor's creed that "An Injury to One is an Injury to All" may
ring true to us as Latter-day Saints. It is that spirit that encourages
us to get involved and be a proactive force for good in our communities.
Its not enough just to empathize with the oppressed. As Mother Jones said,
"Don't mourn . . . organize."
Here are some sobering statistics on work in the United States.
- In 2002, 4.7 million workers were injured on the job.
- 5,524 were killed by traumatic injuries at work.
An estimated 50,000-60,000 died from occupational diseases.
- Black and Latino workers experience a disproportionate number of work-related
fatalities.
- 2002 saw the second highest number of fatal occupational injuries
to Hispanic workers with 840 deaths.
- On average, 15 workers were fatally injured each day during 2002.
Facts from the Bureau
of Labor Statistics
Labor in the Pulpits 2004
from the National
Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice
One of the organizations with which MESJ has worked is the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (NICWJ). Each year, this organization
creates resources that congregations can use to incorporate reflection
on worker justice into their Labor Day weekend worship services. Although
these resources are created with a Catholic or Protestant, not LDS, style
of worship in mind, they can still provide Latter-day Saints with food
for thought.
The litany below comes from NICWJ's Labor
in the Pulpits 2004. It is reprinted here in the hopes that MESJ members
may find it useful in their own Labor Day reflections. You might, for
example, reflect on the litany's themes as you take the sacrament this
Labor Day Sunday. Or you might discuss the scriptures quoted in the litany
during a family home evening.
| LEADER: | We gather this Labor Day weekend to celebrate the work that people
do and the gift of work that God has given us. |
| ALL: |
We give thanks for our jobs and the opportunity to work. |
| | |
| LEADER: |
We know that to work can be an opportunity to do God's will. |
| ALL: |
We pray that those of us with jobs will discern God's will
in our workplaces. |
| | |
| LEADER: |
We pray for those without jobs. This Labor Day weekend there are
over . . . |
| ALL: |
Eight million Americans who are officially unemployed. |
| | |
| LEADER: |
And we know that millions more are not included in the official
rolls of the unemployed, because they have become discouraged and
stopped looking for work, or they accepted part-time work instead
of desired full-time work. |
| ALL: |
Creator God, give special encouragement and blessings to
those looking for work. |
| | |
| LEADER: |
We lift up all employers . . . |
| ALL: |
That they may be just and fair with all their employees.
|
| | |
| LEADER: |
We know that God's word is clear on treatment of workers. Deuteronomy
24:9 says, "Never take advantage of poor laborers, whether fellow
Israelites or foreigners living in your towns. Pay them their wages
each day before sunset because they are poor and counting on it. |
| ALL: |
Otherwise they might cry out to the Lord against you, and
it would be counted against you as sin." |
| | |
| LEADER: |
We ask God's special protection on those who toil in sweatshops.
|
| ALL: |
We know that God hears the cries of the poor. |
| | |
| LEADER: |
"Touch the hearts of those who . . . |
| ALL: |
"Trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust
of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed." (Amos
2:7) |
| | |
| LEADER: |
In less than two months, we will go to the polls to elect leaders
for our nation. We know that our leaders are under tremendous pressures.
We pray for all our elected leaders and those who seek leadership
positions. |
| ALL: |
We pray for both our legislative and administrative leadership.
Give our leaders wisdom in decisions. |
| | |
| LEADER: |
We know that God has concern for the poor in society. Proverbs says
that if a leader "judges the poor with fairness," the leader's
position will be secure (29:14). But the leader who "oppresses
the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops" (28:3).
|
| ALL: |
Help our leaders judge and treat the poor with fairness.
|
| | |
| LEADER: |
Help us become a society that cares for the poor, a society that
cares for sweatshop workers, a society that cares for immigrants.
We serve a God who is "mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality
and accepts no bribes." Our God "defends the cause of the
fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and
clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves
were aliens in Egypt" (Deuteronomy 10:17-19). |
| ALL: |
We pledge to "speak up for those who cannot speak for
themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and
judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." (Proverbs
31:8-9) |
| | |
| LEADER: |
This Labor Day weekend, we pledge anew to . . . |
| ALL: |
Celebrate work as a gift from God. |
| | |
| LEADER: |
We seek to become honest and trustworthy employees. |
| ALL: |
We seek to become honest and fair employers. |
| | |
| LEADER: |
And for all those who toil in sweatshop conditions . . . |
| ALL: |
We will seek new ways to stand up for their rights. |
| | |
| LEADER: |
And as we review the priorities of the nation, we will ask our
leaders to . . . |
| ALL: |
Defend the rights of the poor and needy. |
| | |
| LEADER: |
We will encourage our friends and families to become faithful citizens
by registering to vote. |
| ALL: |
We will encourage our friends and neighbors to participate
in the electoral process by going to vote. (November 2, 2004) |
| | |
| LEADER: |
And we will pray that our leaders seek justice for workers . . .
|
| ALL: |
Across the land and throughout the world. Amen.
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Prophetic Thought Says Jesus, "Unless
ye are one, ye are not mine." The counsel contained in this saying
is the best that could be given. Who could have given better advice to
his friends than Jesus gave to his disciples? Be one, for union is strength,
is it not? Yes. Go into the political world, and you will find that union
is strength; it is the same in the mechanical world; and if we take every
art and science, and all the pursuits of the human family, in oneness
there is strength.
Brigham Young
Source: Journal of Discourses 14:94
Question of the Month
How can we avoid an un-Christlike spirit of contention in political
activism? We posed this question in last month's newsletter.
Here's how some readers responded:
In The Argument Culture, by Deborah Tannen, she points out how
our society tends to describe every issue as a war (the war over abortion,
the war on drugs, the war on terror). Tannen urges us to find less combative
ways to approach issues. Rational, well-meaning people can disagree. So
often in the media or the political arena, people seem to assume that
someone who has a different position must be stupid or have some sinister
agenda. This makes it very hard to have genuinely respectful dialogue
that can change hearts.
Terry Carterson, Portland OR
Given Latter-day Saints' high tendency towards complacency in political
activism, a more relevant question might be how can we develop more Christlike
indignation. We should be a little angry about the injustices in the world.
Hopefully this will motivate us to act for goodness. As a general rule,
we need to pray often to love all people - even the oppressor - otherwise
we will lose the very integrity we are struggling to achieve.
James Tobler, Palm Springs CA
The gospel teaches us to do away with spiritual contention in general,
which seems especiallly appropriate when seeking out social justice. When
social justice is so much violated everywhere, only non-violent action
can be a viable alternative. And what a wonderful challenge to ban violence
and aggression in word and deed from our lives in a Christ-like spirit!
Robert Poort, Las Vegas NV
| NEXT MONTH'S QUESTION |
Does concern for worker justice
affect your buying habits? |
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For example, do you look for union labels? Do you make a point of patronizing
businesses that support a living wage, fair trade, or cooperatives? Have
you ever participated in a boycott? Are there websites or organizations
you trust for information about which companies treat workers fairly?
Send your responses by September 25 to jcduffy@hotmail.com.
Please put "Anxiously Engaged" in the subject line. Include
your name and your city. Responses may be edited for space, tone,
and clarity.
September 2004 Spotlight: Robert and Telekaki Poort
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This month's spotlight focuses on Robert and Telekaki Poort, who, along
with family and friends, are the heart of the newly formed MESJ chapter
in Las Vegas. The Poorts spoke with Anxiously Engaged about their
background and their involvement with MESJ.
Robert and Telekaki are the happy parents and grandparents in the center
of their family picture. (click on the picture for an enlargement)
Tell us a little about your personal histories.
If it is true that “opposites attract," it is certainly true
for us! Robert was born in the Netherlands, in the town of Utrecht; Telekaki
was born and raised on the remote South Pacific Island of Vava’u
(Tonga Islands). We met as high school exchange students in 1971, in San
Bruno, California, and were married 2 years later. We raised our family
of five children in the Netherlands, where Robert worked as a customs
officer. In 1992 we decided we were ready for a change and moved to the
US, where we currently live in Las Vegas.
Telekaki works as a caregiver in a retirement home, while Robert is a
flight attendant with United Airlines. At Church, Telekaki teaches a Young
Women’s Beehive class. Robert is the stake’s web site administrator--a
calling he magnifies exclusively from behind his laptop computer in hotel
rooms somewhere around the world! Robert has also served as a counselor
in several bishoprics, in the Netherlands as well as in Las Vegas.
We were first introduced to the Church in the US and later in the Netherlands,
and were sealed in the London, England Temple. (We've been anxiously engaged,
at least to each other, for the past 31 years!) Our denominational backgrounds
are Free Protestant Church of Tonga and Roman Catholic, spiritual backgrounds
we still greatly respect and cherish, even as active Latter-Day Saints.
All of our children are active in the Church, have served missions, and
married in the temple. We don’t have a single drop of pioneer blood
in us, but we see ourselves as first-generation Mormon pioneers. When
our children were growing up, they would ask us, "Are we Dutch, Tongan,
or American?" Our reply has always been: We are citizens of Zion!
How did you become involved with MESJ?
The Netherlands is a country with a great deal of political and social
tolerance, while Tonga’s Polynesian culture spells out social interaction,
community responsibility, and familiarity with humble living circumstances.
Social justice issues always have been close to our hearts, as they very
much shaped the world around us as we grew up. We feel strongly the importance
of President Spencer W. Kimball's warning against the growing trend of
materialism. And LDS authors James Lucas and Warner Woodworth, in their
book Working Toward Zion, perfectly sum up how we see the Church
as a great inspiration to work towards social justice and equality. Finding
MESJ’s website has helped us work towards Zion as Latter-day Saints,
fully participating in both Church and community.
As we try to build the MESJ chapter in Las Vegas, we realize this is a
slow process because many members mistake the Church’s reluctance
to get involved in political matters for an individual standard of passiveness
when it comes to community involvement. MESJ also helps us realize that
social justice doesn’t stop at the parking lot of our ward, bishops’
storehouse, or Deseret Industry; rather, it inspires us to reach out beyond
!
Why has the Las Vegas chapter focused so much attention on the
Yucca Mountain issue?
The highly political issue of the proposed nuclear repository at Yucca
Mountain north of Las Vegas is much more than a serious health issue.
It introduces us to a wealth of other related issues: energy policies,
environmental issues, the effects of the nuclear arms race. As we've worked
on this issue, we've confronted the disinterest of many people, members
and non-members alike, when dealing with matters of life and death! Focusing
on Yucca Mountain thus becomes an exercise in social activism--helping
people in our community see activism not as something to be frowned on
but as an opportunity to learn and participate.
What are your hopes for MESJ?
It would be great if the chapter finder map on the MESJ website would
show more locations where Latter-day Saints are finding out about MESJ
and organizing themselves. Finding more people interested may be a slow
process. But it only takes four people to start a local chapter, so a
handful of family and friends is all you need. There are Church members
everywhere who care about social issues and would love to meet like-minded
spirits! In Las Vegas, we’ll contact an interested individual who
somebody in our group knows and who has demonstrated a certain interest
in particular social issues. We then plan our next meeting around that
social issue and invite the individual to come over and participate with
us in exploring the matter.
There is much to be gained if, as Latter-day Saints, we learn to have
the confidence to make a difference in our communities, just as we strive
to do better at home. We very much like Deborah Tobler’s suggestion
that members of MESJ are on a social justice mission! The Restoration
is not just a historical religious fact, but a continuous process of personal
and social renewal as well. The Church has been a source of great happiness
in our family life, and we love to let it spill over into the communities
where we live.
Upcoming Events and Observances
Call for Submissions
Anxiously Engaged welcomes submissions! Here are some things
we'd be especially interested in hearing about:
- What are your thoughts in response to the Question of the Month?
- What did your local chapter do this month?
- How did you incorporate gospel reflection into your Labor Day celebration?
- Have you seen or heard about something inspiring--something that shows
people can make a difference in working for a better society?
Send submissions to Media Director John-Charles Duffy at jcduffy@hotmail.com.
Please include "Anxiously Engaged" in the subject line.
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