Join us for an interfaith prayer vigil and shared meal on Friday, June 8, at 7:00 pm at Church’s Chicken, 710 N Fair Oaks (on the corner of Fair Oaks and Orange Grove)
This property (known as South Heritage Square) was purchased by the city of Pasadena
Our action will bring together Muslims, Christians, Jews and other community members who care about social justice and the poor. We’re gathering during the month of Ramadan, so please consider fasting during this day, if you feel so led, to be in solidarity with the poor. Some of us are also planning to sleep out on the street after this vigil and you are welcome to join us. If you feel led, please also consider paying for the meal of a homeless neighbor.
This action is part of the Poor People’s Campaign, which was started by Dr. King fifty years ago and has been revived by Rev. Will Barber, in a nation-wide effort to call attention to our nation’s escalating poverty. It is being organized by GPAHG, the Greater Pasadena Affordable Housing Group.
Below are instructions and the program for our vigil and sleepover.
Religious leaders speaking at our event:
- Rev. Dr. Larry Campbell of the First AME Church of Pasadena
- Pastor Terry Turrentine of the Deliverance Tabernacle Church of God in Christ
- Tarek Shawky, Muslim attorney and religious leader
- Claire Gorfinkel, member of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and retired staff person with the American Friends Service Committee
- Jill Shook, GPAHG
- Anthony Manousos (organizer and Quaker)
Gathering place: We plan to gather in northeast corner of the parking lot behind Church's Chicken. To make sure there is room, please park your car elsewhere, such as the street or the CVS or Vallarta parking lot. Our plan is to form a circle similar to the one we formed during our March 11th prayer vigil. See https://laquaker.blogspot.com/2018/05/prayer-vigil-consecrates-south-heritage.html
The schedule:
We are asking people to come at 7:00 pm so we can start promptly at 7:15. There will be approx. 35 minutes for religious leaders to speak, so please be brief and respect the time for others. Here's our schedule:
7:15-7:20: Intro by Anthony Manousos
7:20-25: Prayer/reflection by Pastor Turrentine
7:25-30: Pastor Campbell
7:30-36: Claire Gorfinkel
7:35-40: Tarek Shawky
7:40-7:45: Spontaneous prayers by and for those who are homeless
7:45-50: Closing words and send off by Jill Shook
7:50: 8:00 Muslim call to prayer and time for reflection.
8:00-9:00 Shared meal and candlelit vigil on the street in front of Church's Chicken
Sleepover:
11:00 pm -- dawn -- Sleepover on Fair Oaks for those who wish to take part.
Church's Chicken closes at 10 pm. Our sleepover will take place approx. one hour after closure. We plan to sleep on the sidewalk on Fair Oaks in front of the cyclone fence, where we will hang our banner. Please bring your own sleeping bags and mats, no tents. According to what I have heard from the police commander Cheryl Moody, we have a legal right to sleep on the sidewalk so as long as we don't impede pedestrian traffic. Additionally, we are exercising our right to free speech and religious expression since this sleep over is our way of communicating our concerns about Pasadena's growing homelessness crisis. So far, five or six men have said they are sleeping over. If you want to join us, please contact me.
Food: We received a $200 donation from the Quaker Meeting plus a $20 donation from Tom Petersmeyer to cover our banner and purchasing food from Church's Chicken. This is a good start but probably not enough. We are hoping that attendees will contribute enough to cover all the food for those who are homeless. If not, I will cover the difference.
Banner and candlelight vigil: We have an 8-foot banner with the words of the prophet Isaiah: "House the Homeless" (Isaiah 58:7) At Heritage Square South. Participants in the vigil will silently hold this banner in front of Church's Chicken from 7:00- 9:00 pm.
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