Dear Friends,
Please read
through this–at least scan it–and make note of the appeal I make at the
bottom. I’m not sending this to everyone I know, just a handful of church
leaders that I believe may be sympathetic to the cause.

For the past
several months, my community (Missio Dei) has been following the case of
Rosemary Williams. After living in her neighborhood for 55 years, she is facing
foreclosure. For many like Rosemary, banks have been unwilling to really sit
down and help people keep their homes. It makes financial sense for banks to
stonewall…there is nothing in it for them to show compassion. 

And so, after
court cases and unsuccessful attempts at getting GMAC to negotiate, Rosemary
and those standing with her are facing tresspassing charges as they remain at
her home–a home that she’s lived in for years. As arrests loom, Rosemary is
asking the Church to come bear witness to the arrests. Religious leaders still
have pull in the public eye. When they bear witness to (or participate in)
Civil Disobedience, it helps religious folk see injustice.

Rosemary is a
55-year resident of the Central Neighborhood in south Minneapolis. She has been
fighting to save her home for almost a year now. After months of
non-communication from the mortgage holders, an eviction was ordered this
spring. Ms. Williams, along with dozens of community supporters, tried to use
the courts to stop the eviction, only to find out that pursuing “justice”
would cost us $49,000. Meanwhile Rosemary has also been desperately trying to
get financing to save her home, a process that takes time, especially in this
economic and bank climate. Through it all, Ms. Williams makes it clear that she
is standing up to inspire everyone to fight against these unjust foreclosures
and evictions. 

If you are at
all sympathetic–whether you agree or not–would you be willing to come to
Rosemary’s house today to simply bear witness? To see and hear what is
happening so that others may know? A couple members of Missio Dei are standing
with Rosemary to face arrest as a stand against injustice. Rosemary is asking
for pastors and church leaders to come bear witness to the arrests, so that her
story can be told…in these days, a name and a face needs to be attached to
the masses facing homelessness. The Church needs to tell stories that reveal
injustice so that, we hope, financial institutions will be shamed into
practicing hospitality. 

At current
rates, 9 million homes will be foreclosed by 2012. This means that, in coming
months and years, homeless will continue to be on the rise. What caused this
situation? Certainly it was a lack of wisdom by some homeowners. But it was
also caused by unexpected job loss and predatory lending.
If you are
willing to come and simply bear witness, please contact me (mark at
missio-dei.com) or come to 3138 Clinton Ave S, Minneapolis sometime today
(Monday) or, if arrests haven’t been made, tomorrow. 

Please past this on to
pastors, church leaders, religious brothers and sisters, etc…

peace of Christ
upon you,
Mark Van Steenwyk