NMIPL IN THE NEWS

Sign the Petition: Support Zero Fares Transit ABQ into 2023

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What’s Happening with #ZeroFares?

In 2021, Albuquerque City Council approved $3M to fund zero-fare transit for everyone, eliminating barriers to transit access for all riders until December 31, 2022. The Zero Fares coalition is organizing our communities to urge the City Council to support funding zero-fare transit through June ‘23.

Why #ZeroFares?

BQ Ride reports:

🚍 74% of riders are low income

🚍 73% of riders either don’t have a vehicle or their vehicle isn’t working

🚍 Vast majority of riders are people of color

NM Voices for Children reports:

🚍 Area nonprofits saved $1.6M over the most recent three fiscal years that previously went to purchasing bus passes.

🚍 Transit savings may now be reinvested into client services

Zero Fares are about equity (people most impacted getting what they need) and racial justice (addressing historic injustice and disparities based on ethnicity and race) Continued funding of the Zero Fares pilot project is the right direction for Albuquerque.

The following toolkit will help your organization support the campaign for Albuquerque’s Zero Fares transit pilot program via digital organizing to ensure its continued funding in the city budget through June 2023. Here is the link to this toolkit:

You will find social media guidance including sample written messaging and graphics.. We encourage our partners to amplify the campaign by posting the graphics on various digital platforms and adapt the written messaging as needed, while maintaining campaign consistency with unified messaging.

Sr. Joan Brown’s Op-Ed in Gallup Independent: Love or fear – our choice

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The following piece appeared in the Gallup Independent on the weekend of April 23-24, 2022

Love or fear – our choice

By Sr. Joan Brown, OSF, Executive Director, Interfaith Power and Light New Mexico & El Paso

Special to the Independent

These are rare days. We just finished celebrating Passover on Earth Day, April 22 and we continue the Easter season and also Ramadan. The confluence of these holy days happens only about every 30 years. To add to these holy days we have a convergence with Earth Day and this is Earth Sunday.

What an important time to renew loving commitments to one another for peace and to care for our Common Home. Somedays, however, I feel there is hardly enough energy just to get through the day.

Several weeks ago presented one of those days. Amidst a sick friend, too much work and many demands, we were surprised to get irrigation water. During our dire drought the water was so very precious for our fruit trees and gardens. I was excited and then very disheartened when a problem arose with an underground pipe leading to one area limiting water to a trickle. It became dark and I could not work any longer in the night to address the problem.

Almost in tears with weariness and yet another problem, I walked to the ditch to turn off the water. There, reflected in the water was a growing white moon and stars. I was stunned by the beauty. A sense of well-being flowed through me. It was a holy moment. I just let go of so many burdens.

The beauty of God awaits us in surprising ways in these dark night times. Hope surprises us with the unexpected if our hearts are open a crack. We did get our water problem fixed with some help. But there are always more challenges. The question we are posed in the Christian scripture this week after Easter is whether I am locked in a closed room or am I a channel of love and peace of God in our troubled world.   Read Full Article

An Invitation to Join Pentecost Pilgrimage with Ecumenical friends in Ukraine

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New Mexico Pilgrimage for Unity

announces:

3rd Annual Pentecost Pilgrimage-in-Place

with an emphasis on praying for and with ecumenical friends in Ukraine

PLEASE JOIN US: ALL ARE WELCOME

Activities beginning May 26, 2022, thru the fall 2022.

Attend one, some, or all.

7 days of praying in preparation
3 days of self designed pilgrimage
1 Pentecost Celebration
4 Months of Pilgrimage Community.
Zoom Opening to a week of prayer – Ascension Day, May 26
Initiation of Pilgrimage – Zoom Meeting, June 2
Pentecost Zoom Celebration – June 5
Zoom Pilgrims Gather, June – Sept. 2nd Thursdays
All Zoom gatherings at 7 pm MT, access info on website

Register Here

Learn More/Donate Institute for Ecumenical Studies, Ukrainian Catholic University

New Mexico Pilgrimage for Unity is a program of New Mexico Ecumenical Institute for Ministry

Carlsbad Current Argus. Sep. 3, 2020 New Mexico finalizes oil and gas wastewater regulations, lawmakers hear testimony (Rev. Nick King Quoted)

Las Cruces Sun-News,  Aug. 19, 2020, Report on solving climate crisis brings hope (Co-authored by Michael Sells, Clara Sims and Edith Yanez)

Santa Fe New Mexican, Aug. 15, 2020 Vote your values this November  (Commentary by Larry Rasmussen and Tabitha Arnold)