| Reflections on the Annual Dinner for the Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals (CCMP) I wanted to take a moment to share some reflections from the wonderful Annual Dinner that Berkeley Methodist United Church (BMUC) recently hosted for the Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals (CCMP). BMUC has been a proud sponsor of this all-volunteer organization for the past two and a half years, and this year’s dinner marked CCMP’s forty-ninth year of faithful service.  CCMP’s mission is a living expression of the gospel call that Jesus gave to all his followers: to care for the sick, to lift up the poor, and to love our neighbors with both compassion and courage. Since I began volunteering with CCMP in March of 2023, I have had the privilege of advocating for individuals and families who have fallen through the gaps of our healthcare system. Many of these neighbors have government-issued insurance, yet find that it offers little real help—especially for dental and medical needs. Reimbursements to providers have not kept pace with the cost of living, leaving countless people without access to essential care.  In the midst of this broken system, I have also witnessed the beauty of grace at work. Dentists, orthodontists, physicians, physical therapists, and chiropractors across our communities are volunteering their time, opening their offices, and offering healing hands to those who otherwise would go without. Their generosity embodies the love of Christ made visible—a reminder that compassion still has power in a weary world. Along with another CCMP volunteer, I am sharing more about the history of CCMP and the ongoing health care crisis in the United States—particularly for those whom Jesus called us to place first in our compassion, justice, and mercy. CCMP, founded in 1976, was established on the enduring conviction that access to comprehensive health care is a human right. This right must extend to all individuals—especially low-income workers and the uninsured—regardless of their ability to pay. Operating entirely through volunteer efforts and independent of government or conditional funding, CCMP brings together health professionals, small business owners, clergy, students, and community members who stand in solidarity with the lowest-paid workers to defend and advance this right.  Today, the ongoing reductions to Medi-Cal, Medicare, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) represent a profound threat to public health and social stability. Nearly 38 percent of Californians rely on Medi-Cal, including 29 percent of San Francisco residents, while recent cuts to SNAP benefits have reduced or eliminated assistance for the overwhelming majority of participating households. Such measures erode access to preventive care and basic nutrition, running counter to CCMP’s foundational principles of health equity and justice. CCMP defines comprehensive health care broadly—encompassing not only medical, dental, and optical services but also the essential conditions that sustain health: adequate nutrition, clean air and water, safe workplaces, and stable housing. The organization’s guiding statement affirms that “the enemy of health care for poor people, in fact of life itself, is not death—it is the overwhelming odds against which we must battle to maintain life.” This vision aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted globally a decade ago to eliminate poverty and hunger, address climate change, and ensure universal access to health care, education, and dignified employment. Despite possessing the resources to make significant progress, the United States has failed to implement these goals and, in recent years, has formally withdrawn support for them. CCMP rejects this retreat from global responsibility and calls upon all people of conscience to advocate for the full realization of the SDGs, recognizing their essential role in advancing both human and planetary well-being. Through its volunteer medical network and community partnerships, CCMP continues to equip working people across the Bay Area to advocate for the health care and living conditions they rightfully deserve. The organization remains steadfast in its mission to promote a comprehensive, equitable, and sustainable model of health—one that ensures every individual has the means to live, work, study, and thrive in dignity. As your pastor, I give thanks—for this ministry of healing, for the partnership between BMUC and CCMP, and for every act of mercy that reminds us what it means to be the body of Christ in the world: to mend what is broken, to lift what is fallen, and to love without condition. Salaam, Shalom, Sincerely, Rev. Pamela L. Kurtz, Pastor |Sadie Daly, Administrative Assist.     |
Thanksgiving Letter  Greetings siblings in Christ, Wishing you blessings and joy this Thanksgiving Day! Our gatherings will vary—from intimate to small to large—but however you gather in gratitude this year, I wish you peace, hope, and blessing for the days ahead. The Thanksgiving tradition is often traced to a 1621 feast shared between the English colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the Wampanoag people of southeastern Massachusetts, celebrating a successful harvest. Later, Presidents Washington and Lincoln issued proclamations establishing Thanksgiving Day, with Lincoln calling for it to be observed on the last Thursday of November. (This sometimes caused confusion about whether that was the fourth or fifth Thursday!) In 1941, Congress and President Roosevelt officially designated the fourth Thursday in November as the federal holiday we know today. While we are no longer an agrarian society, late autumn still invites reflection on the bounty and blessings we have known—especially amid challenges and hardships that many face, some more deeply than others. Giving thanks for what we do have transcends the secular nature of the holiday and invites people of faith to reflect on blessings received from the Divine. This year, gratitude may feel more difficult as we are inundated with images and stories of pain—stemming from harmful policies affecting our brown, immigrant, and agrarian communities. Yet the wisdom of our faith elders reminds us that gratitude can reframe the narrative—not by erasing pain, but by grounding us in hope and resilience. Gratitude, after all, is a conscious, active choice—and a form of prophetic protest. As followers of Christ, we are called to bear witness to this kind of gratitude, just as our forebearers did amid suffering and injustice. In that spirit, our Thanksgiving Offering this year will go to the Asian Women’s Shelter (www.sfaws.org ). Founded in 1988, the shelter addresses the urgent and unmet needs of survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking—particularly immigrant, refugee, queer, and youth survivors. SFAWS centers the cultural and linguistic needs of Asian and Arab women and their children while welcoming all survivors. Recognizing that abuse of power is the root cause of violence, their work is grounded in an intersectional, anti-oppression framework. Using a shared leadership model (much like the UMC), SFAWS emphasizes teamwork, consensus-building, and reflection—empowering survivors and strengthening advocacy efforts. Their programs serve particularly underserved communities, including queer Asian survivors, trafficked individuals, and survivors of FGM/C. With federal funding cuts threatening vital programs like this, we have an opportunity to express our gratitude through financial giving to this year’s Thanksgiving Offering. You may give online through Tithely, through your bank’s bill pay, by mailing a check, or by placing your gift in the Sunday offering basket. Visit www.bmuc.org/give for details. We will lift up our Thanksgiving Offering especially on Thanksgiving Sunday, November 23. With gratitude and peace, Blessings. Salaam, Shalom, Rev. Pamela L. Kurtz, Pastor |
