The Episcopal Church in Colorado

In the long tradition of churches advocating for civil rights, affordable housing, and the voice of the disenfranchised, St. Thomas Episcopal Church in South Park Hill has always fought for the rights and voice of their neighbors in North East Park Hill. In the past, St. Thomas took controversial stands against redlining and school segregation; opened their doors to bi-racial families; supported same-sex marriage, and have provided sanctuary to immigrants seeking asylum. Today, St. Thomas continues to live into that legacy by supporting their neighbors in North East Park Hill who have been subject to urban decay and displacement. In supporting this controversial ballot initiative, they are supporting the voice of those who have been so often disenfranchised by those with housing and privilege. We support the right of long-time residents in North East Park Hill to have affordable housing in their neighborhood, to have the ability to create generational wealth, to receive economic opportunities for locally, women and BIPOC owned businesses, to have healthy food options and and to be protected against further displacement. In other words, we believe those who have raised their families in North East Park Hill deserve to remain there without fear of displacement. We believe they deserve a community where their children can buy homes, where their grandchildren can find jobs and where they can build generational wealth. We are proud to stand with the community advocates and capacity builders in North East Park Hill who have negotiated a comprehensive Community Benefits Agreement with the owners of the Park Hill Golf Course property to guarantee these rights in a legally binding contract. We do not see this as an issue of developers vs. opponents of developers or development vs open space. We see this as a justice issue and an opportunity to protect the rights of a perennially underserved community and create a healthy thriving neighborhood.The IRS allows churches to advocate for Ballot Issues: the ban by Congress is on political campaign activity regarding a candidate; churches and other 501(c)(3) organizations can engage in a limited amount of lobbying (including ballot measures) and advocate for or against issues that are in the political arena. You can find this guidance on the IRS website page Charities, Churches and Politics. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/charities-churches-and-politics

David, Bishop Lucas, in consultation with epidemiology and disaster response experts, has provided COVID-19 recommended guidelines for churches based on CDC, state, and local protocols for gathering safely. These recommended guidelines are then utilized by churches in Colorado to take into consideration and make their own decisions, as elected lay leaders in their congregation (vestry) and as rectors or priests-in-charge, together. The decision on how to safely worship (wearing masks, social distancing, providing sanitizer, cleaning church spaces) is left to local congregations so that they can keep their members and visitors safe. We are all called to love one another; working together to provide safe spaces to worship and explore a journey of faith with Jesus. Our churches have worked so very hard to provide opportunities for members and visitors to gather online, virtually, when it is unsafe to meet in-person. We hope you and your family are able to join your local church online during times when it is deemed unsafe to meet in-person by your local church leaders. We all hope that by following our CDC, state, and local guidelines, we can end this pandemic together. God bless--