Every Sunday we put our faith into action at the Action Table on the lawn at All Saints Church. Last Sunday — March 26th — 524 All Saints members signed this letter thanking Representative Adam Schiff for his work on the House Intelligence Committee.
March 26, 2017
The Honorable Adam Schiff
United States House of Representatives
245 E. Olive Avenue, #200
Burbank, California 91502
Re: Your Position on the House Intelligence Committee
Dear Sir,
At All Saints Church in Pasadena, we work very hard to live into the promises we make in our Baptismal Covenant. One of those promises is: “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” We believe that a democratic polity is the best environment for us to work towards that goal — both individually and collectively. Therefore, we have taken positions throughout our history as a church that have the objective of protecting and enhancing our democracy in the United States.
Like most Americans, we have been dismayed by reports of a foreign power (Russia) attempting to undermine and subvert our democracy with the possible collusion of a few American citizens. The objective seems to be changes in United States policies regarding Russia; specifically, policies regarding Russia’s recent aggression against Ukraine and the stifling of democracy and civil rights within Russia itself.
We are grateful for your leadership on the House Intelligence Committee as noted in this recent Washington Post opinion piece:
At the start of the House Intelligence hearing, Schiff methodically traced the series of events concerning President Trump’s Russia scandal. He pointedly reminded the audience and fellow lawmakers, “We will never know whether the Russian intervention was determinative in such a close election. Indeed, it is unknowable in a campaign in which so many small changes could have dictated a different result. More importantly, and for the purposes of our investigation, it simply does not matter. What does matter is this: The Russians successfully meddled in our democracy, and our intelligence agencies have concluded that they will do so again.”
We applaud your steadfast and principled determination to fully understand the Russian interference in our recent election and to develop policies to counteract ongoing attempts to meddle in our democracy — by Russia or any other foreign entity. We wholeheartedly encourage your efforts in this important work.
Sincerely,
We the Undersigned at All Saints Church, Pasadena, CA
CC: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Representative Judy Chu
