Mike McClenahan

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." (Isaiah 58:6-9)  For four days last week I fasted and prayed in Solana Beach in solidarity with Fast for Family on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This created an opportunity for me to celebrate Advent in a new way. Advent is a time of waiting, of longing for God to appear as God-With-Us, Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Ev...

(reprinted from Union-Tribune October 17, 2013) A North County pastor becomes an advocate for immigration reform after discovering the human factor.   I have become an accidental advocate for immigration reform. As senior pastor at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, I lead a congregation that has dedicated itself to building relationships with our immigrant neighbors through tutoring, a college-prep program, adult and preschool literacy, as well as worshipping and serving together in the community and around the world. Because of those relationships, the problems that result from our broken immigration system are not hypothetical but very personal. In the church we live in covenant relationships. When a child is baptized we commit to helping parents raise their children. Therefore, children living in fear of their parents’ deportation are not “their” children but “our” children. As Christians with strong family values we inherently understand the importance of keeping fami...