Elaina is honored to be a part of the Sojourners community. Through her previous experiences as a youth minister in the South Bronx and a community organizer for various nonprofits and campaigns—including Campaign for Change, the Jubilee U.S.A. Network, and Women’s Action for New Directions—Elaina comes to Sojourners with a passion for all things theological and political.
She received her bachelor's degree from Capital University, where she studied international relations, sociology, and music. She holds a master's in theological studies from Wesley Theological Seminary, as well as a master's degree in international peace and conflict resolution from American University.
Elaina believes the best of each of us is born in community. As a former editor of Sojourners magazine, she enjoys hearing other people's stories and weaving them together to share the good news—God's story of restoration, redemption, and reconciliation for the world.
Elaina resides in northern Virginia with her boxer-pit Oscar. She is an avid singer, Zumba enthusiast, boxer, and novice farmhand. She can also be found reading several books at a time and rarely finishing any of them.
Posts By This Author
Four Questions for Sister Jean Lait, CSF
Sister Jean Lait prepares pies for a Thanksgiving meal. / Photo courtesy of CSF
Bio: Sister Jean Lait, CSF, is an Anglican Franciscan sister based in San Francisco who protests drones and their effects on children. communitystfrancis.org
1. Why did you decide to stand up against drones?
During WWII, I experienced the bombing of Coventry in England. As a child of 9 years, I slept under the stairs, anxiously waiting for the bombs to drop. Toward the end of the war, flying bombs known as “doodlebugs” were used. These were very similar to drones and were sent from Germany. They were aimed anywhere. These were bombs where you heard a whistle and then it was silent before the bang.
Thinking back on the fear and anxiety I experienced, the whole idea of drone warfare is just immoral to me. No child should ever be that frightened. No child should have to live in a war zone. That kind of trauma affects you, one way or another. You either use that experience for good or otherwise.
In Gratitude to My Sojo Family
The Sojourners family
Time became suspended for my family and me when Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines nearly a month ago.
Days blurred into one another as my mom attempted to contact her family in Leyte, one of the Philippine islands directly hit by Haiyan. With her mother, siblings and family members still living in the Philippines, my mom feared the worst as she helplessly watched news reports of the typhoon’s devastation and destruction.
Together, as a family, we waited in agony for answers. Would my grandma and relatives survive? If so, when and how would they contact us without power or phone lines? Would this storm wipe out every connection we have to my mother’s homeland?
Two weeks after Haiyan upended our lives, grief gave way to joy as we received word of my family’s safety. My nanay (grandma) and several of my titas (aunts) and titos (uncles) lost their homes, but they managed to survive one of the most powerful storms recorded in modern history.
As you can imagine, there was much to be grateful for when I gathered with my family for Thanksgiving. At our table, we gave thanks to God for this miracle, knowing all too well that many Filipino families were not as fortunate or still waiting for news about their loved ones. We also remembered those who helped us during this time of uncertainty, especially the Sojourners community.
Answer the Call: Lifting Up Women & Girls
A Women & Calling event featured women sharing their thoughts on what it means for women to live in response to God’s call.
Christian women are a hot topic these days.
Over the past year, more and more Christian women have spoken out about what it means to be a woman in the public square. From the debate over Rachel Held Evans’ A Year of Biblical Womanhood and whether the Bible prescribes specific roles for women to the fascinating discussions about spirituality and sexuality in Talking Taboo: American Christian Women Get Frank About Faith, women of faith are wrestling with how to transcend sexism and patriarchy to cultivate their God-given gifts in the pulpit, at home, and in their daily lives.
To further this conversation, the good people at Q Ideas recently sponsored a Women & Calling event. In Christian TED talk fashion, 12 phenomenal speakers shared their thoughts on what it means for women to live in response to God’s call, to discern their vocations, to navigate the tension between family and work, to embrace their fears and ambitions, and to follow after God with abundant hope.
Unlike other Christian conferences where female representation remains the exception and not the norm, Q flipped the script by featuring the voices of 11 women and one man. Together, these 12 disciples described the fullness and joy of the kingdom of God when we are all empowered to live into our gifts.
Racial Reconciliation Resources
(Amir Ridhwan / Shutterstock)
Racism continues to plague our nation. From disparities in the criminal justice system to attacks on voting rights, many of us have sat by as our brothers and sisters are treated unequally. It doesn’t have to be this way.
As “Peace Pastor” Marty Troyer describes in “Subverting the Myth” (Sojourners, December 2013), with a lot of hard work and honest dialogue, racial reconciliation is possible.
People of faith are leading the new movement for racial justice. To become an agent of reconciliation, sign the One Church, One Body pledge and check out the resources below.
ARTICLES
- By Accident of Birth, by Jim Wallis
- Can We Talk? White Privilege Today, by Andrea Ayvazian and Beverly Daniel Tatum
- In the Middle: The Challenge of Racial Reconciliation, by Catherine Meeks
- Ooh! Is That Racism on Your Shoe?, by Chris Rice
- Racism: America’s Original Sin, by Jim Wallis
- To Move Beyond Denial, by Yvonne V. Delk
- Whose America is It?, by Anthony A. Parker
Key Domestic Violence Resources
Check out these resources to help you and your faith community address the sin of domestic violence.
A Lifesaving Partnership
Thokozile Beatrex Phiri
The Global Fund has a plan to win the fight against the three major diseases of poverty—and it's working.
SLIDESHOW: City Beautiful
Marvel at the beautiful stories to tell in U.S. cities
New and Noteworthy
Simple Truths
The Live Simply series, a set of four booklets based on the values of St. Francis of Assisi, is packed with practical, portable advice about ethical eating, holistic health, creation care, and sensible shopping. Ideal for anyone seeking a life of simplicity and satisfaction in a world of consumption. Franciscan Media
Lost and Found?
A decomposing body is found in the Sonoran Desert, with a tattoo, “Dayani Cristal.” The documentary Who is Dayani Cristal? shows the efforts to find out who this mysterious migrant was and the journey he likely followed. A haunting look at the people affected by the politics of immigration. www.whoisdayanicristal.com
VIDEO: Beyond Bars
Does mass incarceration serve the common good? Susan Burton speaks out.
Crisis and Empathy at the Border
Araceli Rodriguez, mother of 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, shot last year. Photo courtesy Barry Gosling/Sojourners.
In March of this year, U.S. and Mexican citizens gathered together on both sides of the border fence to honor the memory of Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez. Five months earlier, Rodriguez, of Nogales, Mexico, was shot seven times from behind by U.S. Border Patrol agents for allegedly throwing rocks over the 14-foot fence. He was only 16 years old — a young life caught in the crossfire of increased cross-border shootings.
Tucson, Ariz., residents Maryann and Barry Gosling were among those who participated in the bi-national vigil.
Break the Chains of Modern Slavery
Resources to help you raise awareness about—and liberate—the slaves among us.
Waste Not, Want Not
Three of the Pentagon's most wasteful programs
Keystone XL: The Dirty Facts
Resources to help you join the battle to stop the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline
A Glorious Mess
ANYONE WHO LIVES in Christian community or participates in congregational life knows that it is a holy mess. A group of flawed individuals trying to do "life together" can bring out the worst in one another. But that's precisely where God calls us to be.
In our hyperindividualistic culture, it's often difficult to remember that God has created us to be in community. Christian faith and discipleship, from the beginning, have been shaped not by going at it alone but by engaging in ancient and contemporary communal experiences. The first house churches and the formation of communities among the early desert fathers and mothers, as well as today's megachurches, parachurch organizations, and new monastic groups, all point to how we long to be connected to God and with one another.
Our faith and character are refined by the miraculous gifts of grace, reconciliation, and forgiveness made available to us in community. In such a demanding and disconnected world, it is indeed a miracle when two or more gather to break bread and give of themselves in service to God and one another.
Here are some books to help us along the Way, as we seek to deepen our understanding of what it means to be in communion with Christ and with each other.
In 2009 I was co-leading a new intentional community in Washington, D.C. Our nascent group endured many struggles, including interpersonal issues, conflicting visions and goals, and the involuntary removal of a community member. How I wish The Intentional Christian Community Handbook: For Idealists, Hypocrites, and Wannabe Disciples of Jesus (Paraclete Press), by David Janzen, was available when we first began our journey.
'The impacts are quite severe on the ground'
FOR MANY IN the global South, climate change is not an abstract theory. Victor Mughogho, executive director of the Eagles Relief and Development Programme in the southeast African country of Malawi, has experienced firsthand the toll of global warming and extreme weather. He works with local churches to develop practical and faithful solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change. Sojourners assistant editor Elaina Ramsey interviewed Mughogho early last year when he visited Washington, D.C.
Elaina Ramsey: How has climate change affected the people of Malawi?
Victor Mughogho: The impacts are quite severe on the ground. Rural people in Malawi constitute about 85 percent of the population. These people are subsistence farmers. For them, rainfall is everything. Without the rain, there's no agriculture, no livelihood.
The weather patterns have changed and are so unpredictable now. In the past 20 years, official records from the government show that we've had five severe droughts. Because of the cycles of drought, there is less and less water in the ground. The water table is sinking. Trees and grass are stunting and rivers are drying up.
If you asked a person "What will happen in the next 10 or 20 years?" they'd say that what's bad now, in retrospect, is going to look like a good time. It looks like worse times are coming ahead.
In Remembrance of Gordon Cosby
Photo reel of Gordon Cosby. Sojourners file photo.
Last Wednesday morning, the Sojourners community lost an extraordinary friend with the passing of Gordon Cosby. In honor of the life and witness of this beloved brother of Christ, we offer this roundup of stories written by and about Gordon Cosby and his wife Mary.
VIDEO: Shifting the Conversation in North Korea
Be a part of the movement to redefine the public's perception of North Korea.
Say 'No' to Nukes
Be a witness against the bomb—share these graphics!
Stop Low-Priority Deportations
Viridiana Martínez
The Obama administration is not living up to its promises. Sign a petition to put an end to low-priority deportations.
TRIVIA: Media Monopoly
Rupert Murdoch (shutterstock.com)
Who controls the airwaves?