Jubilee Consortium

by Joanne Leslie (Board member)

The Heart of Jesus in the Heart of the City. This is the vision of St. John’s ProCathedral in downtown Los Angeles. In November 2007, St. John’s added a new ministry whose goal is to make the hearts of people living in its urban neighborhood healthier. For the last six months, enthusiastic aerobics classes have been meeting in the parish hall at 5:30 pm and 6:50 pm Tuesday and Friday evenings, providing the community with a much needed, low-cost opportunity for health promoting exercise.

Last fall, when an unexpected problem forced the Jubilee Consortium to cancel its hugely popular aerobics classes at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, community members were disappointed and angry. Almost 150 women had come to count on these classes, both for the exercise opportunity and for fellowship. St. John’s, which is located just over a mile away, came to the community’s rescue. As Dean Mark Kowalewski of St. John’s said, “We saw a need, we had the space, we responded. This is an outgrowth of the church’s theology of hospitality. Why wouldn’t the church care for the whole person?”

Norma Palencia, Jubilee Consortium Health Program Coordinator, reports that the classes at St. John’s started small. Only about 20 women from the St. Philip’s classes were able to switch to the new location. But Norma and site co-coordinator, Antonieta Tunchez hustled. They passed out flyers at schools, to people on the street and even put flyers on cars. Soon more women joined the core group and the classes began to grow. Norma says, “We have people living with diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and other problems. Our participants are very committed to their health. The people who come to the classes at St. John’s want a healthier life-style. They love exercise. They love to know about nutrition and they want more classes.”

Norma also explains that Jubilee’s exercise classes at St. John’s meet a real need. “Our people are very low-income. Women work in factories. The people are living in real poverty. They don’t have another way to get exercise classes.” Another draw of the aerobics classes at St. John’s is that the instructors, Lorena Gutierrez and Leo Ramirez, are known to be among the best aerobics teachers in Los Angeles. Lisa Palencia comes all the way from Hollywood to participate in the Tuesday evening class at St. John’s. Lisa says, “I come here because the instructors are so good.”

Soon we hope that people from the congregation of St. John’s, people who work in the neighborhood, and perhaps some USC students will begin participating in these low-cost dynamic aerobics classes. This way, in addition to helping everyone get healthier, St. John’s can be a place where community members from all walks of life come together for exercise and fellowship.

by Gary Commins (Board Member)

What does a sabbatical have in common with the Jubilee Consortium? At first, they might seem to be opposites – a sabbatical is a time of rest and study, the Jubilee Consortium is a hub of activity. But first appearances can be deceiving.

Both the original concept of jubilee and a sabbatical have their roots in the Jewish notion of Sabbath – a time consecrated to sacred rest and renewal in God. The jubilee was the Sabbath of Sabbaths, a time when the whole land was re-consecrated to God and society was reformed and re-ordered according to God’s justice.

The Jubilee Consortium is founded on this ideal of all people being in right relationship with one another and with God, an era in which we no longer have to worry about “at risk” youth because no one will be “at risk.” It is a vision of a time in which it is normal for all people to have equal access to quality health care, normal for people to live in communities that naturally promote health. It is a vision of a time when there is no more need for advocacy because justice will already be taken for granted.

On my three-month sabbatical, I am getting a taste of a life that studies and rests in God. The work of the Jubilee Consortium is to give people in our neighborhoods a similar taste of life ordered according to God’s will – a life in which young and old are healthy, safe, and nurtured, a time in which all people celebrate being God’s beloved.

Marlene is eight years old with an infectious smile. She has been faithfully attending the Jubilee Consortium aerobics classes at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Hollywood for the last year and a half. When asked questions about why she comes and participates in the Jubilee classes, she doesn’t hesitate to share her answers. One of the things she likes about the classes is that she gets to spend time with her mom. “The classes,” she says, “make my mom feel happy and that makes me feel happy, too. I come with my mom and some of her friends. I’ve noticed that I have more energy and I feel happy and better about myself.” Marlene also comes to Jubilee’s Alternatives to Violence class on Thursday evenings when the church’s sanctuary is converted into a boxing gym and twenty or more young people gather to learn boxing, life and leadership skills. “I like the boxing class because I have a place to take my anger out,” she says with a smile. “In all the classes,” she continues, “I feel that I am at home.”

Recently, the Jubilee Consortium hosted an “Aerobics-a-thon Fundraiser and Health Fair” at its Hollywood site. When Marlene heard about the planned event, she immediately signed up to participate, grabbed several sponsor sheets and went out in search of potential donors. By the day of the event, Marlene had raised $110. That itself is amazing for an eight year old. But the thing that was even more amazing was how she did it. Marlene persuaded more that 100 people to sponsor her. She asked her family, her friends, her neighbors, her teachers at school. Some of the sponsors pledged $1 or $5. But many pledged a nickel, a dime or a quarter. Her efforts and commitment were a clear signal to everyone how important these exercise and nutrition classes are to the low-income residents that attend them. “When I grow up,” Marlene explains, “I don’t exactly know what I want to do, yet, but I would like to be an aerobics instructor to help all the women and people get healthier.”

Marlene is great at getting the word out about Jubilee programs. “I’ve invited everyone,” she exclaims. And the folks that take her up on her invitation always tell her that they love the class and the community spirit. Marlene embodies the urgency and commitment Jubilee feels in its efforts to help individuals, families and neighborhoods to be healthy and strong. When asked if she wanted to say anything to the people who financially support the work of Jubilee, Marlene offered the following: “I just want to thank the people. Many people who come to the classes don’t have a lot of money. The money that others give makes a lot of people happy and healthier and I am happy that all those people are happy. It makes me feel great!”

Jubilee Consortium is dedicated to serving the community with its amazing programs such as Aerobics, Salsa, Step classes and nutrition education in order to have a healthier you. Come joins us for a day full of activities. Participate in our aerobic-a-thon fundraiser and become part of the change in our community. We also have invited community organizations to participate in our Health Fair and provide FREE health screenings, Healthy Food Tastings and information about local resources to all community residents.

Like a walk-athon, we are inviting people to join in the fun of the day and get sponsorships from family, friends and colleagues for completing a session of aerobics. All the proceeds will go toward the Jubilee Health Project. Here’s the schedule for the day. Oh yeah, whoever raises the most money in sponsors win a bicycle. Lots of other prizes, too.

12:00 p.m. - Registration
12:30-12:45 p.m. - Kid Session (1)
1:00 - 1:30 p.m. - Adult Session (1)
1:45 - 2 p.m. - Kid Session (2)
2:15 - 2:45 p.m. - Adult Session (2)
2:45 - 3 p.m. Lots of Prizes given out!