Reflection :: May 30
Associate Rector, the Rev. Beth Scriven shares the following reflection:
“Justice alone is not the destination. Becoming human is. This is liberation. We want no need for gavels, no need for sit-ins or philanthropy. No need for food drives or keys clenched between knuckles at night. We want more for ourselves.”
These words from Cole Arthur Riley resonate deeply in my own soul, and with what I hear from many of you. We want no more need for charity, no more need to work toward a more just world. We want God’s reign already to be fulfilled among us.
But only a fool would look at the world we live in and think that we’re there — and St. Paul’s pews are not filled with fools! St. Paul’s pews are filled with faithful folks who want to know how best to love our neighbors as ourselves. In fact, one of the clearest messages that came out of our parish reimagining process this year was that our congregation values being part of a church that is making a difference in the world and can help its members to do the same. Our new mission, vision and values statement places a greater emphasis than ever before on the church’s role in forming a more just world for everyone, in partnership with our neighbors.
This is why our Outreach Oversight Committee (OOC), Vestry and clergy have been in conversations this spring about what needs to happen for us to organize our approach to outreach and justice in a new way. These conversations have led to a new and more dispersed set of teams for enacting these ministries, under a new name: Faith in Action. Through conversations with parishioners during the April 20 open meeting, the OOC and Vestry have also established a set of mission priorities based on where our congregation is feeling most energized. These priorities will help set a direction and focus for the year ahead, enabling us to make a greater impact in those areas.
What are these new teams and priorities, you ask? We’re eager to tell you all about them! Please check out the announcement below for details about our June 5 zoom information session with key ministry leaders. We’ll share information about the new Faith in Action teams (Community Engagement; Advocacy, Equity & Justice; Racial Justice; Faith, Justice & the Arts; Grants) and mission priorities (Racial Justice; Housing; Education; Anti-Violence).
We’ll also offer lots of ways that YOU can get involved in both short and long-term efforts through Faith in Action, because we know that living into Christ’s call to love our neighbor is never a solo endeavor. We need each other, as partners, as supports, as guides, as companions. As one community of Christ, we strive for compassionate justice.
We want more for our world than the hurt and struggle we know and see around us. We want more for each other. We want more for ourselves.
“But until then,” says Riley, “we speak. We organize. We create. We hold hope for one another on the edge of despair, our voices sustained in the collective… There is meaning in that.”
Faithfully,
Beth
