Dear CUCC community,
These last few weeks have been rough.
I am listening to a podcast even now as I write about the pending Supreme Court Justice appointment that will be announced this evening in prime time, 8:00pm. Whether or not we agree with Roe vs. Wade or are pro-life or pro-choice, it is imperative that we, as people of faith, take a deep breath and understand what is quickly happening within the white-walled edifice that stands in Washington DC. This nation was not born today, and will not die tomorrow, but has been gifted unto a people with whom God has given a “choice”. The choice to either receive or reject love.
Many people are unfamiliar with the relationship extended in love from Creator to her created, and are, therefore, incapable of seeing it as anything besides a limited commodity with which to manipulate and destroy anything that lives and breathes life, spirit, light.
Drawing on the words of our own Dr. William Barber, as people of faith it is important that we resist the compulsion to polarize one another as division and unity fight for our affections, “Some issues are not left or right or liberal versus conservative. They are right versus wrong.”
Many of the decisions we are seeing come out of the white house as well as those things being threatened are just wrong, restricting and limiting of all that God has created. It is our job as the Church to lead the way in choosing “rightness," to create a clear path towards #theworldwewant.
On Sunday, in 10:30 worship many of you took the opportunity to talk with one another about your fears, and your hopes as we thought about how to articulate #theworldwewant during these uncertain times. Please take time to read through and listen to the heartbeat of this beloved community and know that you are loved.
Our hopes and fears… #theworldwewant
“No more America first”
“Can we preserve our democracy?”
“Hope for a peaceful world…we are in an unpredictable time”
“CUCC - keep everyone near; we must practice welcoming and caring”
“Bad things are happening, but people ARE responding!”
“Equity in education”
“Natural beauty as God intended”
“We fear a growing anarchy that erodes our democracy”
“We at CUCC can not only help energize, but provide a pathway for connected action — let people know what they can do to effect change”
“We want a world where we examine our fears, a world where all people feel safe and seek understanding”
“We should start with listening to those with whom we disagree & speak from our hearts from out of our faith”
“What myth am I living? The American Dream”
“Courage to speak against what actions are bad without angry voices, to one person or many”
“Speak in peace”
“Reclaim our Christian story”
“Fear is future based! We need to live today and speak with peace, love and hope”
“We hope the new presidency will make us do more at the community level to help people who are negatively impacted by Trump!”
“What is #theworldwewant? Peace, joy, kindness, tolerance, civility, listening, trust, led by beliefs and not fears”
“Explore becoming a sanctuary church”
“We want more unity”
“What can we do? Pray regularly, show up, write and call legislatures”
“Embracing refugees, becoming a sanctuary church, walk in HK on J, return to being a City on a Hill, Giving birth to who we want to be”
“The family of our green card holder will be able to visit them here”
"Let's become a sanctuary church"May the Spirit lead the way,
~Rev. Jenny Shultz-Thomas