“It was my conviction and determination that the church would be a resource for activists — a mission fundamentally perceived. To me it was important that individuals who were in the thick of the struggle for social change would be able to find renewal and fresh courage in the spiritual resources of the church.”
—Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman (quoted in Mark Morrison Reed’s Black Pioneers)
Every year lay leaders, working with core staff members, choose a visional goal for our congregational year. This goal invites us to knit our many activities to a common project. 2020-2021 will be the year of Focused Action.
The times we are living in demand focus. We are each exhausted in our own way and our collective experience is a continual effort through new and challenging circumstances.
The times we are living in demand action. The movement for black lives is a movement to save lives – the consequences of inaction are existential. At the same time the soul of our nation is at stake as well as our democratic experiment, and we would be wise to maintain constant vigilance in the effort to abate a climate crisis.
We need rest. We need renewal. Without them we will not be able to focus and act. May our congregation be the place, as Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman states, where we find the “renewal, fresh courage” and “spiritual resources” that we need to serve our calling in our world.
From Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael, Senior Co-Minister