Being the church is hard work. I have been wrestling with the question: what does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? Is it love when real, enfleshed beings are considered an issue? Is it love when disagreement is centered around a congregation’s ability to keep cash flow? Is it love when some of us need to be a special category in order to be treated like a full human being? The conversations I have seen make me question if it is love what I see. And yet, this is the place and the people with whom we are called to be the body of Christ. Those who don’t love us are those we are called to love. That is the heartbreak of being the church.
But joy is the other side of the coin. Even as we learned that our work is still necessary as we seek to “center and celebrate the lives, gifts, and leadership of LGBTQIA+ people,” one of the highlights of our work this month has been the hire of our summer intern, Zoë Goode. Zoë just completed her Sophomore year at Agnes Scott College where she is majoring in Religion and Social Justice. At Agnes Scott, she is a member of the Ukirk Exec team and Agnes Scott’s Interfaith Council. She has been involved in the PCUSA her whole life, and is a former Young Adult Advisory Delegate (GA22) and youth ministries intern. When she’s not working or away at college, Zoë likes to bake, cuddle her dog, and play board games with her family. She loves a challenge and is currently teaching herself to make chainmail. Zoë is thrilled to be More Light’s first ever intern, and is excited to see what the summer will bring!
We also rejoice in welcoming this year fourteen congregations to our network. These churches join us from 11 states, ready to roll up their sleeves and become agents of change in their communities and presbyteries.
It is this joy that keeps us going and keep us working. We are thankful for you all who are joining us in the work.
No comments:
Post a Comment