Friends,
Together we mourn the horrific shooting at Pulse Latin night, the Orlando gay dance club. We offer support and love to our LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ in Orlando, around the country, and in the Church of the Brethren. But our tears, prayers, and love are not enough. Each act of senseless gun violence is too close for comfort. Each life lost is one to many. We live in a country that does not value each human life equally. We live in a country where the freedoms of a few cost the lives of many.
This is not the Kin-dom of God. This is not the life Jesus calls us to live. In the coming days and weeks I invite you to offer prayers, certainly, but offer actions too. Sign petitions. Attend vigils. Hug and love on the LGBTQ+ community, especially LGBTQ+ people of color.
As we head to Annual Conference in a couple weeks, carry these events with you. We have important work to do together as we discern what kind of church we want to be. We cannot condemn this horrific event on one hand, and continue to stifle the ministry and lives of our LGBTQ+ community on the other. To remain silent is to be a passive accomplice. How will we work towards the beloved Kin-dom of God? How will we be the hands and feet of Christ in this world today? How will we live into our call to be a church of peace and discipleship?
Elizabeth Ullery Swenson
Olympia, Wash.
Open Table Cooperative Staff
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