Dear Siblings,

Recently, the conference staff hosted a series of clergy conversations to reflect on what it means to be church in these times.  I was able to attend one of those sessions and found that many of the same concerns and questions I hold were echoed by my colleagues and by those they serve.  The injustice we see around us seems to grow daily, and yet the roots of what we see now trace back to the earliest days of our society.  

These types of conversations seem to be increasingly common.  A few months ago, Rev. Thomas invited folks to gather on a Wednesday to ponder our own role in these times. You know something is important if you can get Central people to church on a weekday.   In these conversations – here, among colleagues, or in other places – I have heard many things. I have heard frustration, fear, anger, grief and a lot of uncertainty.  All these feelings are valid, and it’s important that we attend to these feelings and our own needs even as we attend to our work.

What does it mean to be the church in this time and moment? I can’t claim to have THE answer to that question, but I can invite us to continue to explore it together.  Discerning our role in justice work has always been important – where am I called? What skills or gifts do I have that can be used for this work?  Yet in a time when things feel more uncertain and unpredictable, and when some of our typical means of change are falling short, discernment becomes even more important.  What does it mean for us to be the church in this moment? I don’t know that answer, but I believe that we might start to hear it little by little when we listen deeply to the Spirit – in our spiritual practices as well as in contemplation and conversation together.  There is much that is uncertain and unjust in this time.  The good news is we don’t face it alone. We are guided by the Spirit as we walk together toward a more just and compassionate world. 

In Solidarity,

Rev. Kimble