Dear People of God in Southern Ohio,
Nearly every Sunday, I gather with congregations to make and renew the promises of our baptism. Together we promise to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers; to persevere in resisting evil; to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ, both by what we say and by what we do; to recognize that Jesus is in everybody, and to seek and serve him, with love; and to strive for justice and for peace, respecting the dignity of everyone we meet.
As we strive to live as disciples in an increasingly divisive political climate, our Baptismal Covenant equips us to live our faith in practical and life-giving ways. One tool for demonstrating this kind of baptismal faith is a five-week curriculum on civil discourse developed by the Office of Government Relations of the Episcopal Church and Forward Movement. The curriculum, available on the Office of Government Relations website, begins and ends with prayer. It addresses the context and tenets for civil discourse, equips participants for values-based conversations, explores policies and their complexity, and prepares people to cultivate sacred space for courageous discussion. I commend it to you.
On Tuesday, October 8 from 6 to 8 p.m., Alan Yarborough, church relations officer in the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations, will lead our diocese in a Zoom training titled “Make Me an Instrument of Peace: Building Capacity for Engaging on Tough Topics.” The session will be based on the civil discourse curriculum. Together we will learn how to build capacity for civil discourse, use it to talk about public policy, and assess how civil discourse coexists with other types of personal and institutional engagement. Register to attend this free training.
This effort is not about taking a partisan stand. My prayer is that by engaging in civil discourse, we can build and maintain relationships across differences, leveraging our diversity to solve problems and create solutions together. May this work help us follow Jesus’ call to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves more fully.
I give thanks for your courage and faithfulness.
In Christ,
