Speak out for
those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the
destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of
the poor and needy./Proverbs 31:8-9
I preached a
sermon a few years back. It was for the Sunday I returned from General Assembly. On one of the last evenings, I had it completed. I felt good. Then my computer crashed. Three days until Sunday and I had nothing. At the time, I was livid. I had worked hard on that sermon! Then I
encountered our last worship service. We
were commissioning the new Field Personnel and chaplains; sending them out in the world to
live boldly and live out their call. I ended up writing a completely different
sermon, titled Don’t Miss the Moment. It was a sermon that showed my pride for CBF
and the people that aren’t missing the moment.
They understand that life is urgent.
They are living boldly—a challenge to all of Jesus’ followers.
This past semester was
one for the books. On top of taking classes that were clearly evolving
the way I minister, I had the opportunity to travel to two amazing places.
The first was El Paso, Texas/Juarez, Mexico with the Baptist Peace
Fellowship of North America. I was able to learn about immigration and
the policies that are in place at the border. You can learn more about my
experience here, or you can join us at Peace Camp in a few short weeks! A few weeks after my trip to the border, I was able to take
what I learned about immigration and our broken system to Advocacy in Action. There
I learned how to use my voice and the resources that were around. I learned the importance of a Christian's role in advocacy, what the Bible says about it, and why it's a part of our calling. Then I got to use my voice and be a part
of something awesome during Lobby Day.
I’m grateful. Being a part of an
organization that creates and executes events like Advocacy in Action makes me
ecstatic to be young clergy of CBF.
This was my second time experiencing Advocacy in
Action. I hope to make it a tradition-
to see how it grows and flourishes into something really beautiful. I was just as excited this time around-
especially since I was going to hear from Sue and Greg Smith, Field Personnel
working with LUCHA ministries. They work
with immigrants every day, and I was excited to process my border trip with
them. Our group spent the first afternoon in
conversation about immigration and payday lending. We talked about why Christians are called to
be a voice for the voiceless, why we are called to love one another, to be
their advocate, to speak out. During the week, we also met
with Melissa Rogers- Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director
of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the
White House Eisenhower Executive Office building. It was an honor to learn from her and the different
We met with the staff from Bread for the World, Baptist Joint Committee, and the New Baptist Covenant. We learned their stories and how they're a part of the big things happening on Capitol Hill and in the DC area. Kasey Jones, Moderator of CBF, spoke to us as the Pastor of National Baptist Memorial Church. The congregation she leads plays a large role in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. They provide those in need with their hunger ministry and clothes closet. In the summer, they host a camp for kids.
All of these opportunities helped us form together a new community, a
community of action. We culminated our
time together on the Hill. I, along with
several other VA residents,spoke with the staff of our representatives. We spoke to them about the good work of Bread
for the World. We spoke about the
upcoming bills about child nutrition, as well as the brokenness we feel as
predatory lending traps those in need of a way out of debt. Our voices were heard. We listened, we prayed, and we talked. We didn’t miss the moment. We acted boldly.
Since returning from Washington, DC, I’ve been able to act
boldly in response to my experiences. I
was present for a payday lending conference. We listened to stories about the
horror behind what these debt traps can do to people in a financial crises. I met with David Bailey of David Bailey
Associates. It’s a “full-service public relations,
government affairs, and lobbying firm located immediately adjacent to the state
capitol in Richmond.” (www.dbava.com) We
talked about the day-to-day activities of his office and how he influences
state legislators. I traveled back to Washington, DC to be a part of the Hunger
Justice Leaders program at Bread for the World. I learned the different
resources and what it means to be passionate about hunger in our country and
our world.
Thanks
be to God for organizations like CBF, who are passionate about being the light
of Christ to others in need. Thanks be to God for CBF and for the people involved that understand that life is urgent and who live boldly and speak out.
