Farmastery Community
Grow It organizer Leah Reichardt-Osterkatz, right, helps children make smoothies from strawberries they picked, plus kale grown on the farm, at Spring Forest in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (RNS photo/Yonat Shimron)
Nov. 6, 2024
Sisters, Brothers and Siblings in Christ,
I write to you, the people of The United Methodist Church in Western North Carolina, on the day following the national political elections. Please receive these as inadequate words, trusting in the wisdom of the apostle Paul, that the spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words (Romans 8. 26).
I invite us to understand the difference between electoral partisanship and deeper values. We are a nation that offers so much to so many, and yet we remain on the long journey toward justice and freedom for all. To a deeply divided state and nation, I unite with you in prayers for comfort and peace. In the particularity of recent presidential elections, I am praying today especially for black women, for all women in leadership, and for women struggling to bear children.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, let us move beyond a season of blaming, disparaging and dehumanizing to one of blessing, encouraging and empowering. Let us denounce the recent hate speech directed at LGBTQ persons, immigrants and persons of color in the political campaign rhetoric.
In our own lives, let us move from hostility to hospitality, welcoming one another as Christ has welcomed us, for the glory of God (Romans 15. 17). Let us be an alternative community that models holiness through love of God, our neighbors and even our enemies. Let us take a deep breath and return to the practices and relationships that restore the hope that is in us. And let us remember: through it all, we are one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.
In Christ,
+Ken Carter
Bishop, Western North Carolina Conference
United Methodist Church