My Urban Village colleague Trey Hall and I went to the Community Renewal Society’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Faith in Action Assembly on Monday at Kingdom Baptist Church on the west side of the city. Kristin Holm, the site-team leader for our Wicker Park site, is an organizer for CRS [Sara, please link this to CRS’s web site] and invited us to attend. It was a great day of worship, reflection, and action on issues that affect our city (including affordable housing, education funding, and job opportunities for ex-offenders). But what may have been the highlight was seeing other folks from UVC attend. We publicized it a little, but I really wasn’t expecting too many people to be there. As Trey and I entered the building, however…look, there’s Juanita! Look, there’s Carol! Look, there’s Jody and Meredith and Andrew and Shanna! So not only was it energizing to be in the midst of hundreds of people who were there singing the songs of hope and justice, but it was inspiring to be there with people who I knew had the same interest and passion.
You probably heard or read many quotes by Dr. King over the last few days, but one of his more famous ones notes that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The Scriptures are soaked with the spittle of prophets who constantly reminded the powers-that-be that God is particularly concerned for the oppressed and outcast. We believe that, too. And it reminds me of the power of being with others who share that same interest and passion. (Which is why we keep trumpeting small groups [please link this to UVC’s small groups page] and the power of doing faith together!)
You will hear and read more about these issues and movements in the coming months, but we hope you will join us as we continue the work of our mothers and fathers in the faith who also heard the cry for justice and who answered.