Around The Region And In My Heart
Rev. Allen V. Harris,
Regional Pastor & President,
Christian Church in Ohio
Advocacy IS Ministry: It’s Not Political & It’s Not A Distraction
When I was in high school I was thoroughly invested in several student organizations, but most especially in Student Council. It is fair to say that a significant amount of my early leadership skills were learned and honed through the activities of Student Council. For at least a couple of years I co-chaired the program committee, which was the service aspect of Student Council. Each year we would choose a different non-profit organization and then would have fundraisers for that organization and present them with the check at the end of the year. Depending on the type of organization we would also provide volunteers for programs and events.
Two service projects I remember distinctly were the March of Dimes and Special Olympics. The March of Dimes was meaningful to me as I did a deep dive into researching the organization and became fascinated with how it was singularly focused on ending polio through global vaccinations. Since then, it has expanded its focus to be on maternal health in general. We would do bake sales, car washes, and all the usual fundraising techniques to raise money for the organization, but I also made it my practice to try to help educate my classmates on the mission of the organization and how that affected people who were my age in lived in my context.
The project I became even more invested in as a Junior in high school was the Special Olympics. This increased focus was in large part due to the fact that the statewide Special Olympics competition for New Mexico would be held in my hometown the summer after we had focused on the organization. I worked diligently to get my friends and classmates to volunteer, and I was the first to sign up. That summer of 1980 I showed up to the athletic site and became a “buddy” to a group of three athletes competing at the Special Olympics. We learned each other’s names and I was given instructions and a list of the events they were competing in and the times I needed to have them there. One of the guidelines I was taught that impressed upon me the deep values of the Special Olympics organization was that I was to be at the finish line for each one of the athletes in my care for every one of their events, and to be prepared to celebrate their completion no matter what place they came in the competition.
This role, known as a “hugger,” was one of the most powerful and life changing volunteer activities I have ever done. Part of it was how universal it was, which was to say the effort every athlete put into their competition was valuable, recognized, and celebrated. The other aspect that made this so moving was the sheer joy the athletes exhibited when someone was there to recognize their effort. This bonded my small band of Special Olympic athletes and I in some deep and powerful ways.
As important as these efforts were in the moment, with the focus on fundraising, education, and service what was even more transformative for me was that with each of the service projects that the Student Council chose, I learned that the most important thing I could do was to be an advocate. Advocacy is next step beyond benevolence. I learned that if we are truly moved by and open to what we learn in caring for others we should likewise be empowered and equipped to advocate for them. With the March of Dimes (along with the influence of my mother, a lifelong Registered Nurse) I learned the critical importance of vaccinations built on quality science and research, for the health and well being of not simply individuals, but for society and humanity as a whole. It isn’t enough to simply have compassion for those who contract polio or other diseases, but to actively support through our public monies and societal willpower the research needed to improve our medical responses to such diseases. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected the lessons I learned as a sophomore in high school Student Council club would be needed in such crucial ways in my later adult years when baseless conspiracy theories and self-serving political ideologies would replace extensive quantitative and qualitative science and medical research.
Likewise, my time learning about the Special Olympics, sharing that information within my school, hearing the sometimes negative and bullying comments by my peers about persons with physical and mental handicaps, and then getting to know three beautiful and strong young athletes, convicted me to do more than just “care about” them, but to work tangibly to make the world a better place for all who share their struggle. I was also open to this transformation because my best friend in high school had a brother who had Down’s Syndrome, and I wanted to do more than just be nice to him. I knew instinctively he and others like him needed resources, policies, laws, and legislation that insured his protection and well-being. They needed me – us – to be their advocates more than anything else. There are many things you can do to be an advocate for persons with disabilities, but a very practical way you can join me in this advocacy right now by taking the pledge to never ever use the “R word” by going online to: https://www.specialolympics.org/spread-the-word/derogatory-language
I deeply appreciate how so many of our congregations have programs of care and compassion such as food pantries and meal programs, as well as backpacks of food for students to have nutritious food over the weekend. Many of our congregations allow their space to be used for either cold-weather shelter or regular evening housing for people who are unhoused. In previous newsletters I’ve urged congregations to consider supporting refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers. And all of these are worthy and good, but they are just the beginning. We need to move our benevolence to the next level and be advocates, and to never pit these against each other for both are needed and both are faithful.
Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 25, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” But moving from words to action Jesus also advocated for those in need in real and tangible ways. He didn’t just speak about inclusive and diverse leadership, he chose as his colleagues those who were scorned or marginalized by religious and political leaders alike, whether it was by calling as disciples tax collectors, those who fished for a living, or in listening to and empowering women in leadership. When he came upon the group preparing to stone a woman caught in adultery, he didn’t just console her but his words and actions prevented her from being killed. When he healed the man born blind from birth, he confronted those who tried to blame the man for his own illness. Jesus received the hospitality of Zaccheaus, the tax collector short of stature, and ate at table with a woman others presumed was a sex worker. When Jesus talked about the care of children he bodily lifted a child to his lap to show tangible care for the child. He touched and healed the physically sick and the mentally ill. Jesus confronted those who were self-righteous, those who oppressed others, those whose religiosity got in the way of transforming society, to the point of overturning tables in the temple, even when that confrontation enraged those who were powerful in the sanctuaries and palaces of the mighty and led to his crucifixion and death.
As we enter into June which is considered LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, let us enjoy the festivities of the season and share the rainbow colors, the pageantry and the music, the parades and the festivals that come with it. But let us never end our efforts there. God in Jesus calls us throughout scripture and the history of the church to transform our caring commitments into actions of justice, our benevolence into advocacy, our words into deeds. Amos 5 reminds us that the festivals and the celebrations are nothing if they do not come with real acts of justice, equality, righteousness, and peace. For God, through the prophet, declares: “But let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Blessed Pride Month, In Word & In Deed!
Faithfully Yours,
Allen