Dear Caldwell,
Today, your staff gathers for its regular Tuesday meeting, face to face. Reread that sentence.
In pre-pandemic times, that would be about the most boring lead sentence to any letter there ever was. But these are not normal times. We give thanks for the chance to gather, safely, as our time together is so richly life-giving. (When Justin grabbed his “work bag” to come to work today, he found in it an issue of The Charlotte Observer from March 5, 2020.)
And this is not just any day. Today, our nation rests uneasy. We should soon hear a verdict in the traumatic trial of the murder of George Floyd. We do not know what it will be or how the nation will react, including our own city.
We join our prayers with the psalmist, who wrote: “And the heavens proclaim the righteousness of the Lord, who is a God of justice.” (Psalm 50:6)
On Sunday, we heard a good word from Rev. Justin Martin and Jessica Culpepper as they framed our fundamental call to love neighbor by loving God’s earth. Jessica called it “the logic” of God’s love. Stay tuned for two more Sundays in which we consider how Earth Care intersects with others issues of racial and poverty justice.
Speaking of intersections, you can watch a panel on womanist views of earth care hosted by our friend Rev. Rodney Sadler, Thursday at 7pm via Zoom here.
At Caldwell, there is still more. I invite you to pray as the Charlotte City Council considers our application for funds from the Housing Trust Fund bond money for Easter’s Home. The Council votes Monday night. This is an important building block for our financing of the project. Yes, I am audacious enough to believe that God hangs out in City Council chambers.
On a related note, please take just a few minutes to watch a recent news segment that gives us all a glimpse of what it will be like to have our neighbors on campus when Easter’s Home is done. This segment excites me about what God can do through this ministry. Watch it here.
Watch for a communication from our Safe Return Committee tomorrow.
May the Lord be with you here.
In Christ,
John