Dear Plymouth,

We are heartbroken. Not because the election turned out a certain way – democracy is democracy. We are heartbroken because we fear what may come.

This past Sunday, we asked the following question: What would make today good? Amid the grief and anxiety, we still ask, what would make today good? 

We know that some will be in despair, some will wear their fighting gloves, while others will avoid and hide, and some will find themselves stunned and in shock. At Plymouth, we have room for all of these responses. We will hold space for all these responses and allow the wells of grief to simply be. 

Our vision for the community is one where all might flourish and be safe. The threat of mass deportations, the threat against women’s reproductive rights, and the threat against LGBTQ+ siblings make a whole part of our community vulnerable. People on the margins fear for their well-being and safety in new and intensified ways.  

A good day looks like steering clear of the news and social media. We invite you to be present with each other. Have good, long conversations with your Plymouth people. Attend to your hearts and souls. Let today be a day of caring for yourself and your neighbor, friend, and colleague. We are not alone, Plymouth: God’s love is with us, God’s presence is real, God’s work is strategic. 

In 1957, the United Church of Christ was created in the merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church, the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches, and the Afro-Christian Convention. The UCC has been among the “first” on many justice issues [see here]. We will open our doors. We will extend radical hospitality and lean into a mission of mutual aid and care for all. We will center relationships with all of our siblings across barriers and bridges. At every decision, we will ask, “How does this meet our mission and vision as a progressive Christian community in Fort Collins?”

God is with us in the midst of all of this. Our call is to love — to love our neighbors and pray for those who persecute us. We will model this Love for the whole world. We will rise.

In Peace and Grace, 
Marta [she/her, x113] ,
Brooklyn [she/her, x118], and
Delaney [they/them, x119] *

*For post-election (or other) pastoral care, contact one of us by calling the church at (970) 482-9212 and entering the extension of the person you want to reach, which will forward to our cell numbers. You do not need to listen to the outgoing message first.

Instructions on Living in a Broken World

lean into community
seek out love
applaud the good you see
keep paying attention
talk to your neighbors
dance to the music and embrace art
look for love and small joys
take breaks and relish in nourishing your body
donate what you can
linger at the dinner table with friends
check in with your people
let yourself grieve
love one another as deeply as you can
the storm is upon us and we must hold on
don’t give up, we’re here together.

- still we rise

In 2020, Indian novelist Arundhati Roy penned her viral essay “The Pandemic is a Portal.” Describing the dual threats of COVID-19 and religious and caste-based prejudices to her home country, Roy urges:

“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred… Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”

This election season, I have often thought of Roy’s “portal” metaphor. Every presidential election is consequential, but it feels that we have reached an especially dangerous precipice. We have reached a gateway. A doorway we must go through. A portal in which the destination remains unknown. Today we anxiously await the results of this election, many of us fearful of the possibility of increased political violence.

In moments as unsettling as this, many of us yearn for a return to “normalcy.” We seek a sense of stability, civility, and sanity. We want to know that the ground beneath our feet is solid. Many of us feel that if we can vanquish the worst political actors, we will have been successful and we can all move forward.

And many of us also recognize that a return to normalcy is not only out of our reach, but that this strategy would fail to respond to the underlying problems we face–the interlocking crises of poverty, racism, war, and extractive capitalism. Regardless of this election’s outcome, transgender people are still under attack (though one side is significantly better than the other), racism is still killing Black and Indigenous people, and people of color, and the decades-long struggle for Palestinian liberation is still ongoing.

So what are we to do as people of faith in a moment such as this?

We must seek justice and embody peace. No matter the results, as people of faith we must commit ourselves to the ongoing work of achieving peace through justice.

We must pray. Many of you have “prayed with your feet” these past weeks, hitting the pavement to doorknock or making calls to voters. Spoken words of prayer are not enough, especially when political solutions exist, but our raw and honest prayers remain critically important in a moment such as this.

We must walk through this portal together. After you cast your ballot, you are invited to join us for our Election Vigil, 4:00-6:00 p.m. here at Plymouth. There will be prayer, singing, and youth activities. Please help us make this space one of comfort and care by bringing a baked good, a prayer, or a poem to share. Part of the evening will be livestreamed, from 4:15 to 5 p.m. here.

If you can’t join us tonight, make a plan to check in with a friend or family member tonight. A phone call or a loving text can go a long way.

This election is a portal–and regardless of the outcome, we must choose to walk through it. Breaking with the past to imagine the world anew. This will require great courage, tremendous faith, and an unshakable commitment to living in solidarity with those society considers the “least of these.”

I’ll end with these words of prayer from Sunday’s service.

Gracious God, today, we pray for the future of our country. We pray that decency, integrity, and truth prevail. Ease our anxious thoughts. Protect our election officials and poll workers. Strengthen us so that we may lean into Hope, pursue Justice, and embody Peace, no matter the outcome.

And all God’s people said, AMEN!

Delaney Piper
Ministry Coordinator (Designated Term)

Friends,

It was good to be back at Plymouth this past weekend for our Mission Marketplace and for worship after three weeks away! Great to reconnect with so many of you! We had a two meaningful and profound Totenfest/All Saints worship services. I am still musing about the great cloud of witnesses that surround us. In our travels in Italy, Hal took me to a small town outside of Naples called Nola. There we spent a morning visiting the 3rd century paleo-Christian church of St. Felix, a north African bishop who inspired the 4th century saint, Paulinus. Paulinus was a one percenter in his day who converted to Christianity and literally sold his entire portion of his family’s fortune to rebuild the church of St. Felix, a hospital, and a hostel for the poor in Nola. The story of a rich man who was not deterred by Jesus’ exhortation to the rich young ruler to sell all he had and give it to the poor. Paulinus and his wife took up the challenge and their legacy can still inspire us today.

In the ancient church is the fresco you see above. A palimpsest of the faces of our Christian ancestors in Nola painted over the centuries. A great cloud of witnesses. This picture and JT’s sermon on Sunday invites me more deeply into the image of this great cloud in Hebrews 11 and 12. A cloud of witnesses keeping the faith for centuries before the writer of Hebrews extolled them. And then more and more witnesses of faith from the time of the first century writing of Hebrews till now. We can lean into their faith, even if we express ours in 21st century ways that could be very different from their expressions. We can lean into and rest upon the knowledge that so many generations have run the race of faith with endurance, thrown off the baggage of mistakes and falsehoods weighing them down and kept their focus on the compassionate, inclusive, joyful love of God revealed in Jesus. They have lived out the joy that comes even in extreme adversity and kept the faith alive!

This gives me hope on this crucial election day. Times are tough in our country. It is hard to have hope as extreme partisanship raises its divisive head falsely in the name of the faith we love. Action for climate change must be taken NOW. Inflation must be curbed to keep people fed and housed. I get weighed down at times. And yet, today I am finding courage to keep on keeping on through the faces of the ancestors and the ancient words of the sermon in the book of Hebrews.

No matter the political outcomes of today, we will hold fast to faith in Jesus, pioneer and perfecter of God’s justice and love. It is blessed to be in a community like Plymouth where we lean into our faith, our relationships, our ministries, and our care for one another.

Take hope, dear friends!
With you on the journey,

Rev. Carla reflection on the probable delay in receiving election results this year.