Archive for October 2020
Day 38 – Rev. Marian Boyle-Rohloff
Rev. Marian Boyle-Rohloff, Pastor, West Side Moravian Church, Green Bay, WI; Co-Chair, Gamaliel National Religious Leaders’ Caucus; Member, Gamaliel affiliate, JOSHUA A song that’s resonated with me from childhood on up is Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” The song conjures up a vision of this land being a place for everyone, as…
Read MoreDay 37 – Rev. H. J. Coleman, Jr.
Rev. H. J. Coleman, Jr., Pastor, World Outreach Campus Church, Saginaw, MI; Member, Gamaliel affiliate, The Ezekiel Project It is appropriate for religious leaders to turn to a tried and true posture in times like these. Throughout scripture we have seen that in times of great challenge, or in advance of elevation, there is…
Read MoreDay 36 – Rev. Cynthia Owen Jarrold
Rev. Cynthia Owen Jarrold, National Policy Director, Gamaliel The year 586 B.C.E. resulted in a crisis of unbelievable proportions for the people of Israel. Jerusalem lay in ruins, and the people were carried as captives to Babylon, exiles in a strange land. The structures that defined the social, religious, and political life of the…
Read MoreDay 35 – Rev. David Bigsby
Rev. David Bigsby, Pastor, Upper Room Ministries Missionary Baptist Church, Glenwood, IL; Chair, Gamaliel Council of Presidents; Member, Gamaliel Board of Directors We face difficult decisions daily. In the sacred scripture below, we find guidance for our conduct. In the midst of this storm, it becomes crystal clear that our actions must be (just)…
Read MoreJoin us for a post-election prayer and planning gathering on November 4!
The election is just a week away. The outcome is unclear at this point and may still be unclear the day after the election; but we do know that regardless of the outcome, our nation is in need of healing and direction. The Gamaliel National Religious Leaders’ Caucus and WISDOM, the Gamaliel statewide affiliate in…
Read MoreMOSES (Detroit) President on fight to protect voting rights ahead of Nov. 3 election
Dr. Keith Whitney, Co-President of Gamaliel affiliate MOSES (Detroit), is no stranger to attempted voter suppression. As a child in Mississippi, his family was targeted when his parents worked to register African-Americans to vote. As an adult, he watched Black South Africans overcome huge obstacles to vote for the first time. Now, he’s working to…
Read MoreDay 34 – Sr. Carol Johannes
Sr. Carol Johannes, OP, Pastoral Minister and Spiritual Director; Former Prioress, Adrian Dominican Sisters; Friend of Gamaliel, Ann Arbor, MI Spiritual guides tell us that one of the greatest enemies of the community of believers is fear. Fear can make us unfree, unhappy and unholy. Unfortunately, fear is alive and well in today’s world. It…
Read MoreDay 33 – Rev. David Carl Olson
Rev. David Carl Olson, Lead Minister, First Unitarian Church of Baltimore, Co-chair, Religious Leaders’ Caucus, Gamaliel affiliate, BRIDGE Maryland, Inc. There is an America in my head and heart which is only partly true. “Land of the free” may describe some of my country at some time; but heeding too closely to the myth…
Read MoreDay 32 – Dr. Stephen D. Jones
Dr. Stephen D. Jones, Co-pastor, First Baptist Church, Kansas City, MO, Member, Gamaliel affiliate, MORE2 One challenge of an interfaith movement is how to state our faith in ways that do not offend others of different traditions. We certainly need to remain true as to our faith. Yet, can we speak in ways that…
Read MoreDay 31 – Rev. Dr. Ray Pickett
Rev. Dr. Ray Pickett, Rector, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary; President, Gamaliel affiliate, Genesis, Oakland, CA COVID-19 has disrupted our lives and posed enormous economic, social, and spiritual challenges. After seven months of sheltering-in-place, what I am longing for is face-to-face connection with other people. The Greek word for “righteousness” from Jesus’ Beatitude is actually…
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