In spite of the political climate, Paul calls the Phillipians to rejoice in the Lord always. In the midst of opposition, they are not to hide or apologize for their existence. And it is the same for us--we who are guided by our belief in and witness to the Divine, may we in all ways always speak the truth and live with compassion.

Forward Movement, along with partners from across the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, invites followers of Jesus to participate in the Good Book Club, a churchwide Bible reading initiative. The Good Book Club will focus on the Gospel of John, with participants reading a section of scripture each day during the Epiphany season, starting on January 6, 2020.

The venue for the 2020 Episcopal Youth Event (EYE20) has been changed to the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). The location remains within the Diocese of Washington and the dates, July 7-11, 2020, are unchanged.

When we avoid difficult conversations in church, we withdraw from the very challenges that need our best selves and our deepest surrender to God. The most important conversations are not about who is right and who is wrong; those never go very far. But conversations in which we learn from one another about how we got to the perspectives we hold, in which we hear the personal stories upon which our convictions are built, those can take us to novel and more secure ground. I believe that God cares much more about how we get to common-ground solutions for the long term, than about who will win and who will lose in the short term.

When we claim that there are no exceptions to God’s love, we are not simply referring to something between God and whoever that may be. We cannot say, “God loves you. No exceptions. But please go and be loved by God over there, somewhere.” Rather, in those five words we are proclaiming a guiding conviction for our own lives and responsibilities as Christians. We are saying that precisely because you are loved by God, whoever you are, I, as part of the body of Christ, will love you, too. No matter what that costs us.