Friends,
As I was in the process of trying to figure out what to write in Contact this week, someone asked me what I thought a positive outcome for the war in Ukraine would look like, and while I suspect the person asking may have been looking for something more geopolitical in scope, I had to say that my most basic prayer is that everyone in Ukraine–those who are ethnically Ukrainians, those who are culturally and linguistically Russian, Roma people and Jews, members of Ukraine’s beleaguered LGBTQ community, immigrants from Africa, members of far-right militia, and even Russian soldiers–I want everyone to have the kind of day I was having when I started writing these words.
This was Tuesday. The day began with a lovely walk around Temescal lake with a member of the church, a staff meeting made joyous by Ziggy Aho’s smile, and time out of the office to write this while roasting coffee. It was not a perfect day–I was well aware of all the things waiting for my attention on a long and growing to do list, but the sun was out, new leaves were starting to emerge from the fruit trees in my back yard, and everything was peaceful on Thornhill Drive. If it were possible to put such a day in a package and send to Ukraine, I would do so in a heartbeat.
One of the things I love about Montclair Presbyterian Church is how eager members of the church family are to be active in addressing the world’s great problems. You are working on issues like climate change, the preservation of democracy and the dismantling of structural racism. You are currently working on the resettling of refugees from Afghanistan, and now folks are starting to ask what can be done to help out with the situation in Ukraine. So far, suggestions have ranged from doing more refugee resettlement to finding ways to support the anti-war movement in Russia, and if you have any ideas, please pass them along.
Meanwhile, the coffee is now all roasted, and while I was writing this my to-do list got considerably longer. But before I go back to the office I’m going to go out into the garden and say an extra prayer for peace on this beautiful day.
God’s Peace,
Ben