September 26, 2025
A few weeks ago, I was invited to attend an interfaith seminar called Lighthouse Statewide Clergy Summit, a seminar offering resources for clergy as we confront the rise of Christian nationalism, and as we all face more challenges in the work of compassion and care for the most vulnerable among us. I accepted the invitation, not entirely sure what the three-hour seminar would entail, but felt pulled toward it. The gathering was yesterday, and it turned out that 300 other clergy from across Minnesota felt that pull, too.
The crowd was a full spectrum of clergy: various Christian denominations, Muslims, Jewish people, Unitarians, Buddhist monks, and others. Over the course of the afternoon, we heard talks from community organizers, Baptist preachers, Imams, Rabbis, and even Governor Walz. Each speaker emphasized the growing need to care for one another during this time, and the increasing importance of staying grounded in our faith and the unity it provides, as fear and division seem to be taking hold more broadly across the nation.
Organizers are already working to extend this message more broadly. Those plans will include not just clergy, but also members of faith communities - that means you! - and more will come as takes shape. For now, I wanted to share how inspiring in was to be in the presence of passion and wisdom from across so many spectrums. Traditions and faiths may differ in custom, language, or practice, but at the heart, we all have shared values: compassion, justice, connection with something bigger than ourselves, and the longing for a better world. Being there made it so clear that there’s beauty and joy in finding common ground, and nothing to be gained from clinging to what keeps us apart. We know that, of course. But it was good to see and feel it.
One of the speakers at the event said, “Division is built on fear. But my God never taught me to be afraid.” My prayer for you this week is for you to experience a sense of unity that rises above the fears that try to keep us apart. My prayers is that you have a chance to connect with someone different from you which brings you a sense of community, commonality, and hope.