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January 16, 2026
Beloved of Grace,
What is your relationship with the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr?
I am a child of Montgomery, Alabama, and read Dr. King's writing in high school, college, and seminary. My dog-eared, marked up copy of Why We Can't Wait has notes covering the margins in different colors of ink, showing my return to it over and over. I learned early on that his Letter from Birmingham Jail was addressed to the Episcopal Bishop at the time, Bishop Carpenter. I was convicted by the knowledge that "we" were the white moderates he was writing about-- White, Southern, Episcopalian. What was my moral response? How am I to act in our world after reading his words? How has God's call to action changed as I have grown in knowledge and years?
That's my journey. What is yours?
I know that many of you have both read his work and lived into his principles. I have seen you write letters to your representatives, march against injustice, and spend your life's work to advocate for others. Many of you are doing more than I am! Your list could be paragraphs long of all the ways you spend your time, talent and treasure supporting this work.
In 2024 we began visioning how Grace members could "do something" in responses to great injustice in our world. We dreamed Greater Grace together, and now have quarterly intergenerational service projects where we have hands on experiences to work to follow the lines of our baptismal covenant "to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor and ourselves" and "striving for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being".
Our Vestry is meeting next Saturday to dream and vision for Grace can continue and deepen this holy work. Would you come to church this Sunday and at coffee hour, please share your hopes and dreams for how Grace can continue this work?
Thank you,
Lauren
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