Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 12–1 p.m. on Zoom (link in email)
As we continue to think about the US elections, we are aware of heightened anxieties and disparate hopes surrounding them. We pledge to bear one another’s burdens, share in one another’s joys, and walk the extra mile for one another’s sake (Gal. 6:2; 1 Cor. 12:26). We commit to robust, passionate, and respectful dialogue with one another—both those with whom we agree and those with whom we disagree. Please join us one week after the election for circle conversations to express what you are feeling in this context. Rooted in communal forms of knowing and learning, circle conversations are opportunities to listen deeply, share from the heart, and engage in what Martin Luther once called “mutual conversation and consolation.” This is not a moment to try to change people’s minds but rather an opportunity for the Spirit to soften our hearts. Rolf Jacobson and Mary Hess will be co-keepers of this and subsequent circles.