A Call to Election Engagement
Dear Beloved Congregational Leaders,
In the season of ordinary time, one of the extraordinary gifts and responsibilities in our democracy is the opportunity to express our values and to effect change by casting our ballots. We believe exercising this right to vote is consistent with our call as followers of Jesus to proclaim and embody the gospel imperatives of Jesus as we have received and understood them. This extends beyond how we vote to the ways we engage with other people who may not necessarily agree with us.
As both local and statewide elections are part of the fall calendar, we wanted to draw your attention to several resources available for voter preparation. These materials are nonpartisan; it would be inappropriate, as well as illegal, to endorse particular candidates. It is our responsibility, however, to inform ourselves, as best we can, so that our decisions can reflect the intention and integrity of our gospel values as well as our baptismal promises. We offer these in the spirit of prayer, discernment and witness, and we hope you’ll consider using them or sharing them with members of the congregations you serve.
Faithful Voter Reflection Guide
One resource is a voters' guide developed by Interfaith Power & Light nationally and distributed by the North Carolina Council of Churches in our state. While we recognize this resource comes from a particular faith-based perspective, we feel the information is provided in a format that could stimulate conversation and provide greater clarity in preparing to vote.
The second resource is more interactive and was developed by a small team coming out of a very Spirit-driven conversation in the House of Bishops at General Convention in Baltimore. It is entitled “The BE Campaign” and grows out of work started by our United Methodist siblings, taking as its inspiration the invitation from the prophet Micah—"What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.”
The intention is to invite church leaders to model faithfully and clearly how to raise one’s voice in the public square in ways that connect rather than polarize, by focusing on God's invitation to each of us to lead and to converse with humility, mercy and kindness. It provides resources for cultivating this mindset in sharp contrast to the virulent and violent rhetoric around us. The materials include an alternative Sunday lectionary, along with suggested Prayers of the People, which could be used on a single Sunday, for a preaching series or for Bible study in the weeks leading up to the November election.
Disciple: The Church’s Role in Getting Out the Vote
Finally, this article from the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations published in the summer issue of The Disciple is rich in practical ideas and resources for individual voter preparation, as well as suggestions for parish-sponsored activities.
When democracy is fragile and under attack, when political theater that creates division and suspicion is more important than finding common cause and higher moral ground, then the poor, the unhoused, the sick, the hungry, the young and the old are all the more vulnerable. The earth, the climate and all God’s creatures are also more endangered in such times.
Let us fill this season of civic engagement with a passion for loving our neighbors with a spirit of justice as well as humility and mercy. Let us counter the deep divisions and acrimony eroding our democratic process with a bold and inspiriting witness of love casting out hate and hope overcoming despair. We hope these resources will enable all of us to BE and to BEcome better disciples in Jesus' way of love.
Yours in the Spirit of our living God,
Bishop Sam Rodman and Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple
