Charlotte faith leaders: Let’s be our truest selves during these days
From Ben Boswell, Senior Minister, Myers Park Baptist Church; Imam Atif Chaudhry – Islamic Center of Charlotte; Joseph J. Clifford, Pastor, Myers Park Presbyterian Church; Chip Edens, Rector, Christ Episcopal Church; Bob Henderson, Pastor, Covenant Presbyterian Church; James C. Howell, Pastor, Myers Park United Methodist Church; Asher Knight, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth El; Pen Peery, Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church; Lori Raible, Pastor, Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church; and Valerie Rosenquist, Pastor, Charlotte First United Methodist Church.
The novel coronavirus has come to Charlotte. We might have been in some denial, fantasizing it would not reach us. But here it is, and here we are. We are called to respond faithfully. This means facing the realities of what is happening responsibly, but not fearfully.
We’ve always been vulnerable, and also in profound need of interpersonal connection. Social distancing and no handshaking cause us to realize that we are made for embracing, all those physical enactments of friendship, love, and care. As we responsibly observe protocols recommended by health experts, we will need, more than ever, not to isolate ourselves or others. Pick up the phone. Email, text, message one another; do zoom meetings, chat rooms, whatever. We believe this could be a season of deepened connections: our fears and physical separation, our undeniable vulnerability, might be an open window into more courageous conversations, sharing, and depth of relationship.
Who are the most vulnerable in our midst? Now isn’t the time merely to fixate on self-protection. We have a responsibility to the aged in our community, and to those with compromised immune systems, to protect, love and serve them in creative ways. Now isn’t the time for hoarding food or supplies or even medical attention. Now is the time to be the generous people that somewhere deep inside we dream of being. As markets continue to reel, those who live on limited resources will face even leaner times. How do we partner with our economically disadvantaged neighbors? We must be a noble community, lifting up those who live on the margins and caring that they endure during these days.
Tumbling financial markets and a shriveling economy worry us, and rightly so. Money and resources matter. And yet we as individuals, and even we as a city and nation aren’t ultimately defined by money. You are beautiful. You are precious. God is with you. Trust yourself. Trust others. Life is precious – which is something this crisis might remind all of us of forever, even after the crisis passes.
Charlotte is a marvelous place we are all proud to call home. We have stellar medical care, and a deeply caring sense of community. Let’s be our truest selves during these days. Our faiths assert that in life and in death we belong to God. Our common humanity relentlessly presses us to realize the best in us and others. Now is the time for courage, and confidence, and even a kind of peace in the thick of dread, love in the face of anxiety, and connection in the season of separation. All will be well.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 12:03 PM.