Interfaith Clergy Fellowship - Seeing God In All Places
Dear Beloveds,
I remember the day clearly - March 12, 2020. I had just completed defending my doctoral dissertation for my DMin and was celebrating with my family, even as Covid loomed in the foreground of life. It was the culmination of three years of hard work, wonderful discovery, and deep reflection, all for which I will forever be grateful.
My dissertation focused on clergy loneliness and the hope of interfaith dialogue to bring clergy together for companionship, support, and learning. Indeed, the years before at our church held some very difficult times for me as a pastor; there were days that felt so lonely, exhausting, and were so trying.
One of the great blessings that resulted from this wilderness of sorts was the relationships that I subsequently created and nurtured with the neighboring clergy in the Palisades. I am proud to say that I pressed, insisted, created, and facilitated fellowship with these colleagues, and now we meet regularly together for a brief, but meaningful, time of support and encouragement. I was so excited to introduce Pastor Matt to all these amazing people when he began at our church!
This special time occurs once a month, as each house of worship takes turns to host a simple luncheon on their campus. Almost every house of worship in the Palisades participates in our time together, and we come with no agenda, no plan, no notes. Just an open heart, thankful for one another, and the chance to share our lives for a moment in time.
This week, as I broke bread with my different clergy friends, I learned about how LDS churches send their kids out to two-year mission trips, how the Jewish lunar calendar works, what is celebrated at Purim, and Womanist Theology—all in less than an hour’s time! I truly do treasure this time together that brings so many of us with such different faith traditions together at one table to learn, to respect, and to see the world in different ways - together.
Our world can be a broken and sad place, ripe with misunderstandings and miscommunication. I am so proud of our Palisades clergy who are not only loving and respectful, but also collaborative and truly engaged with one another. I feel blessed to call these folks my friends and colleagues, as they have taught me so much, offered kindness and generosity in new ways, opened my eyes to different theologies, but most of all, helped me to see God in all places in this world. Thanks be to God for this great fellowship!
With great love for you,
Pastor Grace
