Weekly Clergy Letter from Mother Anne Turner

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

I want to write to you this week about Federal workers.  This is not a letter of pastoral care—although such a letter would be warranted, given the uncertainty and struggles that our Federal workforce faces right now.

 

This is instead a letter of gratitude.  I want to name, celebrate, and appreciate the gifts that civil servants have given to Grace Church.

 

Grace’s membership has long included Federal workers of all kinds.  Members from the military, State Department, and intelligence communities have been especially numerous; we have also had members who worked at the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Justice, and other institutions.

 

Grace Church would not be what it is without these people.  Their character has shaped our collective character.  Eugene Peterson described discipleship as “a long obedience in the same direction.”  Our civil servants model this fidelity.  They commit to a career devoted not to profit but rather to the common good.

 

Our Federal workers foster what has been described as a “high commitment culture” at Grace.  Because we have among us people who know about public service, we have ministries like the Food Pantry and the Altar Guild, which not only do good work but also develop leaders and raise up a new generation to serve.

 

One of most distinctive things about our sanctuary is the American flag which hangs over the pulpit.  I believe we display this flag not out of American exceptionalism but rather because of what our civil servants have taught us that it means: commitment, service, and sacrifice for the well-being of all.  We employ those values in service of our country and so learn better to employ them in the service of our faith.

 

I want our Federal workers to feel cared for.  Even more, I want them to feel proud of who they are and what they have done, not only for their country but also for this church.

 

Yours in Christ,

Anne+