Beatitudes with Attitude
by Rev. Micah Busey, Pastor, Judson Memorial Baptist Church, New York, NY
Rev Micah Busey
I’ve been thinking a lot about the Beatitudes and Bishop Budde.
Even if you haven’t yet seen the meme that is making the Instagram rounds, if you’ve been paying attention to the news during the inaugural week, this satirical headline will resonate: “Republicans Gravely Offended by Sermon Preaching Christianity.”
Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, the Bishop of Washington’s National Cathedral, went blazingly viral when her sermon at the Inaugural Prayer Service ended with a plea to the president for mercy, especially for gay, lesbian, and trans people and for immigrants, two of the populations most endangered by the president’s chaotic clown car of executive orders that have unloaded over the past few days.
In her act of steady, measured, love-infused courage, Bishop Budde stretched a sermon about the seeking of unity across difference into a sort of calm gauntlet throwing a plea, of course, for the president (but also for all who find themselves in positions of power) to understand the deep responsibility they should feel toward all, especially those who are most endangered by our current systems of violence, dismissal, and dehumanization.
And you’d think that such a steady, measured, love-infused, calm plea for mercy might be met with at least thoughtful nods, but we know that’s not what happened. I won’t rehash what Trump really said in response, but suffice it to say that Bishop Budde’s words were not received…well.
And her words have also been dismissed and degraded by the fundamentalist Christian Nationalist machine that is currently getting into gear to continue to actively endanger us all. We’ve now got Fundamentalist pastors warning us to not fall into the hands of the “Sin of Empathy.” Well if empathy is a sin, I’m gonna do like Martin Luther and sin boldly.
Ever since Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde used her sermonic moment to emphasize the importance of mercy mercy for LGBTQIA+ siblings, mercy for immigrants seeking safety and hope, mercy for all marginalized
communities bearing the brunt of systemic violence and dehumanization— I’ve felt galvanized. Her words, saturated with love and urgency, stirred something deep within me. I’m grateful that her use of the word “mercy” reminded me of how little time I spend focused on the Beatitudes.
Well if empathy is a sin, I’m gonna do like Martin Luther and sin boldly.
But here’s another truth: mercy is the bare minimum. As followers of Jesus, we are not called just to offer mercy; we are called to just action rooted in respect, solidarity, and revolution.
The Beatitudes so often reduced to comforting phrases ripe for stitching into a throw pillow are more than pretty, poetic lines. They are blueprints for radical living, a manifesto for radical hope in motion. When Jesus declared “Blessed are the poor in spirit” and “Blessed are those who hunger for justice,” he wasn’t inviting passive reflection. He was activating a movement in real time. In their original Aramaic, these words are not so much about a state of blessed happiness; they carry an imperative to rise up and do something. These are not platitudes; they are proclamations. They are Beatitudes with attitude.
So what does this mean for us as Christians fighting to distance our own faith from the rotting rise of Christian Nationalism?
It means we stop apologizing for our faith and reclaim the narrative. It means that, instead of simply saying that we’re “not those kinds of Christians,” we boldly say, “I’m this kind of Christian.”
The Welcoming Spirit Page2
“I’m part of this kind of church a church that rehumanizes the dehumanized, a church that actively embodies justice, love, and solidarity, a church that chooses community over chaos and moves.”
This work is not easy, and it’s certainly not comfortable. But as theologian Catherine Keller reminds us, “Faith is not settled belief but living process.” It’s stepping with trust into the unpredictable. It’s sustaining a revolution by ensuring that it revolves, keeping a movement alive by ensuring it moves.”
Faith is not settled belief but living process.
Our LGBTQIA+ siblings don’t need pity they need us to rise beside them in sustained action. Immigrants don’t need symbolic mercy they need tangible, loud support as they pursue the basic human right to move, to dream, and to thrive.
So let’s rise. Absorb and share the Beatitudes not as quaint sayings but as radical declarations. Stitch them not into pillows but into the fabric of your daily life. Give your time, energy, and resources to uplift those most endangered by systemic injustice. Build relationships. And don’t just beg for mercy, but promote the necessity of just respect. Sustain the revolution by revolving. Build the movement by moving.
We are a community of radical hope in motion, grounded in the gospel’s call to rise up, speak out, and love fiercely and fabulously. Together, let’s embody the Beatitudes with attitude and create a world where mercy is just the beginning and loud, liberatory justice is our collective destination.
The Welcoming Spirit
The Welcoming Spirit is a publication of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Association unless explicitly stated. To submit an article for consideration, please contact our Executive Director, Brian Henderson, at Brian@awab org or visit our website www.awab.org/newsletter for more information.
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Desk & Chair
Perspective from the Desk of our Board Chair
Lauren Ng Chair of the Board of Directors
There’s nothing like the arrival of a new year to remind us just how fast or slow time can move. As a middle-aged woman, I often feel like the years are whisking by. My kids are leaving home, my black hair is getting whiter, and I can sadly go months before I realize I haven’t checked in with a friend for far too long. But time also moves slowly. For example, as I anticipate these next four years of the current administration in the White House, the road ahead feels impossibly long and unbearable.
Time is a fickle thing.
In his book, Quietly Courageous: Leading the Church in a Changing World, Gil Rendle introduces his readers to the Latin expression, festina lente, which means, “make haste slowly.” Rendle uses the following illustration to demonstrate the spirit of this phrase:
[A colleague tells a story] about his son who was training to be a brain surgeon. In the moment when his son was about to begin his first solo brain surgery, the son’s mentor was standing beside him to observe and support. Just before the surgery began, the mentor stopped the young surgeon and said, “Don’t forget, from the time you remove the skull and begin your first procedure you only have three minutes before the patient will experience distress. So work slowly.”[1]
Working slowly in a fast time means employing intention, caution, and care in a time of rapid flux. This dynamic tension between fast and slow is something LGBTQIA+ folk and their allies understand well. In the week after the newly elected president won his bid for the White House, many LGBTQIA+ people justifiably concerned about their basic human rights rushed to change their gender in official government documents.
Many quickly sought out options for gender-affirming care. Many made haste to marry the person they love, recognizing that a Supreme Court with a conservative super-majority and a recent string of harmful rulings could quickly vote to overturn same-sex marriage rights. Many began to contemplate relocation to another country, at least for the next four years, to better ensure their safety and well-being. And, as we now know, their concerns were justified.
Within hours of being sworn into office, the 47th president issued a slew of executive orders and repeals to change our government policies on racial equity and combating discrimination against gay and transgender people. It seems we are going backward… and fast.
It seems like we are going backward... and fast
How do we reconcile the urgency of our cultural, social, political, and theological milieu with the fact that the arc of God’s story is long and encompasses all of creation, from the beginning of time? How do we maintain a heart posture inspired by what Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us: that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” while attending to urgent, life-and-death matters such as the fact that at least one LGBTQIA+ young person aged 13-24 attempts suicide every 45 seconds,[2] or that vulnerable people are terrified to leave their homes but are also scared to stay put?
Friends, there are no simple answers. But what I do know is that we do not relent. We lean into the dynamic tension of acting with thoughtful intentionality in a rapidly fluctuating time. We advocate and contend for one another. We extend a radical welcome to all with the love of God through Jesus Christ. We offer ministries of reconciliation and hope. We lay down our very lives for our sibling, our sister, our brother. We tend to one another and to our communities with the kind of care that takes time, and friends, we do not waste a single second.
[1] Gil Rendle, Quietly Courageous: Leading the Church in a Changing World (New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), 251 [2] “The Trevor Project: Resources: Top-Line Facts and Statistics,” The Trevor Project, accessed January 17, 2025, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/facts-about-lgbtq-youth-suicide/.
The Executive Summary
Views & Inspiration from our Executive Director
Brian Henderson Executive Director
Well, here we are. As we soon recognize February 14 and the “love” this holiday “represents,” for many of us, it doesn’t feel like there’s much love going around these days. As I write, we’re only 9 days into a new United States presidency, and the confusion and hurt that has been wrought is painful for so, so many. Through phone calls, text messages, emails, Zoom meetings, and in-person conversations, I’m learning how the legal implications
reverberating from executive orders are creating untold fears and anxieties for marginalized groups of people, including our LGBTQ+ kindred. These reverberations stretch beyond the shores of America to shorelines around the globe.
...we stand together. And we WILL stand together.
As AWAB’s Executive Director, I wonder about how the days, months, and years ahead will unfold. But this I take great
comfort in: we stand together. And we WILL stand together. AWAB will be working to respond as situations and realities confront our member congregations, ministries, and educational partners. Currently, I am working with the Coalition of Queer Christian Leaders to determine how AWAB-like organizations from other denominations can collaborate in solidarity with what is before us. I want to encourage our AWAB family not only to stay strong but also to stay in contact with those about whom these executive orders impact the most. While national coalitions, rallies, and press conferences stand the chance to hold people accountable, we need to make sure we are personally supporting family members, church members, colleagues, neighbors, and friends. Will you reach out to someone today to check in and see how you can offer care and support?
As you read through this newly renovated issue of The Welcoming Spirit, I trust you’ll see how AWAB’s reach continues to span miles and shorelines across the globe. Yes, we’re small by many counts; but in spirit and in our collective work through congregations, ministries, and educational partners, the work of welcoming and affirming ministry across the Baptist landscape is growing by leaps and bounds. For this, and for you reading this, I say, “Thanks be to God.”
A “Welcoming Spirit” Bi-Monthly Column
Financial Footprints
Tracking Impact with our Development Director
Natalie Aho Development Director
Thank you to these generous donors for helping us sustain compassion rather than rejection from our faith communities. Their support of AWAB increased our mission of advancing the radical welcome and love of God in Jesus Christ. Donations enable us to reach more churches (an increase of 23 member churches) and more individuals seeking the love of God that has been denied by many for far too long.
Gifts as of December 31, 2024
The $25,000 matching campaign (Nov 11 - Dec 31) totaled $26,205.36!
Church gifts: 89 churches gave $60,445
Rainbow Circle gifts: 146 donors gave $41,840
Individual gifts: 165 donors gave $79,136
Sponsorships: 21 organizations gave $12,280
Total for the year: $316,088
Individual Donors
In honor of Stephen Bouchard
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In honor of Natalie Aho
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In honor of my mom who taught me God loves us all, no exceptions
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The Brown Family
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Individual Donors Continued
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In honor of all of you!
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A friend at First United Church, Bloomington, IN
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EverBless Foundation
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Dr Margie Latham
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Individual Donors Continued
John Mandt
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Rev. Dr. Molly Marshall
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Rev Dr Donald Ng
Dr. Joy Pemberton
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Rev. Esther Soud Parker
Rev. Betsy Sowers
Traci Stephens
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Rev Kyle Tubbs
Richard Tucker
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Rainbow Circle Donors
Michael Abell
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Marcia Bailey
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Rev. Ben Boswell
Stephen Bouchard
Martha Bradshaw
Will Brown
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Jean Burton
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Rainbow Circle Donors Continued
Dianne Du
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Deborah Haag
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Rainbow Circle Donors Continued
Rev. Lauren Ng
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Dr. Joy Pemberton
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Rev Ryon Price
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Church Donors
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Church Donors
Covenant Church, Houston, TX
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Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church, Chapel Hill, NC
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Church Donors
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC
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Shell Ridge Community Church, Walnut Creek, CA
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St. John's Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC
St Luke Missionary Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC
The Baptist Church in the Great Valley, Devon, PA
The Church at Cactus, Peoria, AZ
The First Baptist Church of Worcester, MA
The United Church of Granville, OH
Trinity Church, Northborough, MA
University Baptist and Brethren, State College, PA
University Baptist Church, Austin, TX
University Baptist Church, Columbus, OH
University Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN
Vienna Baptist Church, Vienna, VA
Watts Street Baptist Church, Durham, NC
West Acton Baptist Church, Acton, MA
Williamsburg Baptist Church, Williamsburg, VA
Williston-Emmanuel United Church, Portland, ME
Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, TX
York Baptist Church, York, NY
AWAB Raise 1 Million Dollars!
Our 1-Million Dollar ‘Here We Grow’ Campaign is a significant step towards strengthening and empowering AWAB. Success allows us to build a robust and collaborative staff and an engaged board of directors, enabling us to provide high-quality LGBTQ+ resources to Baptists worldwide.
As of December 31, 2024, we have already received funds or pledges totaling $419,093! We have 20 more months to reach our goal.
First Baptist Church of Pottstown, PA Takes Action
by Rev. Marcia Bailey, Senior Pastor
As a new Administration unleashes a torrent of hatred and discrimination and White Christian Nationalism actively works against the loving, justice-seeking, inclusive spirit of Jesus, hunkering down under the covers of self-protection and embarrassment might seem to be the best course of action for Christians these days. But while self-care is vitally important and time outs are necessary in order to engage our current reality with any degree of constructive focus, ignoring what is happening around us and to us, and those we love, is not an option.
We remember that as God’s Beloved, we are people of Light (Jn 15:5), people not of fear but with “...a spirit of power and of love” (2 Tim 1:7).
First Baptist Church of Pottstown, PA, an AWAB congregation, is engaging in the work of resisting evil and hate by intentionally cultivating communities that capture the power of God’s Love and Light. We remember that as God’s Beloved, we are people of Light (Jn 15:5), people not of fear but with “...a spirit of power and of love” (2 Tim 1:7). Rooted in this identity, FBC took decisive action in January.
This action actually began in 2022 when our small congregation converted its outsized, aging building and adjacent parking lot from a liability to an asset. Selling our church home of more than 165 years freed us from the burden of building ownership and provided us with resources to do ministry in our community and the wider world. Committed to using what we had gained to serve others, one vision was to create an LGBTQ+ Community Center.
To begin we invited a nearby group doing this work to make their home with us, but changes in that organization led them to pull out before a meaningful impact could have an effect. Selling our church building meant moving, not once but twice, after the first location revoked their previously given permission to allow FBC to house an LGBTQ+ Center on their property. Faithfulness to our vision and God’s delightful timing led us to a space looking for just the ministry we longed to share!
This
moment calls for unwavering
solidarity
and radical allyship, and I believe that the First Baptist Church of Pottstown is uniquely positioned to lead by example.
Michelle Dech, former director of the LGBT Center of Greater Reading, PA, is now the Startup Director (Consultant) of our yet-tobe-named community center. Michelle brings a wealth of lived experience in creating spaces where youth and adults feel safe to be their whole selves. A thoughtful, well-connected, nimble leader, Michelle knows firsthand the threat to our LGBTQ+ community and the increased need for spaces that encourage us all.
“As an individual who has embraced and celebrated their identity within the LGBTQ+ community from a young age,” Dech writes, “it is with great humility and gratitude that I accept the opportunity to serve as the Startup Director (Consultant) for the LGBTQ+ Center at the First Baptist Church of Pottstown. The current circumstances we find ourselves in are indeed challenging, and it is imperative that we act swiftly and decisively to protect and support our community. While we are no strangers to adversity, the road ahead may well be the most difficult we have ever faced, with the very lives of our community members at stake.”
“This moment calls for unwavering solidarity and radical allyship, and I believe that the First Baptist Church of Pottstown is uniquely positioned to lead by example. Though the path ahead may seem daunting, I maintain steadfast optimism that faith, hope and love will carry us throughtogether.”
Yet that’s not all! With this vision in mind, FBC accepted an invitation to join the Thriving Congregation Initiative, a Lilly grant made available as a result of AWAB’s relationship with Cooperative Baptists. Excited to join wise guides and to be in collaborative conversations with our Philadelphia cohort members, FBC’s LGBTQ+ Community Center will be our “Faithful Experiment” as we continue to follow Jesus into this unique time and space.
As the rhetoric of hatred and alienation rises, FBC Pottstown is committed to being risk-taking, justice-seeking, Jesus-people. We plan to hunker down when we need rest, comfort, safety, and time apart. Then, renewed by those moments, we recommit to the task of being God’s Beloved Community, creating spaces of Love and Light for everyone, whatever the future brings.
Tony Campolo, February 25, 1935 - November 19, 2024
President Jimmy Carter, October 1, 1924 - December 29, 2024
By vote of the Board of Directors
we welcome the following churches into our association:
Sardis Baptist Church Charlotte, NC
Mesa Abierta San Juan, Puerto Rico
University Baptist Church Waco, TX
Member Spotlight
Check out what’s been happening around the association
AWAB congregations united over the weekend of January 26: Broadway Baptist Church (Fort Worth, TX) and its Pastor, Rev. Ryon Price, welcomed Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili of the Peace Cathedral, Tbilisi, Georgia
Pictured at left is Cantor Sheri Allen of the Makom Shelanu Congregation, a Jewish LGBTQ-affirming community in Fort Worth
Bishop Songulashvili with members of Broadway Baptist Church over lunch
At long last, this exciting contribution to welcoming and affirming ministry in Baptist life is soon to be in your hands. While our original timeline has changed, the book is nearing its production stage. It’s not too late to support this project. Please visit: awab.org/50th-anniversary-book where we will post updates as the book enters production.