A Letter from the BGAV President

by Adam Tyler

Adam Tyler is the 2020 BGAV President.

On July 16, I will turn 38. Far more importantly, my daughter Phoebe will turn 1 year old. A year ago, in the early morning hours of my 37th birthday, my wife gave birth to our second child. What a moment that was! Since that incredible day, so much has happened that we never would have foreseen, and as we prepare for our first joint birthday celebration, we are pondering what it means to rejoice on a birthday with family and friends when we are restricted and leery of gathering. And, of course, the most important question: how do you blow out candles through a face mask?

Despite the difficulties, we will take time to celebrate, and we already have heard from many family and friends who will celebrate with us in some manner, even if it is physically distant. Why? Because they want to rejoice with us in our times of joy. We want to rejoice with them as well. And in times of sorrow, of fear, of anxiety, we want to walk with them and they with us. We do this out of love, and so do they. And I can tell you, having the support of friends in good times and in bad makes a world of difference.

In Romans 12:15, Paul tells the Roman church, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” It is his instruction to us, as well…and it is a word we need this summer. It’s fairly easy—not always, but most of the time—to rejoice with those who are rejoicing. But 2020 has been a year of mourning for many. COVID-19 has sent shockwaves through our local, state, national, and global consciousnesses. Churches are among the many social organizations who have had to cease physical gathering for a time, and even now are gingerly approaching regathering with new safeguards and cautions in place. Some of our churches may be mourning the deaths of members to the COVID virus, and even as we rejoice with brothers and sisters who have recovered, we hold them close in prayer, because there may be complications from their illness. We have been mourning with others in this era of Coronavirus, as we should.

Likewise, we have been in mourning these past weeks and months for the continued concerns surrounding racism and equality in our country. Though the problem is nothing new—systemic racism has been part of the U.S. culture since before the nation existed—a recent spate of unjust murders of fellow Americans has driven it back into our awareness, if we were ever privileged enough to forget it for a time. We mourn with our black brothers and sisters as they cry out for justice, for dignity, and for equality. This, too, is right for the people of God to do in this time of loss and pain.

May we rejoice with those who rejoice. May we mourn with those who mourn. May we be people who stand in solidarity with all who are in need—for there, we will find Jesus himself.