Walking in the Way of Jesus in the Current Moment
Love Out Loud began years ago as a concrete way for people walking in the way of Jesus to live out His call for us to love God and neighbor. Working with both ministry and nonprofit partners working for the flourishing of our whole community, a network quickly formed of hundreds of partners engaging almost a thousand volunteers in their areas of passion, calling and giftedness. Our earliest framework “hung” 24 causes on Matthew 25:31-46:
Amazingly, it brought together a wide and diverse coalition: People who cared deeply about loving and serving their neighbors, sought to understand injustices and communities who have been marginalized, and worked to address root causes of these issues.
Recent federal priority and funding shifts are materially impacting local partners – nonprofits, schools, community organizations, and churches and faith communities. These changes have generated significant uncertainty and fear within our community.
Two scriptures frame our response even as we are all seeking to understand the changing landscape:
Philippians 2:1-4: Having the attitude of Christ:
Encourage one another
Love collectively
Work with unified purpose
Prioritize others' interests
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10): Highlighting God's blessing on those who:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, etc.
Seek justice
Show mercy
Pursue peace
Endure persecution for righteousness
For more, the whole of Matthew chapters 5-7 is such a concrete picture of the radical way of Jesus and how we are to be and move in the world.
Similar to our pandemic response, Love Out Loud remains committed to:
Answering "How can I help?"
Maintaining cross-sector connectivity
Sharing critical information
Grounding our hearts and efforts in God
As one of our team members reminded us this week: "This is not business as usual, but truly a deep moment of fear, anxiety, and lots of misinformation. The season that we have entered in deeply impacts our coalition work and partnerships" – and the people we all serve.
Love Out Loud remains dedicated to serving as ambassadors of accurate information and amplifying critical community work.
As is well-known, I am always up for a cup of coffee. Please feel the freedom to reach out directly to me process this moment and how we can step up and into who we are called to be as a community and, for many of us, as people walking in the way of Jesus.
In lament and yet with great hope,
Chuck Spong, Executive Director