Dear Editor,
My wife and I will soon be leaving you. This was not our plan when we arrived in early August 2019. I was called to be the pastor of Valentine Presbyterian Church.
Why are we leaving? I do not know for sure. But I have some ideas, which I share with you in hopes that my words will encourage both diversity and unity in your community. Two things happened after I arrived: a deeper polarization in national politics and a global pandemic.
Consequently, for pastors who share the dominant political beliefs of the communities in which they serve, their ministries have gone forward with manageable challenges. For pastors who do not share these beliefs, ministry is a different matter. I learned if I said too little or too much about racism, political issues, and COVID precautions, that my silence or comments would be assigned political motives that I was not even aware I had.
Ironically, my own political opinions have historically had little input in forming my sense of self and my call to ministry. I had never used the words “Democrat” or “Republican” to define myself. I identify myself a sinner dependent on the love of God for every breath I take. For Christians, our identity as children of God should always be first and foremost, and this sense of self should in turn shape our politics.
When our faith becomes politicized, we are missing the mark. The church is called to exhibit a unity that politics should not be able to divide. In this pastor’s opinion, both sides of the political extreme, and everything in between, we need to see that we need each other for unity and diversity to happen in any community.
It’s not a matter of who is right and who is wrong! It’s a matter of need, our need for each other and especially our need to care for those in need. This is how God made us. Political polarization has the capacity to destroy God’s rich variety of gifts. May our God given need for one another – for unity and diversity – allow our differences to contribute to the health and success of our nation’s churches and communities.
With gratitude,
Reverend Guy Helms
