CRC Do Justice

10/19/2026

When we first moved to Detroit, I worked for a Christian Community Development organization as a youth job trainer. My supervisor, Tony McDuffy—an African American pastor and seasoned community developer—already had decades of ministry experience in the city. Tony was remarkably gracious and patient as I navigated our neighborhood and the complex issues surrounding it. At the time, I didn't fully grasp the extent to which he was risking his hard-earned credibility and community trust every time he brought me along to front porches to meet local parents and teenagers. Looking back, I wish I could say I always proved his risk wise. In my eagerness to be "helpful," I made plenty of mistakes.

During the summers, my youth job crew served as counselors for Tony’s community day camp, giving me the chance to learn alongside the teenagers under his leadership. Each week, suburban youth groups arrived to volunteer at the camp. One afternoon, a visiting youth pastor approached me with a question about the day camp schedule. Eager to assist, I gave him what I thought was the correct answer—only to realize later how wrong I was.

Finish this blog: https://loom.ly/FoqDZbo

The Trap of Playing the Hero October 19, 2026 When we first moved to Detroit, I worked for a Christian Community Development organization as a youth job trainer. My supervisor, Tony McDuffy—an African American pastor and seasoned community developer—already had decades of ministry experience in ...

10/16/2026

As a denomination, we’ve been talking a lot about renewal. Even though renewal is a term used almost exclusively for living things, we invariably treat church renewal as a product of mechanical processes. Renewal happens when we attend the right conference, download the right resource, recruit the right consultant, and work the right program. Without realizing it, church communities can apply the same logic to their leaders—pastors in particular—thinking of them less as people to be nurtured and more as cogs in the machinery of church renewal.

What if pastors were living beings in need of renewal themselves? What if churches invested in pastors not to increase their productivity but to refresh their vitality? And what if a pastor’s capacity for the work of church renewal was directly related to that pastor’s own renewal and flourishing?

In Flourishing in Ministry...

Finish this blog: https://loom.ly/Eh5qTRU

Renewed Leaders, Renewing Churches October 16, 2026 This blog is the fourth in a series in which various Thrive staff reflect, from their particular areas of expertise and ministry, on how a commitment to justice shapes the ways we imagine, practice, and renew the life of our congregations.As a deno...

10/15/2026

Food insecurity continues to be a challenge in many areas, with food banks reporting record visits–even having to turn people away. Skyrocketing grocery prices, elevated housing costs, and stagnant wages are forcing millions—including millions of children—to rely on emergency food assistance programs to get by. Community food banks, faith organizations, and local charities are stretched to their limits as they attempt to meet the overwhelming demand.

10/14/2026

Justice Prayers - October 14, 2026 - https://loom.ly/rZRPJkI

Justice Prayers - October 14, 2026 October 14, 2026 I want to walk as a child of the light.I want to follow Jesus.God set the stars to give light to the world.The star of my life is Jesus.I Want to Walk as a Child of the LightRising Unemployment and Economic StrainRecent labor market reports indica...

10/12/2026

“Kids today have questions, and we don’t have the answers.” —A participant at one of Thrive’s parent listening sessions

As a parent myself, I feel the weight of this statement every day. Whether it’s responding to concerns about climate change, trying to explain the complexities of the U.S. immigration system, or just figuring out how to respond when my child asks—loudly, as 10 other elementary-age children pour from the bus—“Did we bomb Iran?”

At nearly all of the listening sessions that Thrive held across sixteen U.S. and nine Canadian congregations, parents expressed this struggle with the types of questions their children are asking and the answers they can’t always find. Technology has changed how early and how directly children encounter complex issues. They are hearing about the news of the world—through their own devices, their friends’ devices, and the conversations happening around them—and trying to make sense of it. As one participant described, “The world feels scarier now, so we need to talk about more things.”

Finish this blog :https://loom.ly/p4BOl-w

10/09/2026

As the third anniversary of October 7, 2023, is upon us, many in Gaza and Israel continue to grieve the loss of loved ones, the current reality of occupation, ongoing warfare and violence, and the devastation these past few years have brought. What does solidarity with those who suffer look like for Christians who care about the people of the Middle East?

Reflecting on the lessons learned over the past three years, I wanted to highlight some of the principles that have come to govern my personal work and much of our engagement at CMEP.

I was particularly moved by a recent article published by the Bethlehem Institute of Peace and Justice (BIPJ) and author Cristal Silva McCormick, called “Bearing Witness and the Question of Neutrality.” McCormick defines “bearing witness” as the “sacred responsibility to testify faithfully to what we see and hear, even when doing so is uncomfortable, challenges assumptions, or comes at a personal cost.”

At Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), we have sought to give witness to the countless stories of the more than 70,000 people reported killed or missing in the Gaza Strip since the horrors of the October 7 attacks. I have said often that October 7, 2023, did not mark the beginning of violence between Hamas and Israel. But it was undeniably a day that changed the course of history. The human devastation unleashed that day—the roughly 1,200 people killed in Israel and the immense suffering endured by Palestinians in Gaza in the years since and to this present day —remains difficult to comprehend.

Finish this blog: https://loom.ly/sQNY7FY

Three Years Later – Principles in Pursuing Peace October 9, 2026 As the third anniversary of October 7, 2023, is upon us, many in Gaza and Israel continue to grieve the loss of loved ones, the current reality of occupation, ongoing warfare and violence, and the devastation these past few years hav...

10/08/2026

The allegations surrounding a sexual assault at Cornell University are deeply troubling. A criminal investigation has now been reopened, and questions remain about how the university, fraternity members, and authorities responded when a student reported what she says happened to her.

Behind the details of this particular case that raises many issues, a poignant question can be: whom do we default to protect?

When protecting a reputation, an institution, a friendship or a group becomes more important than protecting a vulnerable person, something has gone terribly wrong.

A broader message for Christian communities is that we too are called to seek truth and justice, not simply to protect our own. We are called to stand with those who are vulnerable and to listen when someone says they have been harmed. May our first instinct be safety and dignity for all.

https://loom.ly/B6jc2Ho

10/07/2026

Justice Prayers - October 7, 2026 - https://loom.ly/B6jc2Ho

Justice Prayers - October 7, 2026 October 7, 2026 When the darkness hides your smiling faceWhen temptations moves in closeWould you lead me through the valley, through the wildernessYou’re not a stranger to the desert roadPorter’s Gate “Not a Stranger”World Coffee DayOctober 1 is Internation...

10/05/2026

I spend a lot of time in waiting rooms.

I counted, and in the past twelve months, I’ve paid at least one visit (but usually multiple) to 19 different waiting rooms. Over 45 medical appointments. Only a few weeks of the year without checking in at a kiosk or filling out a paper on a clipboard, waiting for my name to be called.

There is a ritual to it, now.

I know which waiting rooms have the best seats, which offices are always 20 minutes behind, which receptionist will scan my ID and tell me (again) that I share a birthday with her brother. I know which CRM systems sort me by the first of my two last names, and which ones sort me by the second. I know which techs and nurses will ask for an update on my daughter’s sports season, and in which offices my name will be called by a different person every time.

Finish this blog: https://loom.ly/oRFF_Vc

Waiting Rooms October 5, 2026 I spend a lot of time in waiting rooms. I counted, and in the past twelve months, I’ve paid at least one visit (but usually multiple) to 19 different waiting rooms. Over 45 medical appointments. Only a few weeks of the year without checking in at a kiosk or filling o...

10/02/2026

"Things are rolling along nicely at your church: The children’s ministry has found enough volunteers for the season. Or the worship leader vacancy has finally been filled–and everyone is happy about the selection. Or the council is unified and on task. Or the budget is in the best shape it’s been in for years. Or maybe all of these things are true!

And yet, while a church may be functioning well in all of these ways there may be trouble beneath the surface: There may be people within the congregation who feel unseen, unheard, or excluded. Sometimes the things we measure as signs of a healthy congregation—unity, efficiency, financial stability, full programs—can obscure deeper questions about whose voices are being heard, who has influence, and who may be carrying burdens that others don't see. Often, it is only when something disrupts the way things have been going that these deeper realities begin to surface..."

Finish this blog: https://loom.ly/SQ1VlYA

When the Wheels Come Off, Assume that God Is Up to Something October 2, 2026 This blog is second in a series in which various Thrive staff reflect, from their particular areas of expertise and ministry, on how a commitment to justice shapes the ways we imagine, practice, and renew the life of our co...