A poem by Howard Thurman from his book The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
- To find the lost,
- To heal the broken,
- To feed the hungry,
- To release the prisoner,
- To rebuild the nations,
- To bring peace among brothers,
- To make music in the heart.
In November, three members of the J&RR Team participated in a Racial Justice Pilgrimage to learn from the witness of the Black Church during the Civil Rights Movement and to be formed by their courage, suffering, and hope.
Do you know someone who loves Jesus and our church, is committed to the community, and demonstrates wise leadership and/or compassionate care? Recommend them for leadership! Elders help lead the church and deacons help care for the church. Please take some time to pray about who you want to recommend for these important positions.
You can send in a recommendation until Oct. 19, 2025 via orange slips at the Welcome Desk or by submitting online by clicking here.
On a lovely summer Saturday morning, members of the J&RR team along with some friends and neighbors gathered at the corner of 20th and Madison to experience "Seattle's Infamous Redline" walking tour.
With the app downloaded to our phones and our earbuds in place, we started the tour. We knew we were on the right corner when we found a poem embedded in the sidewalk. As we listened to the narration on our app, our virtual tour guides shared the history of the poem and guided us to our next stop.
When we talk to people about the justice issues on their hearts, one of the most common things that comes up is access to affordable housing. The City of Bellevue is updating its Affordable Housing Strategy over the course of 2025. As part of continuing engagement for the update, the Office of Housing has created three videos that provide an overview of the basics of affordable housing in Bellevue.
In the wake of immigration sweeps in Los Angeles that provoked protests, faith leaders from across Southern California gathered to hold a prayer vigil calling for peace and solidarity with immigrants. Listening in on a prayer from the vigil can help us hear the pain of this community and join with them in calling on God for justice, peace, and healing.
In the Just Neighbors Sermon Series, in addition to learning about redlining, we also learned about racially restrictive covenants that specifically excluded Black people and other racial groups from buying property. In 2023, the Washington State Legislature passed the Covenant Homeownership Act to help people who have been impacted by this discrimination to become homeowners. Since then, more than 400 homebuyers in Washington State have received assistance with down payments. You can read about how this program is healing injustice in this Seattle Times article.
This spring, BelPres has been walking through out "Life Together" document which outlines the principles that guide our life together in Jesus. All of these principles guide the work of the Justice and Racial Reconciliation Team, but we particularly resonate with #10: "We share with God's people in need, pursue justice for the poor, the vulnerable, and the outsider, and stand together against evil systems."
If you missed Anthony Ballard's sermon on this point, you can find it here: The Two Feet of Love. And if you've had trouble finding the Life Together document on the BelPres website, here's a direct link: Life Together.
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