You are not alone. Whatever you are feeling or just not feeling today, you are not alone. If your heart is aching, you are not alone. If you are baffled, you are not alone. If you are angry, you are not alone. If you are in despair, you are not alone. If you are afraid, you are not alone. If you are fired up, you are not alone. If your employment is threatened as a result of the national election, you are not alone. 

God is with you, and your Foundry family is here for you today and in the weeks and months to come. Through worship, Sunday School and classes, small groups, fellowship time, prayer, and support of neighbors through our care and social justice ministries, your Foundry community is here.

Whatever may unfold in the days ahead, please take time to care for yourself and check in with family and friends. Take time to pause, to rest, to turn off the news, to engage in activities that bring you joy. We will be sure to share special opportunities to gather in worship and public witness in the coming days and weeks.

Our call again and again is to love God and love our neighbors. Kin-dom building is a marathon, not a sprint. Countering bigotry, oppression, and injustice is a marathon, not a sprint. There was going to be a lot of work to do no matter who won the election. We have witnessed an election cycle of demonizing and scapegoating, particularly of trans people and immigrants. Misogyny, racism, and cruelty have run rampant. Jesus embodied sacred resistance to an empire mind-set, and as followers of Jesus we will do the same. Together we will continue to advocate for policies that protect the beautiful diversity of the human family and advance the common good.

We are called by our baptismal vows “to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”

We denounce the use of violence and threats of violence as tools for political gain.

We denounce fearmongering and scapegoating.

We denounce Christian nationalism.

We denounce willful untruth and slander.

We seek to support peacemakers and a culture of empathy and resilience that does not look to violence for answers.

We seek to uphold the inherent dignity of all people.

We seek to collaborate with ecumenical and interfaith partners in respecting each other’s traditions and working together for the common good.

Together we will grow in faith and put our faith in action through acts of mercy and justice. Together we will resist evil, injustice and oppression. Together we will create ripples of hope and change the world. May God strengthen us to make it so.

The Clergy of  Foundry United Methodist Church, Washington, D.C.
Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli
Rev. Kealani Nunes Willbanks
Rev. Ben Roberts
Rev. Jonathan Brown
Rev. T.C. Morrow