Made in America
- Stephen Chavez
- May 7
- 2 min read
A man sits in an oval office in Washington, D.C. With an illegible scrawl of a black Sharpie he makes decisions that affect millions of people in this country and around the world. He decides who will receive life-saving aid and who won't. He decides which tariffs will be imposed on which countries; which universities will receive federal research grants. He even decides which subjects will be taught in schools and what histories will be displayed in the nation's museums.
The United States for almost 250 years, despite its many shortcomings, has been one of the world's great democracies for a reason. We have appropriated what is best about every culture and country on earth, put our stamp on it, and declared it "Made in America." Our foods, our clothes, our music, our customs and traditions, had their beginnings in other parts of the world. The United States is great not because of a few old, White men, but because of untold millions of people from "every nation, tribe, people, and language" (Rev. 7:9). The same is true for Kinship.
In Kinship everyone is valued—young, old, rich, poor, straight, queer, male, female, native or immigrant. Our stories are all important. We draw strength from each other. Reach out to the Kinship members where you live. Pride month will be here in a few weeks. What will you do to raise the profile of Kinship's ministry of inclusion and tolerance?
Kinship will be present at this summer's General Conference session St. Louis. Check out the Kinship website for ways to connect. Also, Kinship's annual Kampmeeting will be in Riverside, California, July 31 to August 2. We especially hope to connect with our Kinship friends and allies in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.
Some wear red hats and push ignorance, intolerance, and bigotry as the path to greatness. But true greatness comes when we live Christ's ministry of love, justice, mercy, and inclusion, a ministry embraced by Kinship for more than 40 years.
- Stephen Chavez
Director of Church Relations
