End of Year Reflection

Rev. Andy Oliver; MFSA Board President

Dear Justice-Seeker,

Just wait.

That was the request of the institution when my congregation moved forward with officiating same-sex weddings. Wait for The Way Forward, wait for the next General Conference, wait, wait, wait...

Just wait.

That was the request of a handful of my white church members who didn’t feel it was the right time to talk about racism. Wait for us to be in a better place, wait for Covid to be over, wait, wait, wait...

Here we are in Advent, a season that isn’t so much about waiting as it is about anticipating. The call to wait for justice is often used as a tool of oppression. To anticipate, however, is to act while we wait to bring justice to fruition—to be justice midwives.

There will always be something to wait on—oppression thrives on that. It hopes that we lose interest or throw our hands up in frustration with comments like “this is too big” or “this is how it’s always been.” The only way forward is to anticipate, living into a future now that looks less like the present waiting church and more like Beloved Community centered in liberation. If you are waiting on the next General Conference or someone else to grant you permission, justice will never happen. Much like we prepare the church and ourselves for the birth of Jesus, we must anticipate, be justice midwives, preparing for the birth of the future church now.

That’s why MFSA is so important to me. Doing justice together, from the margins, keeps me grounded and connected in my justice work. We can’t do this work alone. The board members of MFSA will be the first to confess that we have not always gotten it right. Two years into our anti-racism audit has shown us that all the good intentions in the world poured into systems designed for oppression still birth harmful results. We are anticipating the future of MFSA and are preparing ourselves to work in more just and equitable ways.

Please join me in giving generously to this anticipating, life-giving, important work,

Rev. Andy Oliver
MFSA Board President