STAND UP SUNDAY

In coordination with the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, and a national coalition of faith leaders and congregations from many faith traditions, St. Gregory's is observing Stand-Up Sunday. Together, we seek to promote mutual respect, protect sacred worship spaces, bear witness against religious hatred and bigotry, and affirm the dignity and worth of every human being as a child of God.

In community gatherings, I often find myself speaking about the unique gift of living in Boca Raton and engaging in interfaith conversation and cooperation. Our community is blessed with a vibrant Jewish population that includes many thriving congregations whose leaders exercise influence and leadership far beyond our city. Our Muslim community continues to grow, and the Islamic Center of Boca Raton is actively engaged in civic and community leadership, regularly welcoming the wider community into its life and ministry. The Christian community is likewise home to strong congregations representing many denominations and theological traditions.

Boca Raton is, in many ways, a living laboratory for building mutual respect, understanding, and friendship among the children of God. I am also mindful of St. Gregory's own history. We worship on land that was given to us as a gift by a Jewish family seventy-four years ago. That remarkable act of generosity remains a powerful reminder of the bonds that unite us.

Stand-Up Sunday offers us an opportunity to recall the promises of our Baptismal Covenant, in which we commit ourselves to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and to respect the dignity of every human being.

In God's name, there is no place for religious hatred or bigotry. This is true whether it takes the form of antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Christian persecution, or violence directed against people of any faith tradition. Today, we join with people of many faiths in proclaiming that the Holy One, the Creator of us all, calls us not to hatred, fear, or division, but to love, understanding, and peace.

If it can happen in Boca, it can happen anywhere.

Blessings and peace,

Andrew+