“ I saw a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” Rev 7:9 I n my Lenten Message , I shared that we should be known as the Diocese of the poor, compassionate, merciful, generous, and loving. Going to the poor means proximity, presence, and forming community. We need to be close to them, share in their lives, and in doing so, grow our community of hope and faith. Each of us is poor in some way, whether it is economic, relational, moral, spiritual, physical, or psychological. By being with the poor and building a place of holy hope, we become a church for everyone. Building community is a poverty the church faces today. We know how to do it, but we don’t. We tend to cloak it in programmatic terms such as growth, evangelism, outreach, ministries, and even coffee hour. Perhaps it is a historical impediment, believing that faith should be ...
