Author: The Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick

We are all likely aware that beloved Children’s television pioneer Fred Rogers was actually a Presbyterian pastor. Ordained to his television “ministry” in 1963, he was not just a national television personality but also a local celebrity in Presbyterian circles in Pittsburgh, where I grew up. What you may not be aware of is that today, March 20, is Mr. Rogers Day—or technically, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” Day.

Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was such a significant soundtrack in the background of my growing up in Pittsburgh that a childhood friend of mine (who himself also became a Presbyterian pastor) used to joke around with me long into our late teens by singing one of Fred’s many songs of affirmation when I was feeling low:

It’s you I like,

It’s not the things you wear,

It’s not the way you do your hair,

But it’s you I like.

The way you are right now,

The way down deep inside you.

Not the things that hide you,

Not your toys,

They’re just beside you.

But it’s you I like.

Every part of you.

Your skin, your eyes, your feelings

Whether old or new.

I hope that you’ll remember,

Even when you’re feeling blue.

That it’s you I like,

It’s you yourself

It’s you.

It’s you I like.

While it strikes all the right cords of nostalgic sentimentality in me to remember Fred Rogers each year in March, it is more important to recognize a day deeply rooted in his incredibly faithful ministry of welcoming and being a neighbor.

This Sunday, as we continue in our Lenten series in the parables, we will reflect on one of the most iconic in all of scripture – The Good Samaritan. It is essential when we read this ancient story of a man left alone and vulnerable, rescued and restored by an outsider, that Jesus told this story in response to a question that we are called to ask every day – Who is my neighbor?

In this particular moment in our community and nation, we need to be asking this question even more intentionally—asking it of ourselves and our local community, our national leaders, our faith leaders, and even the people with whom we disagree.

The most essential element of how we are called to live our Christian faith is not how we care for ourselves or our family but how we care for the most vulnerable in the world—our neighbor.

May we be compelled by Fred Roger’s consistent message of love, compassion, and generosity as we navigate these days.

As we approach this coming weekend and the days ahead, as a nation, we are asked to remember the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As people of faith, and even more importantly as a community of faith, we cherish his legacy and his vision for our world. In particular, we are called to consider the church’s role in helping to move the world and our lives to more closely embody that vision.

I believe that when Dr. King offered this prayer for the church, likely over sixty years ago, he was praying for us.

Lord, We thank you for your church, founded upon your Word,

that challenges us to do more than sing and pray,

but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers

depended on us and not upon you.

Help us to realize that humanity was created

to shine like the stars and live on through all eternity.

Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace.

Help us to walk together,

pray together,

sing together,

and live together

until that day when all God’s children

will rejoice in one common band of humanity

in the reign of our Lord and of our God, we pray.

Amen.

His prayer makes it clear that the church is called to work together on issues of justice and compassion, to recognize all people’s full humanity, and to be an agent of transformation in the world. This Sunday, following worship, you are invited to join us in Congregational Hall to participate in an ongoing discussion about what that actually means in both broad strokes and in the day-to-day work of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church.

As we continue to live into the Belonging and Inclusion Statement approved by the Session last spring, you are invited to be a part of helping us implement not just that statement’s goals for our community but the vision that Dr. King continues to challenge us with today.

We are just three weeks from once again hosting the Lower Merion Code Blue Shelter in our building for January. Last year was a transformative experience for our neighbors and our congregation as we welcomed men sleeping outside in our community on the coldest winter nights to stay in the church gym. Hosting again this January will continue to shape who we are as a church and as individuals.

Inevitably, the prospect of staying up all night (or even half the night) as a volunteer at our Code Blue shelter can seem exhausting. I can confirm that it is as someone who volunteered multiple shifts last year. I am unsure when “all-nighters” used to be easy for me, but they aren’t anymore. And yet, the benefit of volunteering at the shelter, at least for me, far outweighs the inconvenience of a lost night of sleep.

I have shared before and will share again here the significance of being able to welcome guests into our own church spaces here– both personally and professionally. For too long, our sense of mission and service has been characterized as something we do elsewhere. We gather in the church parking lot to carpool together to a mission partner in Philly. We meet up at the international terminal at the airport to fly off to and connect with our global partners. Yes, we make over 1,300 casseroles in our very own kitchen each year, but almost none of the 100-plus casserole makers who serve faithfully ever get to greet and serve the neighbors who eat them.

Over the past four years, our Mission Council has been intentionally focused on Bryn Mawr, Lower Merion, or even the Main Line as a fertile field for engagement, learning, and service. The creation of this Code Blue shelter was never in our minds when these local mission conversations began, but it has been the catalyst for changing our mission paradigm one overnight shift at a time.

Each of us who volunteer at the shelter takes on an important responsibility. It is a responsibility beyond offering hospitality, food, and shelter to our guests. It is a responsibility beyond assisting guests when necessary to access the assistance available to them through County services. It is a responsibility beyond ensuring the safety and maintenance of our spaces.

The important responsibility that overshadows all of those others is the weight of being the face, the hands, and the feet of our congregation and Jesus Christ for a world in need, to represent to the community who we are and what we value in loving all of our neighbors, to shift the impression that we are one-dimensionally that “big fancy church on Montgomery Ave.”

This vital work transforms who we are as a church, and the weight of this responsibility carried by all those who step up to be a part of this work also changes who we are. It builds new connections among us. It deepens our experience of faith. It strengthens our identity as members not just of this church community but the community at large.

I know that almost all who volunteered at the shelter last winter are planning to do so again this January. But I want to encourage you, if you didn’t have the chance to volunteer last year, to join us at the training this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in Congregational Hall. At that gathering we will share the details of hosting the shelter, but also share with one another how we were each transformed through this work.

This week, every year for the past ten years, I have written to the church about the virtue of alternative giving at Christmas. I have told you that the piles of physical gifts in our house have continued to shrink. I have shared how I use gifts given through AGM to teach my friends and family about the mission work of BMPC. I have even confessed how I send fewer and fewer Christmas cards each year, but when I do, they no longer have baby pictures but AGM insert cards stuffed in them. But this year, I want to highlight something completely different regarding the BMPC Advent Gift Market.

First, I want to celebrate what is again an extraordinary and compelling AGM catalog packed with longstanding partners in mission, relevant organizations working to bring compassion and justice in the world, and gifts that support the actual work that BMPC members are doing in mission in our local community. Each gift is represented in a small card you can insert in your Christmas Cards, holiday hostess gifts, and packages wrapped under the tree.

But this year, I also want to share a growing trend we have seen at the Advent Gift Market in the past few years.

While giving to AGM is higher than ever – last year’s donations totaled over $56,000 – the number of people asking for those small “insert” cards essential to the alternative gift process continues to decline.

That is because an increasing number of members of our congregation and our larger community are using the Advent Gift Market to make generous charitable donations at the end of the year. The donors with whom I have spoken share how much they value using the AGM catalog to learn about the church’s priorities and partnerships in mission and as a guide for their end-of-year charitable donations.

I couldn’t be more thrilled with this development. To me, it is a sign that, in addition to folks giving generously through their pledges and offerings throughout the year to support the wide work of our congregation in the community and the world, when members look to give beyond the church, they still look to the church to help them connect with often small but vital organizations making a difference in a hurting world.

I encourage you to shop this Sunday and throughout Advent, keeping in mind this “alternative” way of giving through the Advent Gift Market. The opening event will take place in Congregational Hall this Sunday following worship, where Councils, Committees, and even representatives from partner organizations will be available to chat. However, you can also shop online today at www.BrynMawrAGM.com.

I will never stop being moved by this congregation’s generosity. It is a privilege to help create resources that support you all in your generosity. I hope that this year’s AGM catalog will encourage you to be more generous than ever this Christmas season.

One of my favorite new fall traditions here at BMPC is our big September food drive. Modeled after our longstanding annual Souper Bowl of Caring collection that takes place in February, we all have the opportunity in the fall to fill the Narthex on a Sunday morning with donations of non-perishable items that are whisked away to our local food pantries supporting them in supporting their communities.

This summer, the church has been phenomenal in bringing in non-perishable items each week as our local pantries here in Lower Merion have had the number of guests double this season.

This Sunday, September 22, all the donations you bring to church will be taken a little further away to four of our sister Presbyterian Churches who run food pantries out of their buildings.

West Kensington Ministry started a food program during the pandemic as the community’s needs, especially those of newly arrived immigrant families, became clear.

New River Presbyterian Church in West Philadelphia runs one of the smallest pantries we support. It is available to folks in their neighborhood with nowhere else to turn for that bag of groceries that will get them through the week.

Deacon Grace Marable founded and continues to run the pantry out of Bethel Presbyterian Church in North Philadelphia. The pantry gives away food to around 600 people per month and receives its most significant financial and food donations from BMPC.

TM Thomas Presbyterian Church serves a hot meal to around 200 people each month, and when they have the resources, they always send guests away with a bag of non-perishables to take home with them.

Each bag of food, cereal box, can of soup, and tin of tuna brought to church this Sunday will make a difference in the lives of families connected to our partners. We are deeply grateful for your generosity and your ongoing commitment to fighting hunger in Greater Philadelphia.

Recommended donations include cold cereals, spaghetti sauce, canned meals, soups (particularly hearty ones), peanut butter, jelly, canned tuna and chicken, canned fruit or vegetables, canned beans, applesauce, dry pasta, macaroni and cheese, crackers, instant oatmeal (packets), granola bars, and single-serving snacks.

We are more than halfway through our summer preaching series, All Creatures Great and Small, which highlights the animals in scripture that shape the biblical story. As we have moved through the summer, I often find myself pointing out to my colleagues the places where these same animals that appear in our sermons also appear in our stained-glass windows here at the church.

You might be surprised how many animals you can find in our widows, from the Sanctuary to the Chapel. A careful observer can find the animals that populate the Bible, but also a wide variety of animals never mentioned in scripture.

Between the windows depicting Psalm 23 in the east transept and the Good Shepherd Tiffany window in the Chapel, there are more sheep and lambs that can be counted.

In the Sanctuary, you can find the ram God provided Abraham at the sacrifice of Isaac, the fatted calf shared in celebration of the return of the Prodigal Son, the donkey upon which the Good Samaritan places the wounded man as he takes him back to his inn to recover. In a small corner of the Resurrection window, you will find the animals from Peter’s vision in Jaffa lowered down as if on a sheet declared by God to no longer be “unclean.”

Of course, in the windows depicting the creation story in Genesis, there are all kinds of birds, fish and whales, deer and jaguars, and that one problematic snake. Daniel’s lions are in the chapel. Windows celebrating the history of global mission, including both elephants and reindeer, are a little harder to spot. The St. Francis windows in the Narthex of the Chapel include butterflies, a wolf, rabbits, and squirrels. I know many of you consider the church mouse in the Fine Arts window to be the most charming of all our creatures.

My absolute favorite is the dogs. There is one biblical dog – located in the parable window, which tells the story of Lazarus, who sat begging at the gate of a rich man every day where dogs would lick his wounds. But the other two dogs are in the chapel – and they are both with children. In the “home” window of the Chapel, two children, surrounded by the words “kindness, sympathy, affection” and their faithful dog, care for a new litter of puppies.

This Sunday’s featured animal, the mother hen that Jesus evokes in his lament over the city of Jerusalem, is not found anywhere in our windows, but there are just as many birds throughout, maybe more than sheep. In fact, the most prominent animal in all our windows is the dove, which represents the Holy Spirit. This Sunday, as we explore what exactly Jesus was trying to convey when he compared himself to that mother bird, we will continue to celebrate the ways that the presence of God, the glory of God’s creation, and our relationships and care for one another are illuminated by the creatures of the earth.

Yesterday, we, as a community and a country, once again celebrated Juneteenth, our annual recognition of the day when the very last enslaved people in our country were told that they were free. For several years now, starting even before the pandemic, the BMPC Anti-Racism Committee has been working on ways for our congregation to learn, dialogue, and grow as individuals and as a community around issues of systemic racism and implicit bias.

So, this Juneteenth, we are incredibly hopeful as we share with you a new Statement of Belonging and Inclusion, adopted by the Session this past spring. The statement lives on our website and will guide and encourage the work of all our committees and councils in the years to come. This statement is the product of thoughtful conversation, courageous vision, and loving compassion for the members of our community and the world. I am so grateful to all the members of the Anti-Racism Committee, who each had a part in its creation.

The two overarching values present throughout the statement are these: Our Christian faith compels us to be engaged on issues of belonging and inclusion, and that engagement is not limited to certain parts of our life as a congregation but the whole life of our community.

Over the next year, we will continue to live more fully into these commitments. If you would like to learn more about how you can be directly involved in this work, please contact me directly – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church’s Commitment to Inclusion & Belonging

As members of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and inheritors of the legacy of its preceding denominations, we acknowledge and confront the reality of systemic racism and implicit bias within our community and the broader world. We recognize that these injustices have disproportionately affected marginalized communities, perpetuating inequality. We repent of our complicity and recognize that past wrongdoings have resulted in exclusivity, most notably impacting people of color. Historically, our church has opened our doors and hearts to create a welcoming community. Knowing our journey does not end there, we have a responsibility to further that tradition as we commit to ensuring a place of belonging and inclusion for all. We trust in God’s mercy and capacity to renew our common life.

We understand that addressing these issues requires introspection, education, dialogue, and meaningful action. We commit ourselves to the work of dismantling systemic racism, acknowledging our own biases while promoting inclusivity within our congregation. We will be a church where all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, or background, feel valued, heard, and embraced as part of God’s diverse creation. We can only fully express our identity as the Body of Christ when all are welcomed and recognized as beloved children of God, whose belonging is unquestioned.

We strive to be agents of positive change, creating a more just and compassionate world inspired by the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose words and actions embraced the disenfranchised, crossed cultural and social boundaries, and challenged all to love both neighbor and stranger.

As an outgrowth of our willingness to learn, change, and grow, we commit:

To create a deep understanding of implicit bias and racism through intentional educational initiatives. These include hosting workshops, seminars, and discussions that explore the historical roots of systemic inequalities, the impact of bias on marginalized communities, the role each of us plays in dismantling these structures, and the relevance of these issues for people of faith.

To promote continuous improvement by examining our internal practices to ensure that they are inclusive and equitable, addressing biases and discriminatory decision-making, and nurturing a culture where all feel welcomed and valued.

To ensure that this work embeds every aspect of our church life from welcome and hospitality to programming and fellowship; from financial, stewardship, and mission decisions to pastoral care and worship life. In all that we do and in all the ways we represent ourselves, the work of diversity and inclusion will be obvious.

To serve as a moral compass and voice for change within our larger community: to provide ethical guidance; to emphasize the values of love, compassion, and justice; to embrace diversity and treat everyone with dignity and respect; to advocate for policies and laws which provide for equal treatment of all people.

The Bible teaches about the reconciliation of humanity with God and with each other. Therefore, BMPC and its leadership have a responsibility to address systemic issues that intersect with inequality and injustice in all aspects of our work and society at large. To ensure that our commitment to promoting belonging and inclusion remains a priority, we must be transparent and establish mechanisms for accountability by regularly evaluating our progress.

Glory be to God, who created everyone equal in God’s image, to Jesus Christ, who broke down the walls that divide us, and to the Holy Spirit, who encourages us to work together for justice, freedom, and peace. Amen.

This past Tuesday, alongside BMPC members, fellow Presbyterians, interfaith leaders, community members, and folks from all around Pennsylvania, I traveled to Harrisburg to participate in a CeaseFire PA event, advocating at the state house for the passage of common-sense gun legislation.

Each met with their local representatives and senators to discuss the particular bills in the process – bills that limit access to conversion devices that turn guns into automatic weapons, bills that more broadly apply background checks, bills that attempt to limit the use of ghost guns and someone’s ability to simply “print” their own gun at home.

We spent over an hour as a part of a rally on the steps of the capital where speaker after speaker shared the pleas for a culture and a world beyond too many senseless acts of violence. We heard from elected leaders, faith leaders, doctors and nurses, young people, and local law enforcement. But, of course, the most compelling speakers were the parents who had lost children to gun violence. Their stories of grief and frustration were incredibly persuasive. It is hard to believe anyone could not be moved by their stories.

But people are not. Two of the bills voted on yesterday afternoon—one to ban conversion devices and one to prevent gun trafficking—both failed in the House of Representatives despite the voices that filled the capital all day. This is discouraging and begs the question of what our work is when it comes to advocating for change.

I will confess that I am constantly trying to figure that out.

But while we all figure that out together, I will share the things that gave me hope yesterday.

We were part of a group of clergy who visited specific lawmakers who are extreme holdouts on these issues to deliver a collection of interfaith sermons on the topic of gun violence. In one visit, we were led by a nun connected to the Sisters of Mercy who shared that she keeps the lawmaker in her prayers every day.

During the rally, we heard from the newest board member of CeaseFire PA—a high school senior who lives in West Philadelphia. She talked about what it means for her to stand up for life and speak out for the safety of her community and fellow young people.

We sat together with our neighbors from Beth David Reform Temple in Gladwyne in a meeting with Representative Tim Briggs to discuss what our specific community can do to support him as he works to enact these laws.

I watched my good colleague and vocal leader in the City of Philadelphia, the Rev. Adan Mariena, address the gathered crowds to talk about why our particular brand of Christianity believes in the preciousness of life.

I could go on.

This is hard work, and as a church, we don’t take enough time to figure out our role in it. But it is also something that can only be learned by doing, by being in conversation, by opening our hearts to the pain of others.

I hope that the next time we have the opportunity to make our voices heard together, you will be able to join us. But even more importantly, we will each find ways to use our individual voices to advocate for change as well. To learn more about the important work of CeaseFire PA, check out their website and sign up to receive regular updates.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.

In just a week, five of us from BMPC will travel to Lima, Peru, to spend a week with our long-term partner, Joining Hands Peru.

We have been connected to the work of Joining Hands Peru, especially through our support of Presbyterian World Mission and our Mission Co-Workers there, Jed and Jenny Koball, for over ten years. But this year represents the start of a deepening commitment on our part to the Joining Hands global network, which describes their work as standing in solidarity, working for justice and the restoration of the Earth, and advocating for the rights of people to claim the life abundant promised by God.

A main component of this deeper partnership means intentional visits and time spent together in Peru (and eventually Bryn Mawr). This is how Joining Hands Peru describes the context in which they live and work:

Due to its vast territory and gold and silver production, Peru was historically considered one of Spain’s most important colonies. Declaring its independence from Spain in 1821, Peru continued to exploit the resources of the land for its own economic growth and development.

Today, the Andes continue to have great mining potential, and the Amazon basin has rich oil deposits. Increased exploitation of such resources, known as extractive activity, has led to major economic growth in recent decades, yet the gap between rich and poor in Peru is one of the highest in the Americas. Among the most impoverished peoples are indigenous populations whose livelihoods and way of life are gravely impacted by contamination of air, land, and water. Furthermore, Peru is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change.

I have had a few people ask me what “work” we will be doing when we are in Peru. The truth is that the work we are called to do in a modern mission partnership is the work to build relationships with one another. Gone are the days of us traveling around the world to offer our manual labor to others. Instead, we are traveling there to offer them one of the most valuable resources we have as a church – our focus and attention.

Over a week, we will travel and visit five different communities surrounding Lima, where local leaders are leading the work to recover their natural resources, change the industrial and commercial practices impacting their homes, and attempt to reverse the devastating health impacts experienced by the people in their community, especially their children. We will hear their stories, encourage them in their work, and consider ways we can influence some of the international forces at play as a congregation.

But mostly, we will illustrate to them that there is a group of faithful people who live thousands of miles away, who are paying attention to their work, praying for their success and health, and personally investing in their future. That is a precious thing.

I hope that you will keep the five of us in your prayers in the days to come, but more importantly, you will keep the people of Joining Hands Peru in your prayers at this moment and beyond. If you want to learn more about their work, you can check it out here: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/compassion-peace-justice/hunger/internationaldevelopment/joininghands/joining-hands-country-profiles/peru-jh/.

Almost every night since January 2 the Atrium and Gymnasium here at BMPC have been used to shelter men sleeping outside in our community on these cold nights of the winter. For them it is a much-needed relief from the stress of sleeping in the elements, of navigating spaces where they are not welcome, and simply a respite from the dangers of being outside in the cold.

The question for us to consider is what means for us as a community to take on a new yet vital mission as a congregation.

I grew up in a church in Pittsburgh where a whole section of the gothic building, originally called the Wayfarers Chapel, was converted in the 1980s to a men’s night shelter. While my father can tell me stories of assisting the pastor in leading their early Sunday morning service in that Chapel as a young elder, I never knew the room as a space for worship – only a space of shelter. Above the doorway to the chapel was a stone relief carving of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It was somehow prescient that the 1930’s architects and artists chose that theme for the chapel not ever imagining that fifty years later the neighborhood and the focus of the church and eventually the use of that space would change so dramatically.

But for me, it was formative as a child and teenager to know that our doors were open to the unhoused in our church neighborhood. Sometimes it meant that we met and greeted them on our way into church as they hung out in the block around the building. Sometimes it meant Sunday nights at youth group cooking and serving the men dinner as a service project. Sometimes it meant attending the 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning service we hosted in the dining room next to the shelter where local pastors would rotate through as preachers. In all those moments the choices that the church made in that generation helped to teach me what it means to be a welcoming and hospitable Christian community.

Here at BMPC, a lot of different folks from the community spend time in our church gym. From yoga classes to Parkinson’s exercise, from Boy Scouts to the Baldwin basketball team. Already the community at large (or at least a portion of our community) knows that they are welcome in our space. But there is something even more significant about using our space as a shelter.

The very first Friday that we were open, the shelter set up and the Baldwin girls’ practice intersected, and instead of being a conflict of space, it became an opportunity for the girls’ team to learn about what we are doing and pitch in with set up. One of those girls is one of our own BMPC middle schoolers, who went home that afternoon to joyfully share with her parents that she learned about the shelter and even got to help set it up.

When I chatted with the student that following Sunday, it is not an exaggeration to say that she is excited to know and to understand how her church is helping the most vulnerable in the community. Her sense of pride in this and sense of commitment to pitching in where she can was a helpful reminder to me of how growing up in a church with a shelter shaped my understanding of what it means to be church as well. My hope is that embarking on a project like this is about shaping all of us as people of faith, teaching all of us what it means to welcome the neighbor and the stranger into our building.