I’m finding that the churches I’m visiting are either big on social justice or they’re big on service. There may be some overlap, but the main focus is clear to even a casual observer. It’s on the bulletin boards. It’s in the church announcements. It’s preached from the pulpit. It’s what people are talking about before and after worship and it’s what people are doing together with their time.
When I was in college I definitely fell on the social justice side. Racial equality. Classism. Feminism. Politics. I find that a lot of social justice work focuses on politics, with an even higher degree of intensity since Trump won the presidency. Presently, there’s a lot of work on local elections as well as a ferocious attention to national current political events.
I’m burned out on Trump outrage. I’ll vote, I watch the news most evenings, but I don’t follow him on Twitter, I don’t pay attention to how his policies are playing out in the various departments. I’m just waiting for the next administration. There’s only so much time I can spend all upset.
Service, on the other hand, speaks to me. I feel a calling to work in concert with others toward the betterment of my community. I want to be a part of an organized effort to lend a hand to people in a tough spot. I don’t feel that organizing for candidates or laws is where my talents lie. I’m interested in every day concerns: the electric bill. Food in the cupboard. Learning to read and write English so you can get a job and support yourself and your family.
And so while I respect social justice work, it’s not where I want to spend my time. And I’m having trouble finding a church where the methods of organized worship appeal to me as well as my interest in community service. As it stands now, I love the Episcopalians for their devotion to service, I’m looking forward to appreciating the Catholics for the work for the poor (visiting St. Martha’s later this month), I really enjoyed working with immigrants on learning English as a second language with the UUs, and I like the peaceful worship at Quaker meeting. I’m beginning to think I won’t find a “perfect” fit for myself and I’m going to have to make some choices.
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