Horizons: July/August 2020

The Horizons Editorial Committee chose “Ecology” as a theme for this issue in 2018 because, they said, it was past time to focus on the environment and our sacred connection to it. What better theme than ecology, studying the way living beings relate to one another and their environment? And, now, given how the first half of 2020 unfolded, what more timely and relevant theme? We continue to live into the new reality ushered in by the coronavirus. Scientists and doctors stress hand washing, mask wearing and physical distancing to keep ourselves healthy, but also to ensure that we do not unknowingly spread the virus to others. We know we are bound to one another and that we are God’s children, but beyond that, there’s so much we just don’t know about living with this pandemic.

When can we safely return to our church buildings?

“We just don’t know.”

When can we come together to cele-brate the lives of those who have died?

“We just don’t know.”

When can we hug people who don’t live in our household?

“We just don’t know.”

How can we best offer support to people whose income or personal safety has been further compromised?

“We just don’t know.”

When will an effective vaccine be widely available?

“We just don’t know.”

Although “we just don’t know” seems to be a refrain we hear over and over these days, “we just know” that as disciples of Jesus Christ and as Presbyterian Women we are called to live out our commitment to the PW Purpose. We know that we are called to “nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study”; “to support the mission of the church worldwide”; “to work for justice and peace”; and “to build an inclu-sive, caring community of women that strengthens” our denomination and “witnesses to the promise of God’s kingdom.” In other words, the words “we just don’t know” cannot keep us from living out what we do know.

We do know that “we just don’t know” cannot be our response to racism. The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have widened the Black Lives Matter movement and inspired more commitments than ever from people of all skin tones to antiracism. While we may not yet have answers, we know that systems and ideologies that privilege some while harming others are not what God intends for God’s beloved community and world. We must do better.

The contributors to this issue explore the ways we are tied to one another, how the health of one impacts all. The artists and writers reflect on how we can wield power as individuals or groups to bring about meaningful change—a powerful reminder in this time when it feels simultaneously like there’s so much we can’t do, but so much we need to do and must do. May the following pages remind you of your beloved community and your vital place in it.  

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