Katie Sherrod
Polity matters. A powerful force for good is generated when laity, deacons, priests, and bishops work together, all respecting the dignity of every order of ministry. It matters especially in times of stress. If pulled out of balance, great harm can result. I know how to speak up, taught by lived experience in the Diocese of Fort Worth, reporting on 2 Lambeth Conferences, taking part in 12 General Conventions, and previous service on the Executive Council 2009-15. In a post pandemic world, amidst grief of more than one million deaths, we can minister to physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion with the life-giving, energy-generating news of a loving God. We must be a safe place for the historically marginalized, invisible, and ignored, especially the targets of powerful interest groups. We must not only speak up for them, we must stand with them when they speak up. All this, because when we mark someone in baptism as Christ's own forever, it is with a cross, not an asterisk.