April 2025 Leadership Board Report

About a year ago I had a conversation with Pastor Heidi. It went something like “Hey, I’m a little concerned about backlash if we get too involved in advocacy for social justice issues.” My concerns were not because I personally had issues supporting equity and fairness. But rather, could we be deemed as too political and ruffle the feather of some of our congregation. My (sometimes annoying) people-pleasing tendencies were flaring up.

What I have since come to realize is that quite the opposite may be true. That our mission and values statement is so core to our identity at BUMC that we could be at risk of diluting who we are and how we serve by not “leaning in.”

When I think about my personal circle of influence, my employer, my church, my education, kids and friends are top of the list. They each play a critical role.

As an example, I am lucky to work for an organization that has embraced diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as part of our core values. Using small group formats after the George Floyd murder, I was exposed to Ted Talks, books, articles and many points of view that were eye opening and sometimes gut wrenching. I realized I had much to learn. I am forever grateful that my company has a core values statement that supported this learning opportunity.

Another way I have witnessed positive employer influence is through my company’s climate action strategy. Having one at all is amazing, but even more amazing is that I was given the opportunity to create a business practice that supports our clients’ decarbonization initiatives, which is a pillar within our climate strategy.

And I think we can all agree on the influence of children. It is easy to witness the limitations in thoughts and view as an adult when speaking to the younger generation.

Having a circle of influence also includes the space created to explore and ask questions without judgement. To safely try out something new or different. Maybe for some that is a new hairstyle, for others that can be a new pronoun.

So why was I concerned about living into our churches values as a person with a “woke” job and “woke” personal convictions? Upon reflection, it occurred to me that my comment to Pastor Heidi was rooted in fear of being politically partisan. Somehow my fear of “getting too political” overshadowed the risk we faced by NOT living into our values. I am proud to have a church community that is open to slow learners ☺, who prioritizes justice, compassion and common good in church and in society. – Kristi Eberhardt