ThursdayJan 012015Statement from President Clinton and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of Governor Mario Cuomo
StatementWe are terribly saddened by the passing of our friend Mario Cuomo. Mario’s life was the very embodiment of the American dream. When he placed my name in nomination at the 1992 Democratic Convention, he said government had “the solemn obligation to create opportunity for all our people.” In his three terms as Governor of New York, he honored that obligation. It was Mario Cuomo’s great gift and our good fortune that he was both a sterling orator and a passionate public servant. His life was a blessing. Our hearts and prayers go out to Matilda, Andrew, Margaret, Maria, Madeline, Christopher, his grandchildren, and all who were blessed by his life.
On the Passing of Governor Mario Cuomo from President and Secretary Clinton
Bill and Hillary Clinton Attend Funeral for Mario Cuomo
The funeral mass was held at St. Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue. The celebrant, Father Alex Witt, noted that Mario Cuomo specifically requested a simple funeral. Cuomo family members delivered readings. Governor Andrew Cuomo gave the eulogy and thanked the Clintons and other dignitaries for attending. The video and transcript can be accessed at C-SPAN.
Mario Cuomo served three terms as New York governor from 1982 to 1994. He and his wife Matilda had three daughters, two sons, 13 granddaughters, and a grandson named Mario who was born just before Christmas.
Here are screenshots from the service.
Father Witt and Governor Cuomo spoke of Mario Cuomo’s admiration for Teilhard de Chardin (also one of my heroes). Father Witt ended the service with this prayer by Chardin.
Prayer for the Grace to Age Well
When the signs of age begin to mark my body
(and still more when they touch my mind);when the ill that is to diminish me or carry me off
strikes from without or is born within me;when the painful moment comes
in which I suddenly awaken
to the fact that I am ill or growing old;and above all at that last moment
when I feel I am losing hold of myself
and am absolutely passive within the hands
of the great unknown forces that have formed me;in all those dark moments, O God,
grant that I may understand that it is you
(provided only my faith is strong enough)
who are painfully parting the fibres of my being
in order to penetrate to the very marrow
of my substance and bear me away within yourself.
President and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
Statement by President Clinton and Secretary Clinton on the Death of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
New York, NYStatementHillary and I are saddened by the passing of His Majesty Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. I had many dealings with His Majesty during and after my presidency, as did Hillary both inside and outside the State Department, and we are grateful for his support of efforts for peace in the Middle East; our close economic cooperation; the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts around the world; especially its contributions after the earthquake in Haiti; and his efforts to modernize Saudi Arabia’s economy and education systems – as embodied by King Abdullah University, the Kingdom’s first coeducational institution of higher education. Hillary and I are also grateful for his personal friendship and kindness toward our family and we join the Saudi people in mourning his loss and send our heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family.
Clintons at Screening
Oscar fever is heating up even as the New York metro area ices over. Bill and Hillary Clinton caught up with an Oscar-nominated documentary over the weekend.
Bill Clinton makes surprise visit at documentary screening
Bill Clinton was a surprise guest at a screening of Oscar-nominated documentary “Virunga,” about endangered mountain gorillas on Saturday night at the Museum of Arts and Design.
SNIP
He was introduced by Leo DiCaprio, who executive produced the film and was on a break from filming his new movie “The Revenant.”
Also at the screening was Hillary Clinton….
Happy Valentine’s Day, Hillary Clinton!
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mme. Secretary, to you and everyone you love.
I hope you dance, especially today. pic.twitter.com/eTuZA37MDP”
@billclinton It’s a date!
Email from Hillary Clinton: Will you be on the guest list?
Bill, Chelsea, and I always look forward to celebrating our Foundation’s work with our supporters, but we don’t get to do it as often as we’d like.
This year, I am absolutely thrilled that one supporter, along with a guest, has a chance to come to New York on March 4 for one of my favorite events: our Clinton Foundation Annual Gala. When you donate before February 23, you could be our guest.
You will get a full day in New York including a tour of Bill’s office, lunch at one of his favorite restaurants, and the opportunity to join us at the gala. Plus, I’m especially excited because Carole King, one of my favorite musicians, will be there to perform. Airfare and hotel are on us.
Since I joined the Foundation, we have achieved so much together. I am reminded every day of the power of people working collectively to help families throughout the world live out their hopes and dreams.
Thank you for that.
When you donate for your chance to attend our gala and visit Bill’s office, you’re helping us create life-changing opportunities.
Sincerely,
Hillary
Statement from the Clinton Foundation
Feb 192015StatementLike other global charities, the Clinton Foundation receives support from individuals, organizations and governments from all over the world. Contributions are made because the Foundation’s programs improve the lives of millions of people around the globe. The Clinton Foundation has a record of transparency that goes above what is required of U.S. charities. This includes the voluntary disclosure of contributions on the Foundation’s website. Should Secretary Clinton decide to run for office, we will continue to ensure the Foundation’s policies and practices regarding support from international partners are appropriate, just as we did when she served as Secretary of State.
Clinton Foundation To Convene More Than 1000 Student Leaders At CGIU In Miami
Featured participants include Masha Alekhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot; America Ferrera, Actor, Producer, Activist; Larry Wilmore, Host, Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore”; Aloe Blacc, Grammy nominated artist; Hans Rosling, Professor of International Health and Edutainer, Karolinska Institute and Founder, Gapminder Foundation; Gro Harlem Brundtland, Former Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway, The Elders; Paul Farmer, Co-founder and Chief Strategist of Partners In Health and Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard Medical School; Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Founder of Women Journalists Without Chains; University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala, former U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services; Jack Andraka, Founder and CEO, Andraka Technologies; Abigail Disney, Filmmaker, Fork Films; Wendy Spencer, Chief Executive Officer, Corporation for National and Community Service
- The 2015 Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) meeting encourages students to take action on some of the Millennial generation’s biggest concerns such as the future of energy, the power of big data to address global challenges, and peace-building in the Middle East and North Africa.
- Daily schedules and a complete breakdown of activities can be found here: Friday, Saturday, Sunday and the full agenda.
- More information about CGI U is available here: www.cgiu.org/.
NEW YORK – President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton announced details for the eighth annual Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) meeting, which will bring together more than 1,000 college students from around the world on March 6-8 at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Students will join innovators, thought-leaders, and civically-engaged celebrities to make a difference in CGI U’s five focus areas: Education, Environment and Climate Change, Peace and Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health.
Since the first CGI U meeting, attendees have made 4,800 Commitments to Action: new, specific, and measurable plans to address challenges on campus, in local communities, or around the world. This growing community of young leaders represents over 875 schools, 145 countries, and all 50 states.
This year, through the CGI University Network, the Resolution Project Social Venture Challenge, and other opportunities, more than $900,000 in funding opportunities will be available to select CGI U 2015 students to help them turn their ideas into action.
The University of Miami first hosted CGI U in 2010 and is the first school to host the event twice. Throughout the meeting, students will engage in various topic- and skill-based sessions, which will empower them to take action in their communities and around the world.
Plenary session topics at CGI U 2015 will include:
- Fast Forward: Accelerating Opportunity for All, which will explore how students and universities, in partnerships with the public, private, and civil society sectors, can expand access to opportunity worldwide;
- The Power of Big Data, which will examine how CGI U students can harness big data as a tool for addressing global challenges and scaling their existing commitments, as well as expanding access to big data for all; and
- The Future of Energy, which will explore how young entrepreneurs can most effectively meet the rising demand for affordable renewable solutions, design the next generation of low-carbon energy technologies, and bring energy efficiency best practices to existing buildings, vehicles, and industrial processes.
On Sunday, March 8, President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton will host the Clinton Foundation Day of Action, a day of volunteering to give back to the community in partnership with the Miami Children’s Initiative (MCI) in Liberty City. MCI is implementing a “cradle-to-college-to-career” strategy in Liberty City focused on intentionally investing in children and their families and has designated 29 blocks as their “Impact Zone.” These blocks are home to Charles R. Drew K-8 Center as well as early learning centers, public and low-income homes. CGI U students will work on neighborhood and school improvement projects ranging from urban agriculture to revitalizing basketball courts and painting murals. The Day of Action will begin with remarks by President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.
On March 5 and 6, students will have the opportunity to participate in the Clinton Foundation Codeathon in the lead up to the CGI University meeting. The Codeathon will challenge developers and designers to build unique digital prototypes inspired by CGI U Commitments to Action in the areas of Education, Global Health, and Environment & Climate Change. The Codeathon, supported in part by The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, will culminate with team presentations to a panel of expert judges working in the fields of technology and social innovation.
Featured participants at the CGI U 2015 meeting include: Karim Abouelnaga, Founder and CEO, Practice Makes Perfect Inc.; Masha Alekhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova, Members, Pussy Riot; Jack Andraka, Founder and CEO, Andraka Technologies; Aloe Blacc, Grammy nominated artist; Gro Harlem Brundtland, Former Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway, The Elders; Abigail Disney, Filmmaker, Fork Films; Paul Farmer, Co-founder and Chief Strategist of Partners In Health and Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard Medical School; America Ferrera, Actor, Producer, Activist; Ryan Jenson, Chief Executive Officer, HoneyComb; Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Founder of Women Journalists Without Chains; Jaime Lerner, Chairman, Arquitetos Associados, Founder, Instituto Jaime Lerner; Hans Rosling, Professor of International Health and Edutainer, Karolinska Institute and Founder, Gapminder Foundation; University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala, former U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services; Wendy Spencer, Chief Executive Officer, Corporation for National and Community Service; Larry Wilmore, Host, Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore”; and more.
President and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of Rev. Theodore Hesburgh
Feb 272015StatementHillary and I mourn the passing and celebrate the remarkable life of Father Hesburgh. His brilliant stewardship of Notre Dame produced generations of leaders and scholars whose hearts and minds were shaped by his example. Hillary and I were proud to call him friend and counselor, and I was honored to present his Congressional Gold Medal. We will always remember his great sense of humor and his dauntless faith, his staunch advocacy for civil rights and a peaceful planet, and his lifelong commitment to public service. His entire life was a constant reminder of our common humanity. Our prayers are with his family, the Notre Dame family, and his legion of friends throughout the world.
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The Clinton Foundation to Welcome Donna Shalala
WednesdayMar 112015Donna Shalala Named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Clinton Foundation
New York, NYPress ReleaseNew York, NY – Today, the Clinton Foundation announced that Donna E. Shalala, President of the University of Miami and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), will join the Foundation as President and Chief Executive Officer.
“Donna has more than 30 years of experience improving communities and changing lives for the better – as a scholar, leader in health care, and university president. We are excited that she intends to join the Clinton Foundation as President and Chief Executive Officer after she completes her final year as President of the University of Miami,” said Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton. “Her leadership will enable the Clinton Foundation to build on our nearly 15 years of helping millions of people around the world live their best life story, and we have no doubt that she will be a great asset in strengthening the Clinton Foundation’s future.”
Shalala, who has served as Professor of Political Science and President of the University of Miami since 2001, announced last September that she would step down on June 1, 2015, at the end of the current school year. During her 14 year tenure as President of the University of Miami, the University has solidified its position among the top research universities in the nation and she has led two successful billion-dollar fundraising campaigns at UM raising nearly $3 billion.
Shalala previously served as President of Hunter College of the City University of New York and Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In 1993 President Bill Clinton appointed her U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) where she served for eight years, becoming the longest serving HHS Secretary in U.S. history. In 2007, President George W. Bush recognized her extraordinary public service with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. She has also received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights, the Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award, and she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls. She co-chaired with Senator Bob Dole the Commission on Care for Returning Wounded Warriors and chaired the Committee on the Future of Nursing at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences.
President and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of Lee Kuan Yew
Mar 222015StatementHillary and I mourn the passing of Lee Kuan Yew. Prime Minister Lee transformed Singapore into one of the world¹s strongest and most sustainable economies. He also firmly established his country as an important friend and partner of the United States. After leaving office, he continued to offer brilliant analysis and wise advice to those who sought it. We will always be grateful for our fascinating conversations with him over the years. Our thoughts are with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his entire family, and all the people of Singapore.
President and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of Reverend Robert Schuller
ThursdayApr 022015Statement from President Clinton and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of Rev. Robert Schuller
StatementHillary and I were saddened by the passing of Rev. Robert Schuller. From the people who filled the pews of the Crystal Cathedral to the millions who embraced his ministry on television and through his books, Robert Schuller was a beacon of faith, hope, and love. We will always be grateful for his unfailing kindness and wise counsel. In 1997, he sat with Hillary at the State of the Union address as I asked Congress to follow his biblical admonition to me—that we are all called to be “the repairers of the breach” in a divided world. Robert Schuller’s generous spirit repaired many breaches. Now he has gone home to his faithful reward. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and many friends.
President and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of Sarah Brady
SaturdayApr 042015Statement from President Clinton and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of Sarah Brady
StatementHillary and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Sarah Brady. Sarah and her late husband Jim were fierce champions of sensible gun legislation, for which few could make as passionate or as personal a case. She transformed tragedy into a courageous campaign, and because of her work and her remarkable life, American families are safer today. It is one of the great honors of my life that I had the opportunity to sign the Brady Bill into law in 1993, after Jim and Sarah fought so hard for more than six years to help pass it. We treasured the friendship of this wonderful woman, and we will never forget her strength of will or her dauntless courage in the face of long odds. Our prayers go out to Sarah’s family and our thoughts are with her many friends, admirers and supporters.
Hillary Resigns Clinton Foundation
WednesdayApr 152015Clinton Foundation Policy Update
StatementThe Clinton Foundation is committed to improving millions of lives around the world. In light of Secretary Clinton’s decision to run for President, Secretary Clinton has stepped down from the Clinton Foundation board and, while she is a candidate for President, the Foundation will modify its policies as follows:
Increase Donor Disclosure: The Foundation will increase the frequency of disclosure of its donors from annually to quarterly, publishing new contributors beginning in July 2015, and then each quarter thereafter (i.e., October, January, and April).
Clinton Global Initiative (CGI): After the already scheduled CGI International conference in May (CGI Middle East & Africa), CGI will not hold any CGI International events, nor will it accept contributions or sponsorships from foreign governments, other than meeting attendance fees.
Contributions from Foreign Governments: The Clinton Foundation only will accept funding from foreign governments that have funded Clinton Foundation programs, namely: Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Funding from these governments will support the economic development or climate-focused work of the Clinton Climate Initiative, the Clinton Development Initiative, and the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership.
On the Lite Side with Hillary Clinton: Friday Date Night
Things have been pretty heavily policy driven, campaign focused, and watchdog alert on these page in the past few weeks, but it is time for a weekend break. On Friday in Florida, Hillary made two major speeches. She was home, however, in time for Friday date night with her best dude. The Clintons were in the house at Madison Square Garden in New York for a U2 concert that evening.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage08/01/2015
Bill and Hillary Clinton joined the audience for U2‘s Friday night performance at Madison Square Garden, the last of the band’s eight shows in New York City and the conclusion of their North American tour. The political power couple even got a special shout-out from frontman Bono, 55, during a performance of “Pride (In the Name of Love),” according to Billboard, when he thanked the former U.S. president for his efforts to broker peace in Ireland. Read more (Bruce Sprinsteen was also there) >>>>
On another note, former Hillary Clinton State Department staffer, current Michelle Obama spox, Caroline Adler was married on Saturday to Tristan Morales. All the best to the happy couple!
Weddings
Caroline Adler, Tristan Morales
Caroline Elisabeth Adler and Michael Tristan Morales were married Saturday evening at the Bel-Air Bay Club, an events space in Pacific Palisades, Calif. The officiant was Christopher White, a friend who introduced the couple and became a Universal Life minister for the occasion.
The bride, 33, works in Washington as the communications director to Michelle Obama. From 2009 to 2013, the bride was a press aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton, then the secretary of state. Ms. Adler graduated from Harvard.
In the National Geographic documentary, Inside the State Department, the bride makes a few appearances. Notably, in the final scene, she closes the door on a private meeting between the secretary and a visiting foreign dignitary.
President and Secretary Clinton: On the Passing of Julian Bond
SundayAug 162015StatementHillary and I were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Julian Bond, and our hearts go out to Pamela and his children. Julian lived his life at the center of the fight for civil rights, equality, and justice. As a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Southern Poverty Law Center, member of the Georgia Legislature, Chairman of the NAACP, and as a professor, Julian lived by and advanced the ideals that led him to the civil rights movement as a young man.
I treasured every conversation I’ve had over several decades and marveled that as his hair turned grey, his brilliant mind, sharp wit, and gifts of speech retained their youthful vitality and intensity.
Julian helped us to become a more perfect union and always pushed us to do better. We will miss him.
From NYT
U.S.
Julian Bond, Former N.A.A.C.P. Chairman and Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 75
Julian Bond, a charismatic figure of the 1960s civil rights movement, a lightning rod of the anti-Vietnam War campaign and a lifelong champion of equal rights for minorities, notably as chairman of the N.A.A.C.P., died on Saturday night in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. He was 75.
He died after a brief illness, the Southern Poverty Law Center said in a statement Sunday morning.
Mr. Bond was one of the original leaders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee while he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He was the committee’s communications director for five years and deftly guided the national news media toward stories of violence and discrimination as the committee challenged legal segregation in the South’s public facilities.
Happy Birthday, President Clinton!
We all join Hillary in wishing you a wonderful birthday and many more!
After all these years, nobody makes me laugh like
@billclinton. Happy birthday! -H
Statement from President Clinton and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of Congressman Louis Stokes
WednesdayAug 192015Press ReleaseHillary and I mourn the loss of our friend Louis Stokes, who served the people of Cleveland in Congress for 30 years with a rare combination of toughness and grace. I will always be grateful for his good counsel, his strong support, and his steadfast friendship. Our thoughts and prayers are with Lou’s wife, Jay, his children, and his grandchildren.
Clintons Attend Sunday Services in D.C.
Returning to the church where they worshipped while living at the White House, the Clintons reunited today with the old friends and neighbors at the Foundry United Methodist Church which celebrated its bicentennial.
On another, very sweet note.
Hillary’s Homily
No matter your religion or whether you even practice one, there are important messages here. Thank you, Hillary, for sharing this.
“We all have different gifts”
Good morning. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. And especially for this occasion, a remarkable event that we are celebrating together. I am so glad that Chelsea and I could be part of it. I thank you for that invitation.
I was thinking, as Chelsea was speaking, how unpredictable, even serendipitous it turned out to be that we ended up at Foundry. Some of you may remember it was not too long after the inauguration. It was a Sunday. We were already getting kind of stir-crazy, and so we thought, “Let’s go to church.” Now, this was a long time ago — 1993. There had been a big storm in Washington. The drifting snow was stacked in the streets and on the sides. We had the idea that we would find a Methodist church and walk from the White House. I don’t know who was there that day. Some of you were very, very kind in bringing us in. This was the time before metal detectors and all of the hyper-security that we live with today. We just walked out of the White House followed by some bewildered Secret Service agents and made our way to church. And from that moment until this, we have always felt so welcome.
Chelsea has just described how much Foundry meant to her, and I can only echo that as her mother who saw how embraced she felt here in this congregation. This community — because indeed that’s what it is — was a place where we could worship, study, contemplate, be of service, get some good pastoral advice, and step outside all the commotion of life in the White House and Washington. That was very, very precious to us. Here we were, not “the First Family” — we were just our family. And we relished and cherished that time. We always have felt part of the Foundry family. …
As I was listening to Chelsea and remembering those early weeks and months here in Washington for us, and how thrilled I was that she found so much support here, I of course thought about my own Methodist church growing up in Park Ridge, Illinois, where I had the same kind of experience.
I am a Methodist both by birth and by choice. I was born into a Methodist family — parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, claiming to go all the way back to the coalfields hearing the Wesleys preach. Now, as with so much inherited family lore, I am sure the press will dive on that and try to figure it out. All I can tell you is what my grandparents told me.
And that church really opened my eyes, my mind, and my heart — especially my youth minister, who forced us out of our comfort zone, who made us have to really live in what John Wesley called “his parish,” meaning the world, in ways that were a little bit discomforting, to be fair. This was a youth minister who said no, you can’t just be sitting satisfied in your own church in a suburb of Chicago that was all white. We’re going into the inner city of Chicago. We’re going to go into church basements and have fellowship with youth from African American churches and Hispanic churches. We’re going to sit and we’re going to talk about our lives. And we did.
A youth minister said one day, “I’m going to go see Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., speak in Chicago. If your parents will let you go, I will take you.” My parents let me go; not every parent did. And we got in that church van and we went down to Orchestra Hall and we heard Dr. King. And I remember standing in that long line just to shake his hand after hearing one of his famous sermons, “Remaining Awake Through A Great Revolution.” I’ve read that many times since, trying to absorb even more than the first impression that I felt so strongly. I left that hall a different person thanks to my church.
When I went to college, I looked for a church and I found a Methodist church that once again I felt could be part of my new experience, my own journey. And in place after place after place, the Methodist church and my fellow Methodists have been a source of support, of honest reflection, of candid critique.
I got some advice from Dr. Wogamon just earlier this morning. Which I promise I will put into effect. He basically said, “You know, if you’re going to read and listen to Romans 12, you’ve got to be nicer to the press.” So, to my friends in the press, I will certainly take that to heart.
Now, I attribute not only my church relationship to my father’s family, because that’s where it came down to me, but to my mother. She taught Sunday school. She said later she did it to make sure my brothers would show up. She was very focused on the lessons of John Wesley.
She used to like to quote, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
I thought that was good advice then. It’s not always easy to implement, but it’s a great reminder that I carry around with me to try to get me back focused when life and its vicissitudes sometimes knock you off the path.
I’ve come to see how important it is that we always be asking ourselves how we do translate our faith into actions. We heard from Meaghan one of my favorite verses in Romans 12. “We all have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” Another lesson I learned from my mother. Abandoned and mistreated by her own family, sent by her parents to live with grandparents; rejected by them. She was on her own by the age of 14, working as a housemaid. I didn’t know any of this when I was a little girl and we would go off to church on Sunday or we would do something around the house or at school. I just knew she was a great mom.
Years later, I asked: How did you keep going in the face of abandonment and rejection? How did you not give in completely to bitterness and despair? How did you keep your faith in the goodness of people and a future that could be better than the past? And here’s what she said. She said along the way, someone showed her kindness. Someone showed her that they believed she mattered.
The first grade teacher who saw she had nothing to eat at lunch, and after a few days, without embarrassing her or calling attention to her, walked over and knelt down and said, “You know, Dorothy, I just brought too much food today. Would you like my extra food?” And years later, my mother realized that her teacher fed her every day.
Or even the woman whose house she was cleaning at the age of 14, who realized that my mother desperately wanted to go to high school. And this woman said to her, “If you get your work done, you can go to high school. You can leave in the morning and come right back.” Now, to some that might sound harsh for a 14-year-old, but for my mother it was a great gift. So every day she would get up early, she would do her work, and she would literally run to high school, and then after it was over she would run back.
Because people believed in her, she was able to believe in herself and believe in me and others whose lives she touched, like my husband and my daughter. And she was able to give us the great gift of believing in others.
The longer I live, the more places I go and people I meet, the more certain I am that everyone has gifts to be recognized and celebrated. No matter who you are, where you come from, what your income, your race, your religion, your gender, your age, your ability — you have value. You have dignity. You have something to offer God and the world.
Now, we don’t all have the same gifts and blessings, but that’s okay. In fact, it’s good. That’s Paul’s message in Romans 12. Because together, our contributions add up to something greater than anything we could offer on our own. And isn’t that the goal of a community or a congregation? The meaning of what I used to call “a village.” It takes a village, it takes a community, it takes a congregation to lift us all up and to empower us to do our part.
The Apostle Paul is pretty clear that we can’t just celebrate our gifts, we’ve got to use them, especially in service of others and in service of a better, fairer and more peaceful world. We should be — in Paul’s words — generous and diligent and cheerful in our service. That’s how we honor God, who gave us these gifts in the first place.
I think again of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who once preached, “God gave all of us something significant, and we must pray every day, asking God to help us accept ourselves. That means everything. If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, go on out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures; like Handel and Beethoven composed music; like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Be the best of whatever you are.”
In that way, Dr. King said, we learn to love ourselves. “Love your neighbor as yourself” doesn’t mean much unless you love yourself first. We aspire to use our gifts to the fullest, and that’s what gives us the grace and strength to truly love and serve God and one another.
I see a second challenge in Paul’s letter to the Romans, and I think it’s particularly relevant today — for our nation, and for this church as it enters its third century. It’s not enough to just use our gifts. We also have to make it possible for other people to discover and use their gifts too. The truth is there are so many people in this community, in our country, in our world, who have so much to offer — but never get the chance to live up to their God-given potential. Talent is universal, but opportunity is not yet.
Too many people are held back by economic pressures and social barriers. It’s still too hard for too many to find a good job that pays enough to support a middle-class life. Too many children don’t get the education they need to succeed, and too many families find that no matter how hard they work, they just can’t get ahead. And as we’ve been reminded again and again recently, there are still hard truths to face about race, gender, and sexual orientation in America.
Now, too many people want to let their light shine, but they can’t quite get out from under that bushel basket. It is way too heavy to lift alone, and that’s where the village comes in. Together, as a church, a community, and yes, a country, we can open doors that are still closed.
We can lift each other up and leave no one behind. We can unlock the potential of every American. And when we do that, we will unlock the potential of America itself.
Foundry has helped people for the past 200 years discover their gifts every day through worship, hospitality, community outreach, interfaith dialogues, the youth ministry, and millions of other expressions of love, faith, and service to this community and around the world.
“Love God, love each other, change the world.” — that’s the Foundry way. Now, it also says elsewhere in the New Testament, in James, that, “Faith without works is dead.” But we know that grace and salvation are unmerited gifts from God. The question is what we do with those gifts — to use that gift of grace wisely, to reflect the love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to the greater good of God’s beloved community.
So thank you, Foundry. Our family is just one of so many over the past 200 years that this church has inspired. We are proud and grateful to be members of this community. We hope that in the years ahead, Foundry’s mission just grows deeper and stronger. That many more people will feel the embrace, the support, the love and acceptance.
Shortly after we came to Foundry, this church became a reconciling congregation, which only added to our joy of being part of it. The movement for reconciling goes on. The movement for healing, for reaching out, for loving and serving will never end. In addition to this being a special day for Foundry, it’s a special day for my family because we have been given so much — to the church we walked into on that snowy day so many years ago. And of course, it doesn’t get any better than the fact that today is also Grandparents Day. So this is just a winner all the way around.
But let us rejoice in this day that, yes, the Lord has made, and 200 years of hard work has built a congregation, a church in our capital city that serves as a kind of reminder, if you will, every single day of what we truly are called to do. Let us remember that and let us go forward with the hope and commitment to make this church the living example of how to live as described by Paul in Romans 12.
Thank you all very much.