The theme for this year’s summer campaign is entitled “Love Thy Neighbor,” which invites Christians to reach out to their neighbors in new and unexpected ways. Through providing groceries to combat food insecurity, racial justice initiatives, and interdenominational dialogues, we are encouraging people to contemplate who their “neighbor” is and how everyone can best “love their neighbor as themselves” during the difficult times we are facing. It has been a humbling experience to witness the campaign coordinators discern the best course of action for these initiatives, and to see Christians of different denominations and backgrounds connect with their neighbors in such profoundly gracious ways.
Our team will also be creating and releasing collaborative videos that celebrate testimonies and worship experiences around people loving their neighbors, which will culminate into a virtual worship viewing party on September 12, 2020. Stay tuned for more information about this!
Our “Love Thy Neighbor” summer team is a diverse group of Christians, working hard each week to discern and launch various initiatives. Meet the coordinators below as they reflect on what the theme of “Love Thy Neighbor” means to them!
Name: Mike Hong
Position: Music Director
Home Church: City On A Hill Church
“Loving your neighbor is a holistic pursuit of your neighbor’s good in the same way you pursue yourself. We make plans for ourselves. We go on grocery trips. We make financial sacrifices and investments. We spend time growing in knowledge and maturing spiritually. We even vote and lobby for things that benefit ourselves. Loving your neighbor encompasses care of body and soul, anything less disregards the very way that God designed us as human beings.”
Name: Kelly Fassett
Position: Executive Director, UniteBoston
Home Church: River of Life Church
“‘Love thy neighbor’ is at the heart of Jesus’ message, and it calls for a radical orientation of one’s life to others rather than on oneself. I believe that loving our neighbor means that we intentionally listen to, care for, and lay our lives down so others can flourish.”
Name: Chloe Gaydos
Position: Concert Co-Producer
Home Church: Reunion Church
“Love thy neighbor is a high calling which Jesus instructed us to follow, and as we love our neighbor, we are able to impact each other at the deepest level that we were made for. God puts many people in our lives who play various roles – and if we lack love for them, then we have fallen short of our calling as Christians. It’s important for us to take what we have and use it to love one another and to recognize our differences with an open heart and mind.”
Name: Kelly Shea:
Position: Co-Producer
Home Church: Highrock Church
“‘Love Thy Neighbor’ is a selfless way of being, whether we are consciously aware of it or not. Often, as an act out of the love we have received from Jesus Christ, it is the next best step forward to serve someone else without condition or expectation of a return. To love thy neighbor is to care freely, and potentially wholeheartedly, for their well-being – to be a support for others in their time of need or distress, in any way we can. And if you know Jesus, loving thy neighbor is to share the good news, through both word and deed as He has displayed.”
Name: Sharon E. Walcott
Position: Public Relations
Home Church: Pentecostal Tabernacle, Cambridge
“In Galatians 5:14, it commands us to ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself.’ This commandment is a golden rule for me. Specifically, I really try to love️ my neighbors who are in need, broken and invisible to most.”
Name: Peter Seremetis
Position: Communications Coordinator
Home Church: Marsh Chapel at Boston University, and St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Wyckoff, NJ
“When I think of Christ’s call for us to “Love Thy Neighbor,” it reminds me to pay attention to all of the nuanced ways that God is at work in our lives. As Christians, we often talk about God acting “upon” us from heaven, or acting “through” us via the Holy Spirit. Yet, I find that God acts most deeply and profoundly “between” us through the relationships that we cultivate with each other. When we “love our neighbors” by checking in with, reaching out to, being present with, standing up for, and–when necessary–forgiving each other across boundaries, we take the first steps in aligning our acts with God’s acts, ultimately becoming part of the great work that God already has in motion.”
Name: Joel Putnam
Position: Social Media & Projects Manager
Home Church: New City Church, MA and First United Methodist Church of Pinellas Park, FL
“Living out my Christian faith is not complete without following through on my own baptismal commitment of doing good works as a response to the love and grace God has given me. As my future takes me into vocational ministry, I must not lose sight of what God calls me to do as an individual. Our UniteBoston mission reminds me of how important it is to see others and care for others.”
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