Dear Westwood Family,
I hope this note finds you well and that your parents are as excited for the start of a new school year as I am! I was always excited for the beginning of the school year growing up – not because I was especially interested in learning, but because I was eager to hang out with my friends, pretend I was going to talk to some girl I thought was cute, and get preseason basketball conditioning underway. Learning, at least according to my teachers, wasn’t something I paid much attention to. I’m aware of the irony that I grew up to become an educator, a writer, and someone probably addicted to learning!
My passion for education is most evident in my sermons. I spend more hours than is probably reasonable researching, outlining, writing, revising, and rehearsing each sermon because I believe that each sermon has the potential to change someone’s life for the better. That is an unreasonable amount of pressure to put on myself, but it honestly reflects how I feel. This sense of conviction is why I often say more than I need to on Sundays. This passion started in earnest when I was a pastor in Compton, grew while I was a professor at the University of San Diego, and continues to this day. What is motivating me to begin to try to change is my increasing awareness that Sunday morning alone is not enough time to address all that needs to be discussed if we are to effectively respond to the growing Christian Nationalist threat in our country.
The words of one person alone can only do so much; however, through conversation, exploration, and collective study, we can better prepare ourselves to confront the existential challenges of our time. To be clear, proponents of the abductions by Homeland Security, the deployment of the US Military in Los Angeles and now Washington DC, and the genocide in Gaza are using Christian theology to justify their actions. We can no longer pretend not to see what is happening in front of our eyes. It will take a concerted, coordinated effort between our Sunday worship, Christian Education, and small group ministries to equip us to respond to our present reality.
To this end, Pastor Molly, myself, and the entire pastoral staff are in the early stages of reimagining Christian education and small group ministry at our church. We aim to create a new Bible study that will gather in the evenings over Zoom, offering an opportunity to educate and form during the Sanctuary, targeted at those who attend The Loft. Additionally, we plan to work closely with small group leaders to provide guidance for discussions and to offer resources and support. If you have any additional ideas, suggestions, or are interested in helping organize a new educational ministry at our church, please reach out to Pastor Molly or me. We would love to hear from you!
In Love & Solidarity,
Rev. Dr. Carter
