As the election signs pop up in yards in local communities around the nation, the election season begins to heat up. Instead of focusing on whether preferred candidates are red or blue, one local faith community is choosing to direct their attention on where the two groups intersect. They prefer to focus on the purple, or where both groups share commonality.
Pastor Chad Delaney from the Mantua Center Christian Church explained, “The culture divides people into ‘red’ or ‘blue’, but we believe most people are ‘purple’; a blend of the two.” The church hopes to promote unity, foster understanding, and bring hope during an election season, a time that can often be filled with anger and division. The programming is called Purple Challis Month. While acknowledging that people have different beliefs and strong feelings about politics, as a church, we can unite around the teachings of Jesus and try to extend more forgiveness, love, and grace in our circles of family, community, and even social media.
Each weekly worship message on Sunday at 9:30 am and online will focus on the unity of the church. Then each successive Wednesday from 1:30 – 2:30 pm, they’ll host a bible study to dig deeper into the scriptures used in that Sunday’s message.
In addition, they’ll host a book group each week to study and discuss Jonathan Haidt’s “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion”. The discussion group takes place each Wednesday from 6:30 – 8 pm. Group leader Rick Painley noted his hope that through reading and discussing this book on moral psychology together, participants will gain a better understanding of their family members, friends and neighbors with varying views.
In addition, the church will be open each Sunday evening from 6 – 7 pm to offer quiet space for reflection. While the prayer vigil won’t include formal programming, a quote, bible verse, or prayer will be posted to guide those present in their prayer or reflections. According to Painley, “anyone is welcome to come and sit with their thoughts or to pray for peace, enlightenment, and discernment.” Pastor Delaney concluded, “Everyone is welcome. We’re looking for ways to come together based on our common values of kindness, compassion, and we’d love to have the community join us.”
The Mantua Center Christian Church is located at 4118 State Route 82 in Mantua and online at www.mantuacentercc.org. For more information, call the church office at (330) 274-8258.
