By Spencer Browning
I am grateful to have been a part of the college ministry at Ardmore Baptist Church as they travelled to Washington D.C. for the past three years. While every year is a unique experience, our focus stays the same: What do our roles as college-aged Christians look like in our changing world, and how can we make an impact?
This year, Dane Martin, minister of students at Ardmore Baptist, helped orient our minds toward advocacy: a part of ministry that is often forgotten or avoided. As Christ followers, I believe that we are called to see the injustices in our world and act upon them. Advocacy takes many shapes which causes us to step out of our comfort zones and speak up for people in this world who are constantly told that their voices don’t matter. Our trip was able to provide the grounding for how, even as college students, we can make an impact in both our country and our own backyard.
When we first arrived in Washington D.C., we experienced the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian and The African American History Museum to learn more about some of the marginalized and oppressed populations in our country. Understanding the history of these groups was vital in forming the foundation for our work in advocacy.
We attended a lecture at the Baptist Joint Committee fFor Religious Liberty (BJC) which is one of the best and well-known religious advocacy groups within the United States. There, we discussed important and pressing topics such as the destructive power of Christian Nationalism and the murky line established between church and state within the U.S. education system. These all have serious implications for our country and our religion by blurring the lines of church and state: something that the Establishment of Religion and Free Exercise Clauses protect against in the Constitution. The BJC’s work in Washington D.C. primarily focuses on providing briefs for supreme court ruling and advocating on Capitol Hill to protect the rights of all Americans.
On our second day, we met with Jennifer Hawks, one of CBF’s leading advocates with backgrounds in law and theology. Meeting Hawks Jennifer was incredible and informative as we talked about what advocacy is, its importance and how churches might distance themselves based on preconceived notions about what they think it is. Advocacy, in its simplest terms, is the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal, whether individual or systemic. As church bodies, it is important to understand our communities that surround us and seek to meet people where they are with open arms. To truly “love our neighbor” we must be willing to step out of our comfort zone and step up for people who might not be heard within the government or the majority.
Talking with Hawks Jennifer opened my eyes to the possibility that one person could make an impact. This becomes much greater when we stand up for what we believe in and protect our neighbors. After leaving CBF’s Advocacy office, our small but mighty group of college students walked to the House Representative’s offices and spoke with one of our North Carolinian Representatives, expressing the concern and pain that we see surrounding our marginalized communities.
The experience is one of the most motivational trips of my college career. I urge all CBF churches and members to seek justice and find time in your congregation to advocate for the communities around you, because strength truly does come in numbers. Everyone’s voice can make a change.
Spencer Browning is a student at Furman University and member of Ardmore Baptist Church.