“Transformation happens when we move through the fear of change and into the fullness of who we are meant to be.” – Gloria Anzaldúa.

Holy Covenant,

Earlier this month the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), which is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture, and public policy, released its report on Christian Nationalism across all 50 States. The report is eye-opening and highlights the prevalence of Christian nationalism across the United States.

“We must love ourselves enough to believe in our own worth and the worth of those who challenge us. In the face of hate, we must respond with a love that is not passive, but transformative. Love means seeing beyond the veil of fear and misunderstanding and remembering that each person is a sacred being of divine light.”

– Alicia Garza, who is LGBTQ+ advocate, activist, and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

am a reader of books and have been since the age of three. One of my childhood favorites was authored by Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. My favorite of the 66 books written by Dr. Seuss was Green Eggs and Ham, a short and delightful story introducing Sam I Am with a poetry and rhythm that made it easy for a child’s imagination to capture the words and imagery as well as develop relationships with characters with odd and peculiar ways of being in the world.

August marks not only the end of summer in a way that I feel in my bones, it marks several populations and initiatives that I want to honor in the coming month. World Breastfeeding Week was created in 1992 to highlight the importance of breastfeeding infants and is marked as the first week of August annually.

June is known nationwide as a month in which the LGBTQAI+ community shows their pride in their identities. While many communities celebrate this PRIDE during other times of the year for numerous reasons, Cleveland (airport code CLE, a nickname the entire city has embraced) does so in June. The national ministries team for Gender and Sexuality Justice showed up with rainbow pride and God’s love flowing.

After the UCC headquarters moved to Cleveland, Miller was elected General Secretary of the Division of Education and Publication and served the United Church of Christ Board from 1996 until 1999. She also became an ordained UCC minister.