Faith leaders reflect on power of persistence

 

Fig Tree Board moderator and Mennonite pastor Gary Jewell introduced four faith leaders to discuss "Spiritual Ramifications of Persistence" at the Eastern Washington Legislative Conference on Jan 31.

The panelists were Bishop Gretchen Rehberg of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane; Liv Larson Andrews, director of evangelical mission for the Northwest Intermountain Synod of the Evangelical Church in America; Max Oliva, a Jesuit priest working for social justice in Las Vegas and Spokane, and Karen Stromgren, executive director of Muslims for Community Action and Support (MCAS).

"Persistence is a spiritual virtue that rarely looks heroic," said Gretchen. "It is the decision to remain, continue, pray, listen and show up again, when the work is slow, the results are not seen and the outcome is uncertain. It is about faithfulness.

"Our baptismal covenant is to persevere in resisting evil, seeing and serving Christ in all persons, striving for justice and peace and respecting everyone's dignity," she said, adding that church wedding vows are "will you" not "do you," emphasizing the long term.

Jesus' parables are about holy tenacity—the woman who keeps going to the unjust judge and the sower who scatters the seeds on rocky soil, Gretchen said.

"In churches, it's evident in elders who show up year after year, teachers who never give up on a child," she said. "In the interfaith context, it's about covenant, Dharma, submitting to God, walking the path or repairing the world.

"Transformation is not instant but comes through sustained practice and disciplined compassion," she said, contrasting it to the culture shaped by instant gratification and quick fixes.

In this culture, Gretchen pointed out that politically, people despair when progress stalls or reverses and personally, people abandon relationships, communities and institutions when difficulties arise.

She added that to build a beloved community, a phrase rooted in faith, requires persistence, truth telling, repentance, forgiveness and commitment.

"Racial justice and reconciliation call for more than swift transformation moments of national awakening. They require time and persistence," Gretchen continued. "Similarly cultural change—changing hearts, structures and habits—requires slow, persistent listening across differences, sustained education and courage to stay in relationships when conversations are uncomfortable. They call for respecting the dignity of every human being, over and over regardless of the cost.

In today's epidemic of loneliness, building community requires people to gather with each other and with God to pray, eat and care for neighbors, she said, adding, "God works sacramentally through ordinary things—bread, wine, oil, water and time. Persistence honors the sacramental, trusting that God works in slow, steady, faithful, action and love."

Gretchen explained that persisting spiritually means what people do repeatedly in love matters. Persistence is to keep choosing dialogue over dismissal and hope over cynicism. In a world hungry for quick answers, persistence is a form of resistance, resisting the temptation to give up, thinking nothing will change.

"It is trusting that God is faithful and never gives up on us," she concluded.

While Liv appreciates the persistence of relationships she experiences in the community gathered at the conference, her first reaction to the topic was to feel exhausted, even despair, that "we have to keep showing up and working for change."

The theme, "We Shall Overcome," however, reminded her of the ongoing beauty in the natural world.

"Perhaps a spiritual approach to persistence is 'we shall undergo,' not so much overcome with our own gumption but be received by the holy to undergo transformation," she observed. "The spiritual practice of persistence for me in recent years has been to put my body in touch with creation and with my creaturely and human neighbors."

She quoted church reformer Martin Luther, who said, "God writes the gospel not only in our holy book but also in every tree, mountain and river, so we can watch nature persist."

Liv shared that her older son had counted 44 banana slugs on a recent three-day trip to the Olympic peninsula. That reminded her how creatures persist in nature.

Both from living within two blocks of the Spokane River and from the words of the prophet Amos, Liv knows that just as rivers persist, God's vision of shalom persists. The witness of Lutheran colleagues in Minnesota kneeling in prayer and advocating for neighbors and immigrants was another reminder.

"There's a lot of persistence—things seen and unseen," Liv said. "We are called to persist in prayer, advocacy, making sandwiches for families and lovingly raising children in this time. Persistence is an invitation to receive the divine beauty that's all around us."

Fr. Max read on Google that "persistence is the steadfast continuation of a course of action despite difficulty, opposition or failure to build inner strength, endurance, character necessary for personal growth and success."

As a Jesuit and Catholic, he considers persistence a virtue based on God's unconditional love. That has given him inner strength to persist in working for peace and justice for 57 years.

After the election, Fr. Max chose to focus on immigration, educating himself, evaluating his gifts and seeking like-minded people to work with.

Early in his ministry, he left California to start an ethics and spirituality ministry with oil and gas corporations in Calgary, Alberta. Needing to know about that culture, he formed a nine-person advisory team. Similarly, for the last 16 years in Las Vegas, where there were no Jesuits, he formed a committee to help him understand that culture.

Two elements that help him persist in working for social justice are balancing work and play and having a sense of humor in the midst of adversity.

Three models inform Fr. Max on persistence.

First, in the 1970s, he worked with Cesar Chavez, Delores Huerta and the United Farm Workers Union on the grape boycott.

Second, Martin Luther King Jr's persistence in the Civil Rights movement in the mid-1960s led Fr. Max to a ministry in San Francisco helping black men find work.

Third, he was inspired when 2026 Heisman Trophy winner and Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza called his mother, Elsa, his hero because, despite having MS since 2007, she went to all his games in a wheelchair to cheer for him.

In Islam, Karen said, spirituality is not passive waiting but proactive patience, steadfastness, endurance and resolution in the face of the kind of adversity immigrants and refugees face.

That adversity impacts her family.

"We are scared like everyone else who are immigrants, refugees and people of color," she said. "I have children and many friends of color."

While many are scared, the Muslim community is also filled with hope because "the core of Islamic teachings is unwavering belief in Allah's mercy," she said. "Muslims facing persecution anchor their hope in the promises and belief that despite trials, mercy prevails and believers will triumph.

"This hope is a source of strength, resilience, resistance and advocacy. Patience is a virtue. The Quran instructs believers facing injustice to support each other and to right what is wrong," Karen said. "In divine wisdom, we are to surrender to Allah's will and carry the Quran with us, not just physically, but by memorizing key verses and practicing them every day."

Karen, a revert to Islam, was amazed by the outpouring of community support when a Spokane Valley City Council member in January said Islam has no place in Spokane Valley. Many testified on behalf of the Muslim community.

"The Quran is our daily guide, calling believers to morality, empathy and love—not to hate," said Karen, noting that before she became Muslim, she didn't have a community, but now "I have all of you who support our Muslim community."

Discussion on how to engage youth was a segue to the young adult panel. The leaders, recognizing that young people are already speaking out and protesting, said the question is how to support them.

To view the video of the Faith Leaders Panel at EWLC click here.