A Summer Update

So many things to tell you about!

Dear Friends,

We miss you all so dearly!

We wanted to send you a mid-year update on how it’s going in our household and in our work. Many exciting things are happening that you should know about!

1. Michael was recently interviewed for ARC Magazine on Christianity, politics, how Democrats are approaching faith (including James Talarico), and his own views on how Christianity can play a positive role in our politics. It’s a wide-ranging interview that I (Melissa) think is extremely well-done, so please do read and share it with colleagues. https://arcmag.org/what-religious-left/

   What’s important for people to understand is that, yes, we have seen some political sorting in American churches, but there are still many churches and denominations that people would consider “progressive” or “mainline” that contain a lot of politically conservative members—and vice versa. I think we do ourselves a disservice if we only look at religion through a political lens, because that’s not how many people actually experience their congregations or their religious lives.

   People are looking for grounding for the moral impulses they feel in relation to this political moment. I think the futility of mere personal assertion is more deeply felt now. The politics of identitarian self-assertion is not proving to be as rich a resource for sustaining long-term political involvement as people once thought.

   Even with secularization, it’s striking that religious voices still emerge in key moments.

2. The Center for Christianity and Public Life’s For the Good of the Public Summit is in 3 months! CCPL will focus on America’s 250th year and the past, present, and future of faith and public life. They’ve announced speakers like Federal Judge Patrick J. Schilitz (who has been involved in some high profile cases recently), CT’s Russell Moore, The New Yorker’s Emma O. Green, and Richmond Mayor Danny Avula. If you’re a civic leader of any kind, this summit is for you. If you’re concerned about politics in this country, this summit is for you. If you want to know more about how you can get involved in public life, this summit is for you.

   With your ticket, you’ll also attend the annual Civic Renewal Awards ceremony. The awards recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the public good and community life. You’ll be the first to know about this year’s awardees!

   CCPL has also added on a third day to the summit with partners exploring civic experiences across DC. If you buy your tickets now, you’ll be able to opt-in to one of these experiences as soon as they become available.

   Wear We Are subscribers always have a discount code available to them. Just enter WEARWEARE at checkout for 20% off your ticket price. https://www.ccpubliclife.org/summit

3. If you really miss content on Wear We Are, you should check out The Heart of the Public. They post weekly interviews, think pieces, and news roundups. Some of my favorite writing they’ve published is on Artificial Intelligence. You’ll love the vibes over there, and you can subscribe for free.

Otherwise, life is going well this summer! Michael is as busy as ever with CCPL, and he’s currently hiring for a new position (see here in case you’re a finance/operations senior leader). Our two girls are wreaking havoc at a daily summer camp, and their summer tans are beyond epic. For the last few months, I’ve been dealing with some major health issues, but I’m coming out the other side and managing it. I am also writing over at my own Substack, in case you want to take a look!

We also just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Proof of life photo can be found below (it’s us right before Baltimore’s Lauryn Hill concert where we had to lock our phones and have an Unplugged Experience).

How are you all? What are you up to this summer? Do you feel ready for the upcoming midterms? Any new recipes? Comment! Let us know you’re alive!

With great affection,

Michael & Melissa