Guest Post: Rev. John Halley

I was inspired earlier this week reading an article by my son-in-law John Halley in his new hometown of Estero, FL. Here’s what John had to say about guidance in our civic life found in Jeremiah 29:7

It is common these days for pundits and average citizens alike to lament living in a society riven by social issues, politics, religious viewpoints, and inequality. Yet many of these same people who deplore our divisions only seek civic unity by imposing their agenda on others. They pursue victory for their particular enclave at all costs without concern for the welfare of their opponents, who also happen to be their neighbors. We need only turn on the news to see the fruit of their labor.

Yet there is another way. 

One of the most helpful commands in the Bible regarding civic life is found in Jeremiah 29:7. Jeremiah speaks on God’s behalf to his people saying, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Jeremiah urged the Israelites in exile in Babylon to work to bless their city and find peace in the city, in spite of the fact that they were in the city of their enemies. Imagine that, working for the welfare of a city which destroyed your hometown and deported you! Yet the command was clear: if the Israelites were to find peace it would require them to pursue the common good with their neighbors and set aside their grievances. 

“Unity in the Community” is not easy because we inevitably have competing viewpoints for how to best care for our community. But I believe that Jeremiah’s words provide a good starting place for unity. What is translated as “welfare” in Jeremiah 29:7 is shalom in Hebrew, which indicates holistic peace. Shalom means that citizens don’t live in fear, families have enough to eat, folks can find work, children learn and flourish, God can be worshipped, people are not treated as objects, and resources are cared for. I believe we can begin to find real unity in our community when we work first for the shalom of our entire community, including our would-be enemies, rather than our own camps. 

As Director of Discipleship at Estero United Methodist Church I am proud to say that I am part of a community working towards shalom for Estero and beyond. We don’t have it all figured out yet, but every step counts. It is our goal to lift up our entire community without exception, because only in the welfare and peace of the whole will we find our peace. And I know we are not alone; this website is testimony to the growing number folks in Estero who are placing the community’s welfare first.

We need more folks with us though for peace and unity to become a reality. So I end with a simple invitation: join us! Join us in this task of working together for the shalom of our entire community, and in so doing we will find the unity we seek.

John Halley is the Director of Discipleship at Estero United Methodist Church. John and his wife Amy moved to Estero in January of 2014 after John completed his Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Prior to studying at Fuller Seminary John spent three and a half years co-founding and running a Christian community center in San Ramon, Costa Rica. John and Amy are currently expecting their first child, and spending as much time as possible at the beach before their family expands!