As Bill, Sunny, and I met to consider our focus for this Sunday’s Path Forward Conversation, we found ourselves returning to H. Richard Niebuhr’s The Church as Social Pioneer. Bill reminded us that many of the networks we engage with are responding to some form of innocent suffering—a powerful throughline in our shared work.

From that conversation, a compelling idea emerged:

Transformation often begins in response to innocent suffering.

In my (admittedly not-so-humble) view, the church—at its best—is about the transformation of human beings who live on behalf of all people in our global village.

Of course, transformation arises from many sources. I love beautiful sunsets—but in all my years, not one has launched me into a transformative journey. Beauty moves me, yes. But suffering calls me.

Then Friday, I found myself—surprisingly—copying and pasting a David Brooks column. His piece “What’s Happening Is Not Normal” closes with these words:

A civic uprising has to have a short-term vision and a long-term vision.
Short term: Stop Trump. Foil his efforts. Pile on the lawsuits. Turn some of his followers against him.
Long term: A fairer society... We can’t go back to the status quo that prevailed when Trump first rode down the escalator.

I’m really not a movement guy... But this is what America needs right now. Trump is shackling the greatest institutions in American life. We have nothing to lose but our chains.

Like Brooks, I don’t naturally gravitate toward movements. But I keep showing up for these Path Forward conversations because of the courage, clarity, and companionship they offer. They remind me I’m not alone. They embolden me.

We’d love to hear from you:
What actions are you taking in these not-normal times?
How are you doing—spiritually, emotionally, practically?

We’ll gather again this Sunday via Zoom. No prior participation is necessary. All are welcome.

📅 Sunday, May 11
🕐 1:30 PM Pacific
🕑 2:30 PM Mountain
🕒 3:30 PM Central
🕓 4:30 PM Eastern

🔗 Join the Zoom Meeting

📄 Download Bill’s Narrative & Supporting Documents

Warmly,
For the Path Forward Triad,
Bill Parker, Sunny Walker, Don Bushman

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P.S. In Bill’s conversations with 70+ network leaders, these questions kept surfacing:

• Where do I even begin to ease the suffering I see around me?
• Who else is working on this—and how can we support, not duplicate?
• What breakthroughs are happening in other towns, clinics, schools, or congregations?
• Where do my skills best match the needs?
• Where is energy already building—and how can we support it?
• Where are the deepest gaps in care, dignity, or inclusion?
• How do I find my team—those committed to what I’m committed to?
• Why is it still so hard to talk across differences?
• What’s keeping our good work from adding up to more?
• Is anyone weaving the pieces together?

We invite you to bring the questions you are hearing—and share what’s stirring in your corner of the world.