Plymouth Magazine-Summer24-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 14
Manifesting the Kingdom of God
through RENEW and AMOS
By Scott Morrison
From my vantage point, the greatest
thing about being a member or friend of
Plymouth Church is the opportunities
it offers to help manifest the Kingdom
of God by making a lasting impact upon
the lives of individuals, our community,
and the world at large! In doing so, I
believe that we are responding to God’s
passionate, creative initiative as felt
within our hearts and minds. God is
always taking the initiative, and we can
respond in ways which nurture our love
for God, neighbor, and Creation itself.
As a member of the Board of Christian
Social Action, I very much want to share
my experiences with two groups our
board is working with to help manifest
(or make visible) the Kingdom of God
on earth: RENEW and AMOS.
RENEW serves immigrants and refugees
from several continents who want to learn
English. (RENEW is an acronym that
means: Refugee Engagement Nurture
Empower Welcome.) Adult learners are
matched with volunteer tutors who meet
on Wednesday mornings or Saturday
afternoons at Plymouth. (RENEW has a
great need for more tutors to work with
prospective students!)
Last September I began tutoring Helen
and Andrew, a married couple from
Ukraine who moved to Iowa last July
along with Andrew’s mother, Myla (who
works with another tutor). They all live
in Elkhart with their sponsor, Michael, a
widower who has graciously offered them
hospitality in his home.
While tutoring can be quite intense
I always leave space for the sharing of
memories. During one of our Saturday
classes, it felt surreal to hear Helen and
Andrew reminisce about the life they
had known before the war in the city of
Kharkiv (which is about twenty miles
from the Russian border). Ukrainians
could cross the border to shop, buy
gas, or experience entertainment, while
Russians came to Kharkiv to study at one
of the many fine colleges or universities
for which the city was once famous.
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That world has been blasted away, but
this displaced Ukrainian family has
found a haven of hope in Iowa and at
Plymouth Church, far removed from
the conflict and chaos raging in their
homeland! I admire the incredible
courage displayed by Helen, Andrew,
and Myla, in coming to this country (as
well as their tenacity to learn English!)
and look forward to continuing our
relationship in the months ahead.
AMOS is an acronym that means: A
Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy. AMOS
is all about building and improving
relationships while working to achieve
social and economic justice!
As a member of the Plymouth Amos
Core Team, I have had a number of oneon-one conversations with people outside
of AMOS, in which each individual seeks
to better understand the other while
discussing issues that are most important
to them.
I have also expanded my awareness by
participating in two house meetings
sponsored by the AMOS Core Team.
Last October we met with Plymouth’s
Creation Care & Justice Committee,
and in February we met with Plymouth’s
Anti-Racism Committee. These house
meetings made it possible for us to
transcend committee boundaries by
reinforcing our mutual resolve to tackle
problems like water pollution and
systemic racism.
Working to achieve social and economic
justice is never easy! It is often fraught
with frustrations and disappointments
which tempt me to wonder sometimes
whether my efforts really make any
difference.
But my spirit is always revitalized when
I attend an AMOS Delegate Assembly
(which are held three times a year at
a church in the greater Des Moines
area). At these assemblies I connect or
reconnect with other AMOS activists
from across the theological spectrum,
ranging from Roman Catholic to
Unitarian-Universalist. While we may
differ theologically we are all committed
to the work which unifies AMOS, such
as finding affordable housing and reliable
public transportation, promoting
conflict resolution and restorative
justice, accessing mental health care, and
attending to the effects that our lifestyle
choices have on the climate and Creation
as a whole.
I have found that my involvement with
RENEW and AMOS greatly complement
one another! I experience the intimacy of
tutoring with RENEW, the give and take
that comes from delving into the English
language and discovering it anew along
the way. While AMOS also has its share
of one-on-one encounters, I especially
value its focus on broad, systemic issues
which are best addressed collectively
(and in a nonpartisan fashion!) if real
progress is to be made.
Taken together, my commitment to
RENEW and AMOS fulfills my calling
as a disciple of Jesus Christ while I work
to help manifest the Kingdom of God
on earth!
Learn more about social justice work
here at Plymouth Church.
About the Author
Scott Morrison has been a member of Plymouth’s Board of
Christian Social Action. He joined Plymouth Church in 2017.
