A Letter from Rob: Love and Care for All God’s Children

By Rob Radtke, President & CEO of Episcopal Relief & Development

This year, the very warm fall where I live in New York came to an abrupt end the second week of November. Overnight, I went from needing a light jacket to a full winter coat. There were even snow flurries on Veterans’ Day.

Year after year, the arrival of winter weather combined with the onset of 4 p.m. sunsets urges us to retreat indoors until the return of the warmer, brighter days of spring. The irony of Christmas being in the coldest and darkest time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere) is never lost on me. However, it is this darkness that makes the light of Christ stand out all the more brilliantly.

Earlier this year, I travelled to Zambia to observe Episcopal Relief & Development’s early childhood development program, Moments That Matter®. Zambia was the first country where we piloted this program.

These sorts of trips often consist of “site visits” where we travel to villages several hours away from the nearest city. On one visit, I met a woman in a small community located 4 or 5 hours from Lusaka, the capital, who participates in Moments That Matter® as a caregiver for her grandson. She cradled the boy as we sat chatting under a tree, and I thought of the beautiful Christmas carol “What Child Is This?”

In some ways, the child she held in her arms was like millions of children around the world struggling to survive. And yet her grandson–and every child–is special, a unique gift from God.

“What Child Is This?” celebrates the birth of Jesus, who, “laid to rest / On Mary’s lap, is sleeping.” These lines of the hymn refer to the Incarnation, in which God becomes human. A central tenet of our faith, the Incarnation underscores the profound value and dignity of every human being. If God chose to become human, it must be that every human life, especially the most vulnerable, carries inherent worth.

Our work at Episcopal Relief & Development recognizes this inherent worth. Our mission is rooted in “Hearing God’s call to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of every human being.” When we see suffering in the world, we see Christ in the hungry, the thirsty, the sick and the stranger (Matthew 25:37-40). This is what moves us to action.

The carol’s second and third lines–“Whom angels greet with anthems sweet/ While shepherds watch are keeping?”–represent both the divine and the human responses to the Savior’s arrival. These lines also resonate with Episcopal Relief & Development’s mission. Just as the angels heralded hope and the shepherds came to witness, we act to bring hope and relief to those in need–whether they’re struggling to care for their children in Zambia or recovering from the tragic floods this past summer in Texas.

When the angels in the hymn greet the newborn Savior with “anthems sweet,” theirs is a message of peace and goodwill. Episcopal Relief & Development is deeply committed to advancing peace and goodwill in all of our work by addressing the root causes of suffering– including poverty, injustice and the effects of a changing climate. Inspired by the hope and promise embodied in Christ’s birth, we’re dedicated to building a world where all people can thrive.

Whether referring to a baby in Zambia or Jesus in Bethlehem, “What Child Is This?” highlights the fragility of life, reminding us that every human being has immeasurable worth and that we are called to respond to our neighbor’s suffering with compassion and help.

Episcopal Relief & Development had another impactful year, but we’re not resting on our laurels. We are continually growing. Working through a global network of local faith and community partners, we are serving more people than ever before and the support we receive from Episcopalians and beyond has continued to increase. I am profoundly humbled and grateful.

Our ultimate goal is a world that reflects the divine love, justice and hope brought into the world by the Christ child. It is through the love and support of thousands of friends like you that we’re able to move, step by step, closer to this world.

Working together for lasting change with you is an honor. It makes the world’s brokenness feel lighter and the possibilities before us more abundant.

Here’s wishing you and your family and friends–especially the children among them–a joyful, joyful Christmas.

Rob Radtke is the President & CEO at Episcopal Relief & Development.