Rev. Larry Wik explains why his church is a polling place for elections and what benefits he finds in serving as a poll worker.
REV. LARRY WIK
Lake Orion UMC
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But 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 29:4-7, NRSVUE).
A strain of New Testament theology tells us we are resident aliens and foreigners in this world (see 1 Peter 2:11). Will Willimon has even co-written a book entitled Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony. And as Paul has called on us to be “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), we might extend that metaphor and consider our churches as embassies of heaven, patches of kingdom territory providing divine sanctuary in this world. That’s quite an aspiration!
Yet the passage above from the book of Jeremiah reminds us that, even while we are exiles of a sort, and “this world is not our permanent home” (Hebrews 13:14, NLT), at this most urgent and precious time of now, we are called to pray and work for the welfare of the land in which we find ourselves. For in its welfare, we too will find our welfare.
One way some churches, including Lake Orion UMC in the East Winds District, participate in that welfare-seeking work is by acting as a local polling place, a safe space where people deliberately and peacefully choose their political leaders. It is structured and regulated to avoid overt partisanship and promote an environment of working together for the common good.
I have chosen to be an election worker, though the polling place where I work is not Lake Orion UMC but the location closest to the parsonage. (To be honest, it’s better that way; no one asks work-related questions while I’m supposed to be doing my civic duty!) For me, taking this action has become a way to channel my own personal anxieties about the state of our country and its politics. The best answer to anxiety is action. I wear my “Democracy Is Not a Spectator Sport” T-shirt and interact with my fellow election workers and community members, building goodwill and connecting in positive ways. I would encourage you to find similar ways of taking action that are edifying, constructive, and fear-reducing. It has been helpful to me.
Let us seek the welfare of our city, country, and world into which God has placed us, building one another up and transforming our churches into sanctuaries of peace, safety, and a quest for the common good.
Editor’s note: Apply to be a paid election worker. The State of Michigan is seeking poll workers for Election Day. Click to learn more. If you’ve already signed up, recruit a friend.
Last Updated on October 14, 2024