“This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13)
In the month of February, we celebrate love on Valentine’s Day. Pink hearts, red roses, and cards with beautiful poems are seemingly everywhere. Dinner reservations become difficult to make, and the pressure increases to express love in just the right way at just the right time. Alternative celebrations like “Galentine’s Day” or “Palentine’s Day” are also becoming more prominent for people who still desire connection without romance.
I think it is great we celebrate love! This year my wife and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage. She is the love of my life, and is without a doubt the most interesting, beautiful and brilliant person I have ever or will ever know. There are so many things that hold us together and help us to love one another, but the most important thing is our shared faith in Jesus, and how he both taught and demonstrated love.
In John 15, Jesus has an extended conversation with his closest friends while they walk toward the place where he would be betrayed, arrested and eventually taken away to be killed. Jesus had recently shared with them that the greatest commandment is two-fold: love God and love neighbor. He had challenged his followers with an expansive definition of neighbor and talked about loving your enemies. On this last night his new commandment was to love one another, just as he has loved them, and this love includes sacrifice for the sake of another’s flourishing. This love was displayed on the cross.
As we celebrate love this month, it is my hope and prayer that we will all find ways to love sacrificially for the sake of another’s flourishing. That we would see the needs in our community as opportunities to care and serve. That we would all do our part to help Salem/Keizer become the healthiest community in all of Oregon, truly a city of Shalom.
For the Shalom of the City,
Kyle Dickinson
Executive Director
RainFest
Quinn Burke, SLF Past President of the Board of Directors
This February will be my ninth year participating in RainFest. And in these nine years I have golfed through snow, hail, torrential downpours, high winds and the uncomfortable combination of being soaking wet and freezing cold at the same time. And each year I look forward to doing it again, because it is more than just a day on the course – it’s an opportunity to come together with others who care about Salem and want to see our city thrive.
As a Salem native (Saxon alumn, Go Saxons!), supporting SLF is important to me because their work has a real, local impact. SLF staff are committed to serving our local schools through after school programs and teacher appreciation; to strengthening other nonprofits by building up their capacity so they too can serve the community more effectively; helping our churches find practical ways to care for and serve their neighborhoods; connecting local leaders across sectors to have honest, sometimes tough conversations that lead to real solutions for local challenges; and other hands-on, collaborative approaches to help Salem become the healthiest community in Oregon.
For me, participating in RainFest is a way to give back, to stand alongside others who care deeply about our city, and to support an organization that turns generosity into action. Every swing, every sponsorship, and every donation helps fund initiatives that directly benefit our city and the people who live here, in the city of Shalom.