Conference Minister's Corner - 01-13-2026
- Rev. Gordon Rankin
- Jan 13
- 2 min read
FAITH = ACTION
“Faith equals action, everything we do, everyway we move. Oh, faith equals actions. Come on, everybody, put your faith to work
Isn’t it plain to see, what you say’s gotta be what you do if it’s true? Everyone gather round, finding our common ground. Be the change right now!”
In the early summer of 2018, I was on the leadership team that developed that West Central Regional Youth Event (RYE) that was held at Grinnell College. (It just so happens that I flew from an interview with the NH Conference search committee and went straight to Grinnell with out even going home to make it on time for RYE.) The theme of our Regional Youth Event was “Faith = Action.” I found this to be one of the most engaging themes I’ve worked with for any event I have been a part of planning.
Some colleagues asked me if the theme was about “works righteousness” – the idea that our salvation is dependent on what we do. That was not what the theme was about. Rather it was about embodiment. How do we as people of faith live out our faith with our whole being – our minds, our souls, our voices, our bodies? To do anything less is to not live into the fullness of our faith. Faith that has integrity is not just an intellectual or spiritual practice. It is also about the practicalities of how we live in the world.
The amazing Convergence Music Project songwriter, Andra Moran, wrote the song above for the 2018 West Central Regional Youth Event which is where it was first sung. With Andra’s permission, we’ve been singing it at Horton Center for the past seven years. Every time I sing it, I am reminded of how important it is that we embody our faith.
I was also reminded of this last Friday night. An interfaith vigil was held in Concord to remember both the person and the witness of Renee Nicole Good. At the vigil, my colleague, Bishop Rob Hirschfeld, spoke of how he tells the clergy of the Episcopal Dioceses of New Hampshire to get their affairs in order and their wills written. He concluded, “Because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us, with our bodies, to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.” Yes, our faith calls us to embodiment.
Gordon