I am an architect, an usher at Palmer and a faithful member of the Men’s Bible Study. I serve on the Palmer Vestry and I am in my third term as elected Houston City Council Member in the At-Large, Position 2. In the darkest days of the year, as we turn the page on 2020, I’m reminded of the light and why I believe that I am Palmer. With the scourge of the novel coronavirus, so much violence in the streets of our nation, and the presence of dis-ease in our collective consciousness, I find it a comfort “To know and share the love of Jesus Christ.”

I remember the march in memory of George Floyd and feel reassured by the calm with which Houston embraced his death and celebrated his life and passing. I recall the lifeless expression on his face and his countenance while looking into the casket at his embalmed body at his funeral at the Fountain of Praise. I hear echoes of the passion from those leaders who recounted his memory, “our Hometown Hero”, “the Pride of Third Ward”, “Big George Floyd”, “the Lion of Jack Yates High School.”

We saw the protests and demonstrations that followed, with calls for strength, reform and perseverance. With the death of U.S. Congressman John Lewis, we reviewed his life and relived his courage on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, noted the nature of his internal compass, his fortitude and determination as we retraced the arc of the moral universe and its bend toward justice. We remembered the legacy of Doctor King and were inspired by the life of his friend who served as Grand Marshall at his parade, just a year earlier than when and where we walked for George Floyd.

 And again, we return to Palmer where we know other saints and witness other acts of grace. It’s where we work in relationship to come to know Jesus in our lives and worship, to share what we know generously and abundantly for the Glory of God. And we love as He told us to love and showed us in his life and teachings. For it is in the darkness that we have seen a great light, and that light shines strong and eternal, for those of us who are Palmer.