As we began the final day of the march, I was unsure of how it would end. United Churches of Olympia was organizing people of faith in Olympia to join us for the last few blocks of the march. The Religious Coalition for Equality along with the Community of Welcoming Congregations was doing outreach to legislators and media for the news conference on the front steps of the legislative building. While I had no reason to doubt that all of the parties involved would do a good job at their task, I was still worried. Would anyone be there to march with us at the end? Would the media cover us? Would there be any legislators to thank?
This was a day in which one group of people after another lifted my hopes and gave me a tremendous sense of gratitude. We began the day in Grand Mound, and as we marched along more and more marchers joined us. When we finally arrived at United Churches of Olympia, a throng of people were there to greet us. Our numbers were bolstered as we marched to the capitol with more than 100 people. We arrived ahead of schedule and so the organizers of the news conference asked me to speak to fill the time. Soon, however, our lawmakers began to come out, and once they started coming they didn’t seem to stop. As we shivered in the cold, one elected official after another spoke. I believe we had around 14 speak. What was supposed to be a half hour of speeches turned into at least an hour. During this time, three news stations from Seattle filmed and interviewed us. By this point, my spirits had been lifted so much that even my feet didn’t seem to hurt.
As we stood on the front steps of the legislative building, I realized just how much the march had given me a glimpse into a bright and promising future for our state. With a likely referendum on marriage equality, our state has the opportunity to become the first state in the country to affirm marriage equality at the ballot box. Because of the march, I now believe that is possible more than ever. From Vancouver to Olympia, I witnessed an outpouring of support for marriage equality in every community. I also witnessed the commitment of people of faith who are willing to dedicate a tremendous amount of time and energy to speaking out in favor marriage equality.
Ultimately, this march not only gave me a feeling of hope it also gave me a feeling of gratitude. From my own church, I am grateful to Karen Kulm and Tom Renner for making the march possible with their behind the scenes work as planners, organizers, and drivers. I am grateful to Nancy Herr who worked on our outreach to the media. I am grateful to the more than 50 members who participated in the march. From outside our church, I am grateful to the leadership of our sponsoring organizations: the Community of Welcoming Congregations, Equal Rights Washington, the Faith Action Network, the Religious Coalition for Equality, and Washington United for Marriage. Josh Friedes, Tara Wilkins, Ty Stober, and Monica Corsaro all played important roles in planning and successfully pulling off our events. I am grateful for congregations like Longview United Methodist Church and United Churches of Olympia for organizing successful events and helping draw in members of their surrounding communities. I am grateful for the clergy from a variety of faith backgrounds and denominations who marched and spoke at events. I am grateful for the community organizations that got involved in marching or contributing volunteers. These organizations include the UNITE-HERE, Jobs for Justice, the Skyview High School Gay Straight Alliance, and the Lower Columbia PFLAG. Last but not least I am grateful to two young men who joined me in marching all 116 miles. There names are Spencer Vetter and Jason Sikkel. They were dedicated walkers and great companions for an adventurous journey.
For me, the march was an amazing example of how God can work through ordinary people to make the extraordinary happen. As the struggle for marriage equality continues, may we continue to be vessels of God’s Spirit. Amen.
