Hope and Change Redux?
Here we are, September 2020 nearly over, three and a half years into an appalling presidency. An exhausted nation has yet to endure the coming round of debates, a controversial Supreme Court justice appointment, a fraught presidential election...and then who knows what. One shudders.
Yet for me, glinting out from it all is a shiny sliver of hope: the grassroots, no-PACs campaign of Bryan Berghoef, Democratic candidate for House of Representatives, Michigan 2nd Congressional District.
Bryan Berghoef
Holland, Michigan, at the far southern end of the district, is my home six months out of every year. I began summering here in 1965 at The Mooring, a small mom and pop resort. My husband and I bought a little house in 2008, right down the street from our long-ago resort playground, in what is known as the North Side, once considered a looser, more liberal and less desirable part of town. You may wonder, does 55 years of part-time residence give me license to comment on my social landscape? I would argue that my situation enables me to observe differently--more keenly. That for me, changes are more sharply delineated when noted year to year and decade by decade.
And I say that Holland has changed, big-time. Case in point: candidate Berghoef, who also happens to be the Reverend Berghoef, pastor at Holland UCC (United Church of Christ), one of the most liberal Protestant denominations. If you are a fellow Mooring alum (the resort closed in 1992), you're probably startled to learn that there would even BE a UCC congregation here, since you remember Holland as a historically hidebound corner of the world.
If you are a first-time reader, you'll have to take my word: Holland, in religion and in politics, has been since its founding in 1847 one of the most conservative spots you are likely to find. Old-timers here remember: "If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much". For years, Dutch has meant Christian Reformed and Republican. Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District has not elected a Democratic representative since 1933. (For background, see my earlier post, "View From Ford Country", August 24, 2016.)
Bryan Berghoef's activist congregation, which he established here in 2016, reflects the emphasis on social justice that I remember from my years growing up in a UCC counterpart in Webster Groves, Mo. In those days, our activism centered on racial equality and voting rights. Today, that has evolved into Black Lives Matter, along with vocal support for LGBTQIA equality and pushback against climate change, to name a few. Often the rallies and demonstrations are held in downtown Holland’s picture-perfect Centennial Park. Imagine! The Rev. Berghoef is often seen at the vanguard of these events. He doesn't preach there or on the stump, though, just as he doesn't bring politics to the pulpit.
Berghoef's spiritual journey must draw a few double-takes in these parts. He grew up in the Christian Reformed Church and was originally ordained in that tradition. He became distanced, however, as he saw that his own values no longer aligned with the exclusionary theological dicta he had heard all his life. Yet he has maintained friendly ties with his former church and is so admired that two of his noteworthy political endorsements come from retired leaders of Christian Reformed denominations. There's another from a prominent UCC scholar and theologian, plus a handful from labor unions. These range from Michigan AFL-CIO to Michigan Education Association.
This post is not intended as a paean to the UCC or even to Bryan Berghoef. Principled, progressive stances are not the reserve of Christians or religious congregations overall or ethical humanist communities. People of good will are everywhere. But maybe you can see why, in a season of despair, I've taken heart. Even here, change is possible. Holland has been loosening its fetters over the past half-century. Now I am delighted that a person of Bryan Berghoef’s caliber has chosen to advocate for ALL citizens of southwestern Michigan. My only disappointment: I can't cast a vote for him. Legally I'm still a Missouri resident.
