Pastor Paul: 'We/Us' Bethany's preferred pronoun
Dear Bethanians,
Pronouns are important. Frequently we see at the bottom of communications the pronouns preferred by the author (he/him; she/her; they/they). This is an identifier, a way of a person expressing how they would like to be seen and addressed. It promotes respectful and clear communication (once we get used to the preferences).
In these days of COVID 19 concerns, I would like to suggest another approach to pronouns. Perhaps we can focus on “us/we/them” as our preferred pronoun. In a time when living as community is so important, the “I” as it refers to accomplishments, mandates, leadership, feels more distancing than communal, but the “we/us” feels inviting and connecting. Oh, please continue to use the “I/me” when you are sharing your sorrow or fear, your aches or your disappointments; let us not lost our ability to express our personal emotions in such an uncertain time. But as we move forward through days of intentional isolation and challenges that are both individual and communal, let us be together, let us claim our pronoun, our preferred pronoun, as “We/Us,” as in “we are the Body of Christ.”
Pastor Paul (he/him)