The L.O.V.E. Project

As many know, 2020 was a challenging time for everyone causing political, social, and even spiritual unrest. Raleigh Seventh-day Adventist Church is proud to have members with roots from around the world, but this does not prevent Raleigh or any other church from being subject to the effects of racism or prejudice. In recognition of the hurt across the country and within their own community, Raleigh Adventist created the L.O.V.E. Project. The acronym L.O.V.E. stands for Learning from Others’ Vast Experiences. What started as a small group of 5 members has developed into a monthly video call with over 15 church members having an open discussion about how they can learn from each other and how to love more like Jesus. Some members have shared hurtful experiences as others listened, unaware that such pain was being felt by members of their church family. The L.O.V.E. Project was created so that members can come together for Christ-centered conversations on love, unity, and reconciliation and as well as challenging conversations about difficult experiences both inside and outside of the church. This also has created a platform for members to come together and work through self-analyzation questions such as “Who am I struggling to love?” and “What does church unity look like?”. The steering committee is hopeful to continue this project in 2021 and is prayerful for their monthly meetings to grow in attendance.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35 NKJV)