This past summer, it was everywhere—on mainstream media and social media, in every form you might access them—the news that Dolly Parton had died. Along with the news of her death came the stories of her humanitarian work. Many who had admired and followed her during her lifetime, and I include myself among that number, knew about her integrity and her compassion, even if we would not have been able to enumerate all of the causes she supported.
Many were aware of her Imagination Library, where children who were enrolled in the program received a book a month from the time of their birth until they entered kindergarten. Some would have also known about her support of HIV/AIDS research and awareness and even her support of research for a COVID-19 vaccine. But few of us would have known the true extent of her philanthropic activities, including in the areas of Childhood Literacy and Education, Medical Research and Healthcare, Disaster Relief and Conservation. It’s sufficient to say that she was a person who had a heart for vulnerable people, for children, for those who were poor or overlooked or sick or, as in the case of HIV/AIDS, in her support of people who, at the height of the pandemic, were ostracized or vilified. She readily spoke of her faith and she lived that faith. She cared for what the gospel of Matthew calls “the least of these.”
“The least of these” are also the ones reached through the partnerships of Alongside Hope (formerly PWRDF). In Alongside Hope, we support people who are victims of natural disasters, we partner with vulnerable communities seeking to engage in sustainable agricultural practices, and we support the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza—operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem—as they continue to provide care, even as supplies dwindle and hospital buildings are bombed. We have funded solar suitcases—a brilliant innovation that provides a reliable energy source for women giving birth in the dark of night. Most recently, the Wild Ride campaign raised money to provide solar panels at St. Luke’s Hospital in the West Bank. The hospital serves a population of about 455,000 people. Solar power will provide a reliable energy source for that hospital.
On the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we focus on God’s vision for ourselves and our world, a vision of justice. This year, the gospel reading is from Matthew 25, where Jesus tells us that when we feed those who are hungry, give drink to those who are thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe those who are naked, care for those who are sick and those in prison, what he calls “the least of these who are members of my family,” we do it to him.
That love was visible in the life of Dolly Parton, it is visible in the ministry of Alongside Hope, and the Reign of Christ Sunday teaches us that it can be visible in our lives.