Photo: Hundreds gathered at a Love Not Hate rally on January 7 in Whitefish, Montana, despite subzero temperatures. Photo provided. 

When Jeryl Hollinger, pastor of Mountain View Mennonite Church in Kalispell, Montana, stood up to speak at a “Love Not Hate” rally on January 7 in nearby Whitefish, it was bitterly cold, he said in a June 1 phone interview.

According to the Flathead Beacon’s coverage of the event, the rally included music by Blackfeet singer and storyteller Jack Gladstone and his daughter, Mariah; remarks by Whitefish City Councilor Richard Hildner, and Hilary Shaw, executive director of the Abbie Shelter, a local domestic violence shelter in Kalispell.

Shaw’s grandfather was a Holocaust survivor and her remarks addressed recent verbal attacks against Judaism in Whitehall. Andrea Castillo, a resident of Missoula, Montana, also spoke about her experiences of growing up as a Native American and a member of the LGBTQ community.

The event was organized by Jessica Laferriere, 34, and Dominica Cleveras, 33, as a celebration of diversity and acceptance in Montana.

Hollinger was one of many speakers at the event, but the only Christian, he said. Organized in response to the divisive presidential election and the growing boldness of white supremacist groups in Montana, the rally drew between 200 and 300 people, who showed up despite subzero temperatures.

In his five-minute talk, Hollinger confessed corporate Mennonite failings and personal shortcomings, too.

“We are today very much a product of our time and place in history as part of this American journey.

With European roots, our theological stream has taken advantage of the expansion on to these lands belonging to the original peoples. We have benefited from biases expressed in discrimination against native peoples, immigrant communities and people of color. We have hidden behind unfair laws and practices.  We have learned the benefits of keeping quiet in moments of national turmoil,” he said. “I come as one who is a beginner in understanding the deeply embedded nature of the racism that runs through my own veins. I come with a confession on my heart – that the church I love and the Christian community I have served my entire life, has taken way too long to get serious about undoing the selective way in which we have allocated the grace we claim to have found in Jesus.”

He then noted signs of hope, such as that Mennonite Church USA has adopted a strategic plan that names as a priority work “to undo the racist practices among us.”

Hollinger said, “Racism is about power and privilege. It is about who is given power. It is about who we will trust with authority.”

He concluded by saying that in his dreams he imagines “conversations that change the dynamics of relationships and structures, that result in shared power and privilege, that create a humble ground where all of us learn more about ourselves and our bent toward discrimination.”

Hollinger, who grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and served as a bishop in a district of Lancaster Conference, came to Kalispell 21 years ago to be pastor of Mountain View. He and Mary, his wife, first encountered the area when they bicycled across the United States. The valley, which includes Kalispell and Whitefish, is a beautiful area near Flathead Lake, near the entrance to Glacier National Park.

Since becoming pastor, he’s seen the congregation, which turned 100 in 2013, become smaller as younger generations chose not to remain in the valley. The area economy became increasingly dependent on tourism. “People tell me they can’t afford to live here,” he said. Those coming now are generally older and already established, he said. Many see the Mennonite church as an alternative voice in the valley. “Many of the popular churches in the valley are more right wing,” he said.

Among those who have come from other churches are Young and Jen Stebbins-Hans. Jen is a native of the Flathead Valley but moved away to go to college before returning to the area. Young, who is an orthodontist, is Korean-American. Young says he told Hollinger about “the disparaging portrayal of Muslims” they heard at their previous church. In a June 7 email he wrote, “The evangelical movement in America is confusing prejudice with the gospel.”

Another couple that has been attending Mountain View is Dave and Susie Bailon. Dave is a former Baptist pastor and restorative justice leader who is Mexican-American.. Hollinger just finished a short sabbatical at the end of May and Bailon filled in as preacher while he was away. He said in a June 9 email: “The community at Mountain View was gracious and embracing of my very different perspective and style of preaching.”

While many in the church do not have a Mennonite background, Hollinger said, they now see themselves as part of the Mennonite network.

Mountain View is a member of Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference, but it’s pretty isolated. Hollinger said he wishes more people in the church had more contact with other Mennonites. Many value belonging to a Mennonite group, but the closest Spring Valley Mennonite church near Spokane, Washington, about 200 miles away. It makes it a challenge to get very involved in the conference and denomination.

Hollinger’s own journey with cultural competency began early. He grew up in a mission church and went to Sunday school with a racially diverse group of people. He spent three years in Honduras and was a social work major at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Later, he worked for Eastern Mennonite Missions, where he developed the YES (Youth Evangelism Service) program and visited many countries. He said he has learned much through books he’s read, and he named several that have been helpful: Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry by Steve Heinrichs (Herald Press) Trouble I’ve Seen by Drew Hart (Herald Press) and Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates.