Locally, real leadership visible amid pandemic

This nation faces a deadly leadership crisis.

But not here.

One of the greatest blessings of life in Springfield and Greene County, MO is trustworthy, compassionate, capable leadership. This leadership is helping us prevail against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As a member of the Have Faith Initiative, a group of local clergy from several denominations and religious traditions, I regularly see committed leaders work together to meet the challenges occasioned by the virus. 

And I am inspired and reassured.

Soon after the virus struck, the Community Foundation, the Community Partnership and the United Way, all blessings in and of themselves, organized the initiative to help coordinate the faith community’s response. 

During our weekly virtual meeting, we spiritual leaders hear from professionals in city and county government and public health. They brief us on the number of local and state-wide infections and deaths and the measures they are taking to mitigate the spread of the disease in the area.

The good news for us here—unlike many other Midwest communities our size—is that infections and deaths are decreasing. The chief reasons are: We are complying with the city and county stay-at-home orders. We are practicing physical distancing. We are washing our hands and wearing our masks. In these and other ways, we are loving our neighbors as ourselves, as our religious traditions teach.

As initiative members, we also assess community needs and seek to meet them. We are organizing and enlisting our congregations in food drives. We are providing temporary housing for our most at-risk homeless citizens. We are attending to the mental and spiritual welfare of nurses and pastors. And we are ministering to the faith community.

Amid this pandemic, I have been impressed by our clergy and by civil servants, including City of Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, Commissioner Harold Bengsch of the Greene County Commission and Clay Goddard, Director of the Greene County Health Department. 

I know that our leaders make public health decisions based on scientific and medical data and best practices for fighting the virus and that they strive daily to ensure our safety and health.

City and county governments, early in the pandemic, created a plan to counter the spread of COVID-19 here. They issued stay-at-home orders, closed all but essential businesses and prohibited large gatherings, including in-person religious services. And now, several weeks later, they are amending these orders as part of a careful, gradual reopening of businesses, houses of worship and other venues.

At our initiative meeting on May 7, Mayor McClure said, “I am very pleased by what is happening. We want to be able to continue the step-down activities based on the data.” 

When the time comes for Springfield and Greene County to reopen fully, we can be confident that our reopening will be at the right time—when it is safe to do so—because our community is well led. 

What a blessing.

If only we would see such trustworthy, capable leadership from state and federal governments before still more people become infected by the virus and even more people die.