I am neither an affiliate of Ambassadors for Christ (AFC) nor associated with the Valley Courier, but wish to voice my appreciation to the latter for the publication of the AFC weekly ads. Your news and advertisements continue to provide our tri-town region with a platform for expressing personal viewpoints. Negative opinions abound; too frequently they’ve become fodder for social media. Thankfully, this publication continues to provide news and advertisements with divergent viewpoints and a comfortable forum for our tri-town community.

Inarguably, these are times of extreme stress for the majority. Few find peace in the midst of this invisible enemy. It’s commendable how many have come together to aide those in need. Perhaps even your own neighbors, and mine, are aiding against this dreadful war. We recently lost a friend to COVID-19. We are not mourning his death but celebrating a life well-lived. He chose not to be governed by fear, but to be rooted in peace and in the belief and expectancy of an eternal future.

During these times of trials, we would do well to renew our mind, considering that not all view the AFC weekly messages as fear-provoking doomsday tactics, rhetoric, or mere paid advertisements. What is foolishness to some is powerful to others, especially to those with fundamental Biblical understanding. In reconsidering mortality rates, and recognizing acts of heroism, we ought also to become mindfully sensitive of those who find hope and personal comfort in these weekly Scriptural verses.

In our right to freedom of choice and religion, now more than ever, I urge we unite, with compassion, in stretching tolerance over sarcasm. Understandably, there are still those who are meaningfully reading the AFC weekly verses, with hopeful assurance in these unprecedented times. I am one of them!

Cami Kochanowski

Chester