Janet Richards and Michael Albrecht

Janet Richards (JR) introduces herself.

Michael Albrecht (MA) introduces himself.

After reading JR's bio, MA asks about her ordination. JR acknowledges she moved to a different church after conversations about George Floyd and through the 2016 election. She found it difficult to be in a church where they would walk with her through medical issues in her family's life, but not through the racial difficulties.

MA asks JR to describe her political values.

JR acknowledges she's not a part of any political party and has voted for both political parties in self-interest. Acknowledges they've both run for office. Hard to run as an independent. Convinced her more to not be part of a party. She didn't like the way national party politics play a part in city politics. Being forced to make a big statement on big issues like guns and abortion would stop her from working with someone locally who she didn't agree with on national issues but did agree with on a local level.

MA says he's so happy to have met JR. He's involved in the Republican party to find community, his run for non-partisan position tried to avoid the hot button issues, and he found it important to focus on the pot hole issues rather than the national issues too.

JR asks if MA feels troubled by people on his side of the aisle.

MA says on the policy level, conservatives trying to defund the IRS - if you believe in policing the law, you have to police federal taxes. How they communicate those beliefs is part of the issue - so much division in our country, he's concerned by attributing malice before explanation. Thinks you have to understand the other side.

JR asks the same.

JR has trouble with how things are communicated by Democrats as it's not focused on the practical side of how a policy will play out.

MA asks if she ever feels misunderstood by people with different beliefs.

JR said 2015 until she changed churches it was very hard to go to church and sit next to someone who was so focused on gun rights and abortion and they would dismiss the personal attacks their candidate was making against people like JR. She remembers expressing that to people and having the reaction of her concerns being minimized and prioritizing issues that impacted them. She was dismissed as overly emotional but she tried to explain these issues impacts human lives - it's not sentimental.

JR asks if MA ever feels misunderstood.

MA commented that he agrees with JR that intersection of politics and religion can be dangerous. He finds it sad that it pushes people away. God wasn't about division. He feels sad for what happened to JR.

MA acknowledges that being a gay Christian people don't understand how he squares the two. He explains he went through a dark period in 2020, and then he met his boyfriend who helped him reunite and feel more connected to God, and how he can't see that relationship as unholy because of the joy his relationship brings him. He has not experienced many negative experiences with religious Republicans.

JR thanks MA for sharing. It's important for her to hear stories like that. Lots of churches are considering who belongs.

JR asks what MA will take from this experience.

MA says the joy from this conversation, it gives him hope for the future. He knows the country is damaged, but believes it is reversible, and it takes conversations like this. MA thanks JR for speaking with him today. There's a national need for people to speak with others.

MA asks what JR's hopes for the future with her family.

JR thinks about how do we create places where people can thrive. Hopes we're going to figure this out. On dark days, worries we won't figure it out. On her hopeful days, she hears voices like Michael's, and has difficult conversations that help us. Hopes for the future we can continue having conversations.