Friends,
Today I wanted to take a moment to celebrate something with you.
Substack just notified me that Message from the Margins is now ranked #48 among Rising Faith & Spirituality newsletters on the platform.
Out of thousands of publications, this little newsletter has just cracked the Top 50 in the Rising category.
And the timing could not be more fitting, because this week we also crossed another milestone.
The 200th issue of Message from the Margins has just been published.
Two hundred reflections on faith, justice, prayer, mercy, and the radical teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
Two hundred attempts to remind the world that Christianity does not belong to fear, cruelty, or political power.
It belongs to love.
Nine Months Ago This Was Just a Dream
About nine months ago I began this project with a simple hope.
I wanted to create a place where people could wrestle honestly with faith in chaotic times.
A place where the Gospel could still be spoken clearly as our culture drifts further and further into the distortions of christian nationalism, a movement that borrows the language of faith but bears little resemblance to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
A place where compassion, mercy, and justice could still be named as the beating heart of the Christian faith.
I had no idea if anyone would read it.
But something beautiful happened.
People did.
Readers began sharing the essays. Conversations began forming in the comments. People wrote to say that these reflections helped them hold on to faith when the noise of the world felt overwhelming.
Slowly, quietly, a community began to form.
And today, thousands of people are reading Message from the Margins.
This Is Not Just a Newsletter
At this point, I have come to see something clearly.
This is not just a newsletter.
It is a ministry and a movement.
Every week we are doing something that feels increasingly important in this moment of history.
We are reminding people that the Gospel still speaks.
We are reclaiming the Gospel of compassion, mercy, and justice from those who have twisted it into something unrecognizable.
And we are helping people rediscover a faith that is rooted in the teachings of Jesus rather than the noise of modern politics.
That work is deeply important.
But like any ministry, it requires support.
An Invitation
If you read Message from the Margins regularly…
If these reflections have helped you think, pray, or see the world differently…
If you believe the Gospel of compassion and mercy still deserves a voice in the public square…
Then I would like to invite you to take the next step and become a paid supporter of this work.
Paid subscribers make this ministry possible.
They allow me to continue writing, teaching, and building a community where faith can be explored honestly and deeply.
And they also receive additional reflections, spiritual formation pieces, and deeper explorations of the themes we wrestle with here. As well as unlimited access to Father Rich’s eBook library, written just for you.
If you have been considering supporting the work, this milestone moment feels like a beautiful time to step in and help build what comes next.
If you have benefitted from it, this is a chance to share that benefit with others by helping the work continue.
You can become a supporting subscriber here:
Of course, I understand that not everyone is able to contribute financially, that is why there will always be a robust free issue published Sunday through Friday, but if you’d like to help, commenting, restacking, and liking posts makes a tremendous difference. Your participation signals to the algorithm that this work is important and worth spreading.
Together, we can continue the work of bringing the voice of compassion, justice, and Christ’s love back into the public square.
And perhaps, with God’s grace…
we will still be here celebrating the 400th issue someday.
With gratitude,
