 |
| August 24 Insert |
| Tweet It Tweets containing #PCCCprayers will be added to our prayer list  |
Important Dates
Sep 7 - Book Club - 11:00am Sep 21 - Potluck Sep 15 - Board meeting - 6:30pm Sep 21 - CROP Walk - 1:30 pm |
| Recent Joys & Concerns ~ Residents of Ferguson, MI ~ Refugee Children ~ Students and Teachers as the school year approaches |
 |
Revised Common Lectionary Texts
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/
Today's Worship Team
https://pccc.pbworks.com/w/page/15089712/Worship%20Volunteers%20Schedule
On the lighter side
http://www.reverendfun.com/index.php?date=19980722
News from the Green Team
PCCC will be applying for a grant from Hennepin County which will allow us to increase recycling and begin composting.
ReSale 101 Store for Back-to-School
IOCP's ReSale 101 store is in need of gently used or new clothing and shoes for children and teens to help them gear up for school. If you have clean wardrobe items in good condition that you no longer need or use, consider bringing them to us, and we will be put them to good use. Donations are accepted at the store, located at 1605 County Road 101 N in Plymouth, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Friday & Saturday, and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday.
Paper Grocery Bags Needed
Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners needs paper grocery bags for the food shelf and Back-to-School program. If you have extras on hand, please consider donating them to IOCP at 1605 Cty. Rd. 101 N. Thank you!
CROP WalkSun, September 21, 1:30pm
– Registration
2:00pm - 5K Walk
Elm Creek Park, Maple Grove, MN
Go to http://goo.gl/l5N4AL to register or make a donation
Disciple Women across our denomination have been focusing on the ministry issue of human trafficking for years and soon there will be a greater church presence in Thailand. In 2015 Thailand boarders will open to surrounding countries and it is expected that many people will flow into Thailand as it is the strongest country in the area. To address this issue and many more issues during this urgent time in our mission presence in Thailand, Global Ministries has reached out to our own Rev. Ann Gregory, pastor at Elkhart CC, to return to her childhood home of Thailand, where she was raised as a child of missionaries. She will be using her skills as a fluent Thai and English speaker. God seems to have reached out to her and her unique experiences and skills to serve in this critical role in our church in Thailand. The Regions Operations Council approved a 3 year grant pledge of $25,000 a year to this new ministry in Thailand. Please consider exploring if your church is willing to help match with $25, $50 or $100 a month for 3 years. Blessings in your exploration in this ministry! Be Church!
—Bill Spangler-Dunning, Regional Minister & President
Disciples News Service
Ferguson, Missouri, Statement: “Out of a Mountain of Despair – Hope”
Last Updated Aug 2014
For the better part of a week, the streets of Ferguson,
Missouri have echoed with hopelessness, despair, grief and anger in
reaction to the shooting death of Michael Brown, an 18-year old black
man by white police officers. A fairly unknown suburb of St. Louis,
Ferguson will now take its place in the ever lengthening list of cities
where black men have died at the hands of police. In the past month
alone, the national spotlight has focused on: Eric Garner, who died by
asphyxiation while in an illegal choke hold by a New York City police
officer; Ezell Ford, a 25-year old who was shot in the back by a Los
Angeles police officer while lying on the sidewalk during a traffic
stop; and John Crawford of Beaver Creek, Ohio, who was shot in the chest
by police in the toy aisle of a Walmart store, while holding a BB gun
sold by the store.In the wake of these horribly repetitive tragedies, we are ever mindful of the deep loss to Michael Brown’s family and the pain this incident brings to their community. We are called to pray for the Brown family, for Ferguson, for St. Louis and for our nation as we continue to search for understanding and reconciliation. We also pray for ourselves, as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), to strengthen our resolve to be a pro-reconciling, anti-racist Church, to have the courage to face the demons of our past with sincerity, and to genuinely reflect on the reality of persistent racial inequality.
The shooting death of yet another young African American man reveals the scar that systemic and institutional racism has covered loosely by legal progress, but never healed. The demonstrations as well as the unfortunate violence and looting that have occurred in the aftermath of Brown’s death are less reflective of the victim’s possible culpability than the reality that has been visited upon the black community as a whole for far too long. The heritage of centuries of racial disparity is fraught with complexities that can lead to hopelessness and despair that manifests in cross-cultural conflict. This is all the more reason for us to remain vigilant in our efforts to understand and seek understanding of the lived reality of our brothers and sisters across racial and cultural backgrounds. Fortified with an openness to affirm the human dignity of the whole family of God, we can effect sustainable change toward racial justice.
So, what are we doing right now? One of our pastors in the St. Louis area speaks about the privilege she has experienced in this difficult week hearing the stories of community members who have very disparate experiences and perspectives. Such sharing has led to much needed dialogue that heretofore has been difficult. Members of the community have stopped by the church to share their testimonies and concerns as well as their contributions to serve the ongoing needs of the food pantry and school supplies. This tragic event has allowed her parish to be a bridge in the community between people of different perspectives and shared desire for reconciliation.
And what can you do? Our pastors and members of the Ferguson community solicit your prayers for both peace and change. They need the courage to listen to each other and the strength to confront the stark inequalities in their community peacefully, with an eye toward justice. As Christ’s disciples, we stand on the foundation of our faith – hope. Without hope, despair invades our hearts. Our witness to the broad and expansive love of Christ in our willingness and witness to each other can help overcome the hopelessness in our communities, especially communities of color. It is our sustained faith and action through our hope in Christ that has brought us thus far on our way and that will lead us on. May we go forward in prayer, in faithful action and in hope.
Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President
Timothy M. James, Associate General Minister and Administrative Secretary, National Convocation
April G. Johnson, Minister of Reconciliation
No comments:
Post a Comment