Moment for Mission
"We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now." —Romans 8:22, NRSV
This year marks 50 years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gave his life in pursuit of racial equality and the eradication of poverty. Dr. King was killed after showing up in support of a sanitation workers strike in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. Dr. King used nonviolence as a way to make his voice heard in the midst of a culture that was violent toward him. He understood that peace and quiet and true peace were not one and the same, rather he believed "true peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice."
Next Sunday The United Methodist Church will observe Peace with Justice Sunday, one of our six church-wide Special Sundays. Next Sunday we will be united in our attention and commitment to striving toward the kind of peace Dr. King pursued with his words and life. On Peace with Justice Sunday The United Methodist Church will take up an offering to fund programs and projects that echo the very heart and spirit of those who fought peacefully for racial equality during the Civil Rights movement.
Our Peace with Justice Sunday gifts support the kingdom work of reconciliation that the world is crying out for in the midst of its brokenness. Peace with Justice Sunday gifts allow us to respond to the world with the love of Christ.
Offertory Prayer
God of Creation, Pour out Your Spirit upon us that we might be empowered to do the work of your kingdom, setting captives free from the evils of violence and oppression. Pour out your love on us that we may generously give that we all may live in the abundance of your creation. Amen.
From Discipleship Ministries: Day of Pentecost – Living God, you are the Lord of all! Only you can send your Spirit to bring us new life. You graciously speak your word of hope in times of struggle and uncertainty, and in times of joy and peace. We are grateful that you are continually at work in our lives and the world to fulfill your promises. May our giving today show our trust in you. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Ezekiel 37:1-14)
Newsletter Nugget
Peace with Justice Sunday will be on May 27, 2018. This is one of the six Special Sundays in The United Methodist Church. On this Sunday the church will collectively take up an offering for Peace with Justice programs and projects. These are projects that are done both globally and locally with 50 percent of funds collected staying within annual conferences for Peace with Justice work. This work includes moving communities toward reconciliation in the presence of violence, developing leaders to advocate on behalf of others facing oppression and violence and helping communities achieve sustainability.
The work of Peace with Justice is our call as the church to respond to the injustices of our broken world. It is our call to stand for the dignity of all people. It is our call to recognize the image of God in all and to work to reveal that image through the dismantling of oppression, racism and poverty that keeps people from fully experiencing the fullness of life God has intended for creation.