Dear Broadway Community,
Anyone who knows me knew how uptight and worked up I was about last Sunday, so I am extremely grateful to everyone who was participating in worship. You all made the day amazing by your presence and contribution! It was indeed a full morning of celebrations for us! We had the mayor and our alderperson visit us! We had two people join the church. We had more than average attendance in worship! We had several volunteers who participated in leading worship! My heart was full!
Actually it has been feeling like that for the last two weeks- On Human Relations Sunday we welcomed our two guests- Mr. Mounir Alliti and Mr. Rishab Chatty and celebrated with them the fact that we are all siblings and need to stand with one another!
This week we begin another celebration of solidarity with Black History Month! Beloveds- we hope that many of us work hard at celebrating every human identity all the time, but realistically that generalization has not always helped. Bishop Forrest Stith, a United Methodist Bishop in an article, “Why we need a Black History Month- A Perspective” says we need it to:
I invite you to read the full article here. It has been a helpful informational read for me. I hope it does the same for you.
In the middle of the month we will enter the Lenten season and I will share more about it next week.
Beloveds, may we remember that we all come from different experiences in life and have the opportunity to learn from their cultures and practices. May we strive to be helpful and compassionate towards people around us, remembering that everyone is dealing with their own challenges. May we continue to be joyful in the midst of challenges, because challenges come with moments where life’s greatest possibilities can emerge.
So, with renewed commitment- let us continue to walk boldly towards justice, support communities through mutual aid, and do all we can to leave a better and peaceful world for our children and all future generations.
Be well beloveds, and I hope to see you in church soon,