(Trigger warning - the first paragraph is about church and homosexuality. Feel free to skip this paragraph, if this might be difficult for you)
Many of you may be aware that a new denomination - Global Methodist Church (GMC) was launched on May 1st by those within the United Methodist Church who believe that homosexuality is against the Christian faith. While this decision does not affect our church directly, it does impact our denomination. We know of at least one Bishop who turned his orders in and left the United Methodist Church to join the GMC. We are not aware of how many clergy, or even churches might be doing the same. If you desire to have a conversation about how it might impact us, please let me know and we will plan a gathering.
Now - on to our regular conversations! Along with the sermon series on health, to observe Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pip is also planning a movie night for Sunday May 29th at 6:00pm. More information will be made available soon.
In addition to that, we also plan to give you a ‘taste of Asia’ on Sunday, May 22nd after church. We will eat Asian, primarily Indian, food, learn a little about the continent and have some fun activities. We hope you will join us but to help us prepare adequately we ask that you register here. We look forward to a time of fun, food and fellowship as we continue our celebration.
Beloveds, even though the Asian have been on this land since 1587, 33 years before the Plymouth pilgrims, we all know that the Anti Asian and Asian American sentiment is on a rise. Let us join in the effort to stop these hate crimes by:
Taking Action - Approach the targeted person, introduce yourself, and offer support.
Actively Listen - Ask before taking any actions and respect the person’s wishes.
Ignoring the Attacker - Attempt to calm the situation by using your voice, body language, or distractions, without giving the attacker much attention.
Accompanying- Invite the targeted person to leave with you.
Supporting Emotionally - Help the person by asking how they’re feeling, and assisting them in figuring out what they want to do next.
A call for systemic change is also necessary. So,
Have authentic conversations about racism with your friends, family, and colleagues about denouncing anti-AAPI racism and to encourage everyone to work towards racial justice,
Publicly speak and condemn any AAPI hate, and
Ask your elected officials for their support for those experiencing hate crimes, and for prevention-based programs such as anti-racism education in schools and communities.
Beloveds, let us continue to seek justice and love kindness, always strive to do our best, be our best and do all we can to make life easier for all God’s people - whether LGBTQIA+ or Asian, African American or Hispanic/LatinX, elderly or homeless, for all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. And remember God loves you and so do I, and I look forward to seeing you in worship.
