Alka's Angle

This Sunday, October 17th, is observed as Laity Sunday in the United Methodist Church. Laity Sunday celebrates the ministry of all Christians to love God and neighbor. On this day we lift up the vocation of all to follow the way of love as exemplified by Jesus, and celebrate the gifts of leadership.

Earlier this week several of us from church attended a training offered by Officers Heath and Specht from the Chicago Police Department Place of Worship Safety Advisory Team (POWSAT). The program consisted of Greeter protocols as well as Active Threat information and situational awareness. Those who attended agreed that the information we received was very helpful.

Thank you, beloved family, for giving me the freedom to get away and catch some much needed retreat time. I look forward to the time and will share information on a few important events that are happening around the conference.

I heard in the news recently that a few thousand Afghan families, who are coming to the US as refugees, are likely to settle in Illinois. Another news confirmed the arrival of about 70 unaccompanied children who will be making Chicago their new home. These families and children, as we can suspect, are leaving Afghanistan with nothing except their own lives and in some cases their family members. We need to help them settle into this new environment, new place and new culture.

In the United States, September 15-October 15 is celebrated as “Hispanic Heritage Month” every year. Many have wondered why this observance begins in the middle of the month. It is so because September 15th marks the anniversary of the independence of 5 countries: Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, followed by Mexico’s Independence Day on September 16th and Chile’s on September 18th.