Dear Caldwell,
As my title above indicates, I have both prayer and remembrance on my mind this morning.
Sunday is All Saints Day, when we remember and give thanks for all those who came before us in the church. At Caldwell, we blend that with the Latino tradition of Day of the Dead. Remember that on Sunday you are invited to bring an item of remembrance for a deceased loved one for our ofrenda. In the service, we will dip our toes into a couple of Latino aspects of our worship, though the service will not be fully bilingual as in the past. I am looking forward to hearing Intern Will Davis preach. Sunday school at 9:45 (The Phoenix Affirmations) and Caldwell House breakfast at 8:30 a.m.
Also, bring your Discipleship pledges of time, talent and treasure if you have not already returned those to the church. And, if it’s time to make Caldwell your church home by becoming a member, the session will meet to receive anyone interested immediately after worship. All of that is the “remembrance” part.
As for the prayer part, I have our nation on my mind as Tuesday’s election draws near. I saw a video of a 4-year old girl crying because she was tired of the election acrimony. I know how she feels. Yet we are still faced with aspects of this election that rightly stir our righteous anger, including accounts of voter intimidation. These remind us to redouble our efforts to work for justice that levels our nation for all of its residents and better reflects the kingdom of heaven that our Lord calls us to build.
So, I offer two prayers that we might repeat throughout the weekend. The first comes from a similar time of national division and tumult, the 1960s, when two branches of our denomination authored a prayer “At the Time of an Election.” It reads:
“Under your law we live, great God, and by your will we govern ourselves. Help us as good citizens to respect neighbors whose views differ from ours, so that without partisan anger, we may work out issues that divide us, and elect candidates to serve the common welfare; through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.”
A second prayer that may or may not fit where you are in all of this (or in other aspects of your life) is called “Prayer of the Rope’s End:”
Living Christ, I know you are with me. This situation is more than I can handle. I am in over my head. I give you this whole problem now. Take it over, the whole thing, all the way. Fill me, fill this place, fill all of us who are here with your transforming presence. I thank you at this moment you are enfolding us. In your name, by your word, and through your power. Amen.
If you are looking for a good bite to eat and are still in a “centennial” mood, a sister church, Central United Methodist, 6030 Albermarle Road, is having a 100th Anniversary Fish Fry today from 4-7 p.m., recommended by Jean and Nancy Nance.
Finally, to help those affected by Sandy, if you want to work through Presbyterian channels, read the notice below my signature.
See you Sunday,
In Christ,
FROM THE PRESBYTERY’S DISASTER RESPONSE TEAM ~
As reports continue to come in on the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, churches of the Presbytery of Charlotte are asking how they can help. The Presbytery of Charlotte’s Disaster Response Team is starting a collection drive to collect and deliver badly needed items to areas hit by this hurricane.
CLICK HERE to see the list of items we are collecting. The first step is to choose which of the Bucket Brigade categories you want to work on. The second step is to collect the items shown on the list for the category you chose. The third step is to securely box the items and attach a copy of the supply list to the box showing what items you collected and the quantity. The last step is to get the box to a collection point. The Disaster Response Team will take it from there and get the donations delivered to distribution centers.
We plan to operate this donation drive for as long as needed. As soon as we collect a trailer load of supplies, they will be shipped out immediately.
The Disaster Response Team has set a goal of collecting at least 1000 operation Feed-a-Family kits, 1000 operation clean-up kits, and 1000 operation personal care kits. If every church would collect a total of just 30 kits, we would more than reach our goal.
In the next weeks, we will be setting up drop off locations for donations. If your church would be willing to serve as a drop off site, please contact us. We also hope to have collection trailers set up soon. Any church willing to let us park a trailer at your site should contact us.
For questions, comments, or concerns, please email presby.disaster.response@gmail.com or call 704-892-1580.
Thanks you for your willingness to help others in need.
____________________________________________________________________________________
FROM ISOH/IMPACT ~
As Hurricane Sandy continues to pound the eastern seaboard of the United States, hundreds of thousands of people from the Atlantic coast all the way to the upper Midwest are facing crippling winds, torrential rains, massive flooding, heavy snow and widespread power outages expected to last for the next several days. ISOH/IMPACT, the Presbytery of Charlotte Disaster Response Team and Mt. Hermon Lutheran Church have an experienced team of volunteers standing by and ready to respond, but more supplies are needed to help all those who will be affected. You can help by making a cash donation to ISOH/IMPACT’s disaster relief fund and supporting the “Bucket Brigade” with much-needed relief supplies. See the press release for complete details.