The Pastor's Corner for September 2013

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as he always did, and stood up to read. The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free” (Luke 4:16-18).

The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. The General Board has headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City.

The GBCS's primary mission is to seek the implementation of the United Methodist Social Principals and other policy statements adopted by the General Conference. The board carries this out through a program of education, witness and action.

...The message of salvation brought by Jesus Christ binds us together as a people and sends us forth to bring healing in the midst of strife, justice in the midst of brokenness, and love in the midst of hate. As United Methodists, we are called to invite people to enter into a community of faith responsive to a vision of justice ministries that is biblically and theologically grounded, and to invite United Methodist congregations to play a prophetic role in bringing God’s vision to reality. Our mission is to advocate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the church and society.

Through the General Board of Church and Society I was made aware of a documentary titled Redemption of the Prosecutor. This documentary reveals what a prosecutor learned from his experience as a teacher in a Nashville Prison.  I found the documentary to be a very “eye-opening” experience for me, as was the information I received about the criminal justice system.

I will be showing the documentary Redemption of the Prosecutor following our worship service on September 8. It is a short documentary, only 22 minutes. We will take some time for discussion following the documentary and end the session by noon.  I invite you to join me for this time of learning more about mass incarceration and restorative justice.

You can read more about restorative justice and other social concerns of the UMC at www.umc-gbcs.org

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us, because he has anointed us to bring good news to the poor. He has sent us to proclaim release to the captive and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.    

And All God's Children Said,

“Amen.”