Good morning, people,
I hope not too many of you were out of power or taking apart fallen trees and branches this week. I was conducting an Adult Faith Class on Zoom Wednesday at noon when the trees started shaking and baking all around the house. I was wondering whether our session would be cut off. The Internet connection held, but Peter and I will have some work to do this weekend. A major branch broke off the willow tree in the backyard. Of course, we have all witnessed storms in recent days. With thunderous exclamation, it sank in that almost 60 years after the height of the Civil Rights Movement we still haven’t made nearly enough progress claiming the truth that indeed all people are created equal. Almost more disturbing than the police officer using unnecessary force and killing an unarmed black man (another one!) was the realization that three others stood by watching, not intervening. It caused lightning all across the country, violence and destruction; but it also caused many communities to come together peacefully and across racial lines in protest, holding up America’s better values, honoring a life lost and the fundamental idea of humanity. One of our neighbors in North Wales approached me this week. A group or residents has organized an event to honor the life of George Floyd, making our voices heard and standing up for the values we believe in. The event will be on Sunday at Weingartner Park, starting at noon. There will be several speakers and I will be one of them. Social distancing rules and the wearing of masks should be observed and people will be reminded of that.
Such events are happening across various communities this weekend, including Lansdale, Ambler. You are welcome to join us. Peaceful protest and freedom of speech are part of our birthright as members of a democracy. We are grateful for that. Let us use it wisely. People in power need to see that this is not a “black” issue but a human issue that concerns us all.
I want to introduce you to one of our confirmation graduates for this year. Jaiden M. (in the attached picture at our January retreat) started coming to church with her grandmother Barbara H. about three years ago. Barbara likes the earlier 8:30 a.m. service and for quite some time Jaiden was the only person in her age group at that service. She witnessed church with the curiosity of someone who had never experienced anything like it. But something drew her in. Maybe it was the friendly people or the sense of calm that a ritual can give you when your life is in turmoil, or her grandmother’s persistence, or a combination of all three. Jaiden stuck around and later joined youth activities and confirmation class. You will notice in Jaiden’s speech that she is talking about adversity she has faced and the fact that it was helpful for her to be backed up and accepted by her peers. Jaiden was baptized at the Easter Vigil in 2019, just last year. She lost her biological dad a few months later. She had been estranged from him for most of her young life. After resuming a relationship, he died suddenly. So, she has had her share of problems. But we are all very proud of her and we miss her. We hope that we can have a small “official” confirmation ceremony in September. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy her speech. (See link below.)
I am looking forward to this Saturday’s recording. It will include musical contributions by our wonderful group of singers, but also a special contribution by Barbara Walker, a legend in the Philadelphia Jazz World. Her voice is magnificent and contagious, as I witnessed at one of our Jazz Vespers. In fact, it was the Tribute Vespers for Pastor Ed Neiderhiser when she sang in honor and in memory of her friend Ed. She brought down the house. I hope the recording will give justice to her magnificent voice. What’s more, we will have a contribution from the Bethlehem Baptist Choir. We have also invited some of our Stephen Ministers and Pastor Monica Chavous from Bethlehem Baptist to take part in the service recording.
Today I would like to ask you for your prayers on behalf of Amy S. again. As many of you know, Amy was diagnosed with one of the worst brain cancers last year – glioblastoma, which took the lives of people like Ted Kennedy and John Mc Cain. A year after surgery and treatments, Amy will go back to the University of Pennsylvania for a round of ten radiation treatments delivered over two weeks. They discovered a small growth again, which is not unusual at all and almost to be expected in this scenario. Amy has struggled with word recollection, which is very annoying to her. She is a retired Methodist pastor who used words all the time. Please keep her and her husband Tim in your prayers as they walk their own wilderness path of dealing with an aggressive and lethal illness. Blessings and love to you, Amy!
The SEPA Synod Anti-racism Team invites you to online conversations about race based on the book – “America’s Original Sin” by Jim Wallis. These interactive discussions will take place on Tuesday evenings, from 7pm-8:15pm on June 9th, June 16th, June 23th, June 30th, July 7th and July 14th. They will be led by members of the SEPA Synod Anti- racism Team. You may participate in one or all of the conversations. The Team encourages you to read the book. An excerpt of “America’s Original Sin” can be found here: https://americasoriginalsin.com/read-an-excerpt-of-americas-original-sin/ I will share the link to participate in this discussion.
Mrs. B’s Children’s Hour will take place every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m., starting next week on June 10. We encourage our families with young children to take advantage of this interactive program and to tell your neighbors with children about it.
Also, please don’t forget the Red Cross Blood Drive on June 8.
TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE GO TO WWW.REDCROSS.ORG, ENTER SPONSOR CODE St. Peters North Wales or CLICK ON
As always, be blessed and be safe!
Pastor Andreas Wagner