Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:
Paul, the apostle, wrote a number of letters to early Christian communities. Sometimes he expressed gratitude for what he heard about them – celebrating that they were shining the light of Christ’s love. Sometimes he chastised them for things he was hearing – castigating them for hiding their light under a bushel. Or worse. And often, he was instructing them in how to be a Christian community.
He begins his letter to the church in Colossae: In our prayers for you we always thank God … for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints… He writes to the Corinthians: Now it is not necessary for me to write you about the ministry to the saints, for I know your eagerness … In both cases, Paul is celebrating that the congregations are supporting one other, sometimes in prayer, sometimes financially. Paul is teaching that all of us are ONE church, and that we should all help each other out when necessary.
I thought of these passages as I learned about the damage to two of our congregations in St. Louis: Centennial Christian Church and Union Avenue Christian Church. Both are service-oriented congregations making a great difference in their neighborhood. Both were struck by tornados last week. Both buildings were severally damaged, and one of the faithful members of Centennial CC was killed in the destruction, having spent her morning at the church making meals to serve to the community. Disciples everywhere are grieving for and with these congregations and those whom they serve.
If you made a donation to the special Week of Compassion offering in February, your gift is already being used to help the congregations and families affected. If you would like to make an additional donation specifically to help the congregations in St. Louis, you can put a check in your church offering this week and write “St. Louis congregations” on the memo line, or make a direct gift via the Week of Compassion website.
I invite all of us to pray for those affected, to pray for our siblings affects by ICE raids in Nashville, and to pray for each of our Disciples congregations here in Arizona. Together, may we shine the light of Christ’s love.
Dios les bendiga!
Rev. Dr. Jay R. Hartley
Regional Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona
