Cold Spring/South Highland United Methodist Church

Greetings Beloved Cold Spring/South Highland UMC Community,

I am taking a brief moment from my Renewal Leave to share this open letter from Bishop Bickerton. I was in the middle of writing my own letter to you all when this email arrived in my conference inbox.

Whether you are a protester, provider, community organizer, or pray-er, we are each members of the body of Christ, and we each have a role to play in helping bring about God's Justice here and now.

Blessings on the Journey,
Pastor Dan

https://ny-email.brtapp.com/viewinsite/6d588295bd3e007782df46e76c4ea090?

A MESSAGE FROM BISHOP BICKERTON: PRAYERS FOR PEACE, JUSTICE AND HEALING

Psalm 55:1-5
And horror overwhelms me. Fear and trembling come upon me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me. I am distraught by the noise of the enemy. . . . I am troubled in my complaint. Attend to me, and answer me; Do not hide yourself from my supplication. Give ear to my prayer, O God;


May the petition of the psalmist be our very own today:

I call upon all United Methodists in the New Hope Episcopal Area, as well as the New England and New York Annual Conferences, to be in constant prayer for peace, justice, and healing throughout Providence and the Brown University community.

We are deeply concerned for everyone affected by gun violence and the well-being of all God’s people. But today, our prayers center on this grieving community. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victim’s families, and pray all fears subside quickly as the investigation continues.

The news of the tragic shooting of college students taking final exams at Brown University, and the community’s ongoing uncertainty over the whereabouts of the shooter, evokes the same feelings expressed by the psalmist. Feelings of distress, anguish, and fear consume us all but most especially the people of Providence, Rhode Island and Brown University.

Psalm 143:11
Lord, preserve our life, bring us out of trouble for your name’s sake.

May it be so.

Thomas J. Bickerton
Resident Bishop, New Hope Episcopal Area

This morning, I have been in conversation with our Lay Leader and with the other clergy in our Cooperative Parish. Though Route 9 seems well cleared and I have heard the plows on Broad Street in Fishkill (where I live) regularly this morning, the roads are still slick and and side streets have not necessarily been cleared.

Out of an abundance of caution for everyone's safety, we have decided to cancel not only the morning worship service today, but the Cooperative Parish Service of Lessons and Carols. Please stay home, stay safe, and stay warm.

Blessings on the Journey,
Pastor Dan Levine

United Methodist Church bishops issue pastoral letter on US government shutdown. https://www.unitedmethodistbishops.org/newsdetail/cob-pastoral-letter-on-us-government-shutdown-19409408