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Article Headline
Keeping you in touch with news and events at Broad Street United Methodist Church |
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Greetings! May the love of God be with you. Amen.
There are several readings this week, as noted below. In these readings are stories of how God knows us intimately, from our beginnings. It is truly a blessing to know and be known by a loving God.✝
Acts 17:22-28 22 Paul stood up in the middle of the council on Mars Hill and said, "People of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way. 23 As I was walking through town and carefully observing your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: 'To an unknown God.' What you worship as unknown, I now proclaim to you. 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn't live in temples made with human hands. 25 Nor is God served by human hands, as though he needed something, since he is the one who gives life, breath, and everything else. 26 From one person God created every human nation to live on the whole earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. 27God made the nations so they would seek him, perhaps even reach out to him and find him. In fact, God isn't far away from any of us.28 In God we live, move, and exist. As some of your own poets said, 'We are his offspring.' Psalm 139: 13-16 - 13 You are the one who created my innermost parts;
- you knit me together while I was still in my mother's womb.
- 14 I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart.
- Your works are wonderful- I know that very well.
- 15 My bones weren't hidden from you when I was being put together
- in a secret place, when I was being woven together in the deep parts of the earth.
- 16 Your eyes saw my embryo, and on your scroll every day was written what
was being formed for me,d before any one of them had yet happened.e
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Correction; Heb lacks .
Heb uncertain
Genesis 2: 4b-22
On the day the LORD God made earth and sky-5 before any wild plants appeared on the earth, and before any field crops grew, because the LORD God hadn't yet sent rain on the earth and there was still no human beinge to farm the fertile land, 6 though a stream rose from the earth and watered all of the fertile land- 7 the LORD God formed the humanf from the topsoil of the fertile landg and blew life's breath into his nostrils. The human came to life. 8 The LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east and put there the human he had formed. 9 In the fertile land, the LORD God grew every beautiful tree with edible fruit, and also he grew the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flows from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first river is the Pishon. It flows around the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 That land's gold is pure, and the land also has sweet-smelling resins and gemstones. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It flows around the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris, flowing east of Assyria; and the name of the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The LORD God took the human and settled him in the garden of Eden to farm it and to take care of it. 16 The LORD God commanded the human, " Eat your fill from all of the garden's trees; 17 but don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because on the day you eat from it, you will die! " 18 Then the LORD God said, " It's not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him. " 19 So the LORD God formed from the fertile land all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky and brought them to the human to see what he would name them. The human gave each living being its name. 20 The human named all the livestock, all the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals. But a helper perfect for him was nowhere to be found.
21 So the LORD God put the human into a deep and heavy sleep, and took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh over it. 22 With the rib taken from the human, the LORD God fashioned a woman and brought her to the human being.
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[The translation of the Bible used above is the new Common English Bible.
You can read more about it here.] |
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Matters of the Heart and City
Work matters in the heart of the city
"Maureen, a young Irish-American girl, began work at the age of 14 in a woolen mill in Lawrence, Mass. Beginning at 6 o'clock each morning, except Sundays, she worked at the machines until evening. For this 56-hour week, Maureen was paid $3.50, ten cents of which was deducted for polluted drinking water. While working Maureen saw many older workers seriously injured by the mill machinery, because they were forced to work so fast.
Maureen and her family, who left Ireland to escape famine, lived in one room in a boarding house. Lunch and supper each day consisted of black bread, molasses and beans. On Sundays they might have a piece of meat with the meal.
The Methodist Social Creed originated 100 years ago (early 1900's) to express Methodism's outrage over the lives of the millions of workers in factories, mines, mills, tenements and company towns. They, like Maureen, were paying the human price for the rapid industrialization and growing prosperity of the United States."
[George McClain]
The 1908 Methodist Social Creed was a succinct "what we stand for" platform to articulate 11 social reforms that key leaders of the social justice movement believed the church should champion. Our contemporary Social Creed carries forward the same values and concerns.
Then and now it speaks plainly and clearly to the social justice concerns of the followers of Jesus and the United Methodist Church. It speaks particularly to the concerns of workers. In the face of Issue 2 and Senate Bill 5, it reverberates across the years. It speaks to us in Ohio on this Labor Day weekend just as loudly as it spoke to Methodists more than 100 years ago.
1908 Methodist Social Creed* - The Methodist Episcopal Church stands:
- For equal rights and complete justice for all men in all stations of life.
- For the principles of conciliation and arbitration in industrial dissensions.
- For the protection of the worker from dangerous machinery, occupational diseases, injuries and mortality.
- For the abolition of child labor.
- For such regulation of the conditions of labor for women as shall safeguard the physical and moral health of the community.
- For the suppression of the "sweating system."
- For the gradual and reasonable reduction of the hours of labor to the lowest practical point, with work for all; and for that degree of leisure for all which is the condition of the highest human life.
- For a release for [from] employment one day in seven.
- For a living wage in every industry.
- For the highest wage that each industry can afford, and for the most equitable division of the products of industry that can ultimately be devised.
- For the recognition of the Golden Rule and the mind of Christ as the supreme law of society and the sure remedy for all social ills.
Work, rest, safety, living wage, and equality matter.
On this Labor Day weekend, join me in prayer, conversation, and action for a Faith-Full commitment to justice for those whose work life is characterized by inequality, poor working conditions, restrictions on the ability to negotiate collectively with employers, encroachment on Sabbath rest & family time, and/or insufficient wages to sustain household & family. Much has changed. Much remains unchanged. More is threatened.
Join me in prayer. Join me in action. It's time to defeat Issue 2 and repeal Senate Bill 5.
Work matters in the heart and in the city.
-- Pastor David
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September is Open House Month
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Open Shelter  As you know, this summer has been extremely hot and humid. Fans and air conditioners have been running full blast. And many of us have wondered why this is the weather we prayed for in January.
Our vulnerable neighbors who are forced to live in abandoned buildings or "on the land" don't have fans or air conditioners or enough water or refrigerators. For them to escape the heat, they must be invited inside into a place that respects and cares about their well-being and works to provide the kind of believable options and services which keep their hope alive.
The Open Shelter provides two such places which are consistently used by hundreds of homeless persons. Our Day Shelter & Advocacy Center at St. John's UCC church provides survival "camping" gear, clothes, food, mail service, and assistance with government benefits and housing search. Our evening meals program at Broad St. UMC provides fellowship, really good meals, hospitality, and the comfort of being safe and inside.
Almost 200 people are receiving this help each day when our doors open. Over 2,600 people come each year. And it is all possible as a result of the financial, material, and volunteer donations of the citizens of Central Ohio who believe in compassion and sharing.
The work we do is increasingly important as the number of persons living "in the streets" continues to grow and the length of time they are out there gets longer. Jobs are harder to find; affordable housing is harder to find; hope is harder to maintain.
We want to thank you for your help and support as we seek to fulfill our mission: to ensure that all of God's children feel included in the community, receiving hospitality and support, and knowing that they are not ignored or forgotten.
-- Kent & Mary Beittel, Open Shelter, Inc.
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Feed the Hungry There is something you can do without costing you anything except a click on your computer. If you go to the website: http://thehungersite.com/clicktogive the sponsors will give a cup of food to the starving. You can do that once each day and there will be someone thankful for what you did. -- Emily Schornstein Settling in the United States Recently I spent an evening celebrating the christening of a baby girl born in Columbus about a year ago. Her parents and three other Iraqi families were gathered in the backyard enjoying an evening together with some friends they have made since they arrived here. It was good to meet their friends and know that they were from the church these Iraqis found on the West side of Columbus. They are all part of an Arabic speaking Chaldean Catholic congregation that meets in a Roman Catholic sanctuary. While none of these Iraqi adults are working in jobs requiring the education and skills they learned in Iraq, they know that they have brought their children to safety in this country. They enjoy the successes they see their children achieve in elementary and high school and now OSU. One of the OSU students is Zena, whom some of you know from Manna Café. She first came to Manna Café to satisfy her high school's community service requirement. When she found joy and friendships at Manna Café, she continued to come whenever she could. This summer she has been an intern in a Washington politician's office to enhance her studies in political science. -- Emily Schornstein |
Hospitality
On August 6, members of the 4th annual Fuller Center Bike Adventure spent the night at Broad Street UMC while bicycling from Seattle, Washington to Washington, DC from June 10 - August 14.
The Fuller Center for housing is a non-profit ecumenical Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide by forming partnerships with local organiztions. The Fuller Center provides the structure, guidance and support that communities need to build and repair homes for the impoverished among them.
Founded in 2005 by Millard Fuller and his wife Linda, who together founded Habitat for Humanity in 1976. The Fuller Center has grown to over 60 communities in the U.S. and 16 countries around the world. A Fuller Center home is not a hand-out, but a hand up. By working alongside volunteers and repaying contruction costs on terms they can handle, homeowners are able to retain a sense of basic human dignity.
Here is their thank you:
Dear Broad Street United Methodist Church,
Thank you so much for your hospitality and welcoming us into your church! Our stay here has been wonderful and very comfortable. We greatly appreciate you opening your doors to us. We will continue to keep you in our prayers throughout the trip.
God bless, the Fuller Center cyclists
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Young Adult Night
The next Young Adult night will be a ministry opportunity on Tuesday, September 20 when we will help set up the gym for the Manna Café 10 Year Anniversary Celebration. Join us! To volunteer, please contact Kelan Craig at 330-472-8862 or craig.kelan@gmail.com or just come on down to the gym 7-8:30 p.m.! Questions? Ask Ken Schoon or Kelan Craig.
-- Christian Paul, Ken Schoon
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BSUMC Social Media
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Worship With Us
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Good Job, Good Job! - Sep 4
Acts 17.22-28; Psalm 139.13-16; Gen. 2.4b-22
Communion
Sep 9-16
8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily -- Sanctuary open for prayer
A brother's keeper?- Sep 11
Interfaith Awareness & Reconciliation
Remember the global Interfaith Awakening of 9/11/2001
Psalm 139.7-12; Gen.4.8-16
Becoming the Beloved - Sep 18
Matthew 3.13-4.2
Heart of the City Street Fair
Meet your neighbors, music, magic, meals & more! For all ages!!
Sep 21
6:30 p.m. - Celebrate 10 years of hot meals at Manna Café.
To volunteer, call 614-221-4571, ext. 220
The First Companion Animals - Sep 25
Genesis 8-9 (Noah's story)
8:30 a.m. - Blessing of pets
10:45 a.m. -- Blessing of service animals
God's Loving Wisdom - Oct 2
DREAM Sabbaths: Immigration and World Communion
Exodus 20.1-4
Communion
View a list of Coming Events on our website.
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