We have a great opportunity to help members of our community by attending BRIGHT’s Nehemiah Action on Monday, April 24th. It will be held at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne from 6:30p to 8:30p. The doors will open at 5:30 and there are tickets available in the church office to help expedite your sign in. We have two members who will be in the church parking lot at Grace by 5pm to drive people down and we have room for 8 more if you do not want to drive. Please let Pastor Beth know or call the church office on Monday.
We continue to work toward an affordable housing solution. We are grateful for the community voting in the charter amendment to establish a housing trust fund. But there is no funding attached to it at this time. We are working to encourage our elected officials to find funding so we can get affordable housing built in Brevard County. We are also asking our School Board members to make reading a priority. 42% of our students can’t read at grade level. It has been shown that if a child is unable to read at grade level by the time they are in the third grade they are four times more likely to drop out of high school. We want to see all our children have successful scholastic careers. And so, we are asking that our school system prioritizes reading and use a system to teach reading that has been proven effective.
Please set the time aside in your schedules to join us on Monday night at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy located at 5625 Holy Trinity Drive, Melbourne, to shine BRIGHT for justice.
This Sunday, I will be doing a creation care sermon as I reflect on the ways God has called us to be in relationship with all of creation. Ways that challenge us and push us to think differently and compassionately about every aspect of the world and the people God has created. This is a great time to think about where we live and how we take care of our world. The timing is perfect as this Saturday, April 22nd, is Earth Day. It is a day set aside for the very purpose of celebrating the world we live in and reflecting on how we care for our home planet. Now is a good time to tackle our “footprint.” What are some things we can do to lessen our ecological impact? We all need to do something. Even if all we do is recycle our plastic bottles and cardboard. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all and adding more fill to our landfills.
Sunday is also Native American Sunday where we celebrate the people of our first nations. We celebrate their culture and the knowledge that they have imparted to all the other nations of the world. We appreciate the sacredness of the American Indian people. If you would like to support the work the UMC is doing with our Native American brothers and sisters, you will find a card in the pew pockets that will help you give to this vital ministry that helps create programs and seminary scholarships specifically to Native Americans.
Hope to see you Sunday!
Pastor Beth