invocation....chicken....advocacy

i had the opportunity to once again, pronounce the invocation at the merced city council meeting on monday night. i prayed that our leaders in these difficult economic times would come to compassionate decisions particularly for the most vulnerable in our community; the children the homeless, and those without adequate health and mental health care.

i believe we at the united methodist church seek to respond to everyone in the best possible ways that we can. we helped to sponsor the wesley foundation bbq chicken dinner on saturday...what preparation goes into the care of chicken, let me tell you! the picture above shows that we united methodists are a clean lot!

but the real secret to the success of such a 'fun-draiser' isn't all the ingredients or the hours of labor; it's the dedication, and the willingness of those who serve.

the picture below gives a new concept to 'men at work'. yet our care for one another and our dedication to the community is undisputed.

we have a group of women who prepare and serve food for those living at the creek; the city council will make decisions about their living space this evening.

our social action team sponsors a monthly food distribution; our tuesday 'children at the church' after school program provides dinner for participants and their families during the school year; one of our christmas eve services is dedicated to providing a meal for those in our neighborhood.

but there's more! our social action team is also exploring ways to 'step up' our care for our most vulnerable sisters and brothers. we are talking about advocacy. jesus reminds us that 'the poor you will have with you always', and i believe by that he means that our care for others will be unceasing. and, i believe, as we care for others, jesus is in the midst of such care.

we can pray unceasingly. we can bbq until we run out of food. advocacy may allow us to raise a collective consciousness to empower long-lasting care, not simply the immediate needs to be attended to. what can we do? do you have an idea?

talk to our representatives, write a personal note to those empowered to make the needed changes, and offer your time to make a difference to others.

what's your take on what needs to be done? and by the way, buying a chicken dinner isn't possible this week...we sold out! thank you for your support of our young adult/college student ministry.