April 23, 2020 | The Third Week of Easter
COVID 19: Now I understand King's truth of the 'inescapable web of mutuality.'
Northminster Family,

Last week, I began writing a piece for the newsletter that I'd been playing with in my mind for some time. After I'd finished writing it and was checking it over, though, I thought that there was a chance it could be helpful for a broader audience as well, so I submitted it to Baptist News Global for consideration. I was surprised and grateful when they decided to publish it. I've been waiting for them to post, and now I'm grateful once more to be able to share it with the audience for whom it was originally written ( you!).

Peace,
Zach
I’m finally going to admit this out loud: I’ve never really understood Martin Luther King Jr.’s teaching on the “inescapable network of mutuality.” Given my appreciation for the source of this idea, I have given it the benefit of the doubt. I could even articulate a vague philosophy of interdependency in human relationships and in nature.

But I confess this concept has always rung hollow to me. I believed in helping those who were suffering and in fighting for justice, but this came from a conviction about right and wrong, not a sense that it was somehow  my own  liberation I was fighting for.

King’s well-known quote from  Why We Can’t Wait , published in 1964, is this:

“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

I’ve never gotten exactly how we are “tied in a single garment of destiny” or how “whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” The truth is, because of my socioeconomic strata, gender and race, I’ve always experienced a relative sense of immunity from much of the suffering of the most vulnerable in the world. That’s a privileged attitude, and I know it. It took a global pandemic to slap me in the face and show me how I was wrong...
The Prayers of the People
An opportunity to celebrate and pray alongside siblings in our community.
We pray alongside...

Everyone suffering from or affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly those medical caregivers facing the wave of cases. We commit to giving hands and feet to this prayer this week by picking up the phone and connecting with someone who may need to hear a friendly voice, and by "loving those in our backyard" through our resources.

Justin Overacker's mother, Monica Mayo, who tested positive for coronavirus. She is alright, but in quarantine. She is a traveling nurse in Shreveport.

Wayne Lee , whose hours at the Salvation Army were reduced by half last week.

We celebrate alongside...

Camille Peterson (23rd), Mark Wilson 928th), and Ormara Nolla (28th)
as they celebrate their birthdays.

Debi Chandler's daughter, Olivia , who celebrates her birthday this week with a drive through party!
If you have concerns and celebrations you would like us to add to the newsletter, please call the church office or email office@northmin.org.

The Work of the People
How we are responding to the Spirit of Love
"Our World has Turned Upside-Down," By Dr. Welton Gaddy
This past week, Pastor Emeritus Dr. Welton Gaddy published the following to Facebook. We wanted to be sure our entire Northminster Family had a chance to hear his wise words.
Over the past few weeks I have thought that silently, and sometimes spoke the words out loud. Honestly, that exclamatory statement is relevant to virtually every dimension of our lives right now. And that reality evokes a terribly unsettling mixture of raw emotions. 

I have spent most of my life at the intersection of religion and politics, dealing with the relationship between religious institutions and governmental offices. Since the murderous onslaught of the pandemic began, I have been amazed at the raging battle between the medical community’s insistence on the protection of social separation, and numerous clergy’s opposition to the government’s decision that religious institutions, like all other institutions, must refrain from convening large groups of people attending worship services.

Especially among rabid evangelical leaders, pastors have encouraged their congregations to defy both the government and the medical community - and gather for worship faithfully. Earlier this week a news story broke that muddled both my empathy and reasoning. I am now speaking as a minister of well over 50 years and as a theologian who studiously has read the literature of many religions, examined spirituality, and sought to understand the nature of God, holiness, YAWEH, ALLAH, and other recipients of worship, never thinking I could feel competent speaking about the mystery I find and respect in religion.

Like numerous other religious leaders, Bishop Gerald O. Glenn, pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Richmond, Virginia, insisted his parishioners come to the church house as usual, despite warnings by both the governmental and medical authorities. Glenn said to his congregation, “I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus.” He said that people are “healed” in his church, and their fellowship would be open in violation of safety protocols because he was an essential leader who talks to God.

In that church’s gathering this past Sunday, the congregation was told that their pastor had died a week after being diagnosed with Covid-19. The pastor’s daughter now begged people to take seriously the pandemic assaulting our nation.

Immediately, conflicting emotions clashed in my head and heart. I remembered a woman leaving a church house last week saying, “The blood of Jesus will cover us and protect us from the virus.” I wanted to ask, “What happened?” I know some are feeling, “He got what he deserved.” But I could say neither. I did not and do not want anyone to die. In my most rational moments I know the God I worship favors life; but God also favors wisdom, humility, an awareness of humanity, and gives no favor to people trying to play God or to test God or to use God’s name as a way of saying “I am right and others are wrong; look at me.”

Through the years, embedded in the teachings of all great religious leaders, are the trait of care and the practice of healing. 

Divinity is not about competition. God does not use stunts to show off power. I still remember Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin condemning Islam and bragging that because we are a Christian nation, our God, his god, is bigger than the Muslim’s God.” But no religion has been spared the touch of this pandemic. The God in whom I believe does not show off to prove divinity. Where there is holiness, safety and health are religious values. 

I am sincerely sorry about the death of the pastor. I grieve with his daughter. Three of the pastor’s children, as well as his widow, have now tested positive. At the same time, I have nothing “positive” to say about people who play God, people who use God to prove their supremacy, and people who boast that their God is greater than the God of anyone else.

God is getting a bad name. Can God no longer stop a pandemic? Now politicians show us that God wins and loses elections. Congressional votes claim divine direction whether they lose or win their would-be laws. Scores of people serve God to get rich, but it does not always happen that way. Must we tease God to show our power?

Sympathetic sadness and empathy are what’s badly needed right now, along with sincere humility and active love. None of those essentials require being physically together, And, truth be told, mere physical proximity alone does not guarantee any of them.

Life is difficult enough when we seek to be good human beings. Why in God’s name would we ever think of ourselves as bossing God around, or employing God to give us success? A lot of people, in the name of God, are giving God a Bad name.

And by the way, another name for God… is Love.
"How can we keep from singing?" from DH Clark
The choir met at its usual time Wednesday night, via Zoom, for the first time since the COVID diaspora. It was a time of catching up, some singing, chawed concerns, and prayer. This will be come a regular meeting. We may work our way from “Amazing Grace” into some of the familiar anthems you are hearing on our Sunday Service broadcasts.
"A Sweet Proposal"
Northminster member Marsha McGee has a 'sweet' proposal she wanted to share with the church: Partnering with friends from New Iona Presbyterian Church, she plans to deliver cookies baked by New Iona member Becky Thompson (owner/pastry chef at CAKE) to healthcare workers at Ochsner Medical Center and then at Glenwood if there is enough interest. New Iona has already delivered at St. Francis; see the attached photo from the St. Francis Facebook page showing off the cookies and the smiles they brought. If you'd like to chip in you can use our usual donation methods - PayPal, or a check dropped in the church mailbox, but if you use PayPal be sure to contact the church office to let Renee know your donation is for the "cookie fund."
Update on Assisting Asylum Seekers Released due to COVID19
Our Northminster Advocates for Immigrants in Detention group has been hard at work preparing to meet the needs of asylum seekers being released in the next several days. With the onset of the coronavirus at Richwood, ICE has made the decision to release large numbers of detainees each day. This means they are being released on short notice and are in need of supplies to see them through until they can reach family or friends, as well as the means of transportation to get there.

Claire Carrington reports that they now have 12 supply bags made and a closet ready to go with more clothes and items to fill bags. See the photo of the "Northminster asylum seekers store" now set up at her home!

Current needs include:

  • 4-5 pairs of pants or shorts in size 36-40
  • One large pack of men's underwear, size large
  • Snack items that include protein

Other ways to help:
  • Monetary donations can also be applied to the needs above, as well as to transportation and housing costs
  • Letter-writing is as important as ever, if not more so, for those who are still being held in detention, so please keep up that good work!

For more information or to share how you can help, contact Mara Loeb or the church office and we can put you in touch.
Scheduling a Pastoral Care Call
Friends, it is one thing for us to call folks to check in, but if you're in need of pastoral care, if you're feeling afraid or ungrounded and would like to have an intentional conversation about what it means to be human right now or how your faith can inform what you're experiencing, please don't hesitate to give us a call. It is, in large part, why we're here. If what you need in this season is a deep and honest conversation, please help us help you by reaching out.

With so much love,
Zach and Claire
We'd love to see your face in worship!
One of the best ways we can remind ourselves we're not alone right now is by seeing one another's faces as we ground ourselves in our sacred stories and prayers.

Please send in a video of yourself reciting the Lord's Prayer (you can use cue cards, we won't know!). We need as many as we can get! You can email your video to Zach.

And we're always looking for more readers. If you're willing to record your voice reading scripture please email Renee to let her know!
Online Sunday School
If you are interested in meeting with your Sunday School over Zoom at 10am on Sunday morning, contact your Sunday School teacher. They should be able to give you a link to follow to gather on Sunday morning.

If you're not already a part of one of these classes, feel free to drop in anyway! Contact Craig Henry or Zach & Claire.
Do you need help getting groceries, or financially?
Do you need help getting groceries this week? Don't be a hero! If you're in the more vulnerable population, please stay where you are and let us help. There are church members who have offered to meet this exact need.

If you've lost your source of income because of COVID-19 and find yourself in need of food, assistance, or money, please contact your care group leader or office@northmin.org.

You can also check out our website, at https://www.northmin.org/resources-in-monroe-1.

We can help you navigate your options and connect you to folks to ensure your needs are met.

No one is alone in this.
Holy Ideas
How might we respond to the Spirit of Love?
In this new season of social distancing, we need holy ideas to help stretch our imaginations for what is possible within this community more than ever.

Since we can't make use of the physical "Holy Ideas" board in the hallway, we'll maintain it virtually and keep it updated here in the newsletter. If you have an idea for a way the church can be church in this season, or if you see an idea you'd like to support to help it become reality, email the office and Renee will virtually post or sign your name to it.

If you have questions about an existing idea, email the person listed as its sponsor.

Our usual system is as follows: If the idea gets the support it needs (3 signatures) within 3 weeks, the supporters will meet with the appropriate commission to clarify and refine the idea into a specific, time-limited plan. If adjustments to this system are needed given the novelty of this new situation we find ourselves in, we will reevaluate as needed.
Giving to Northminster

Practicing Stewardship in an Uncertain Time
We are sensitive to the reality that financial uncertainty is one of the side effects of the spread of the coronavirus. However, if you find yourself in a position to continue or increase your contributions to the church, know that your donation will be greatly appreciated. We have made the decision to honor our commitments to all those on our payroll (ministers, staff, choral scholars, childcare) who are relying on this income in an anxious time, and we cannot do that without your continued support.

To support Northminster financially, you can click here ,
Around "Town"
Our "Town" is now "The Internet!" So check here for things going on "Around Town" that our members are involved in or believe you may be interested in.
Alliance of Baptists Online Gathering
The annual Alliance of Baptist Gathering was supposed to be this coming weekend in Ft. Worth, TX, but because of the pandemic, they've had to consider other ways to gather this year. See the graphic or video below for more information.
Over the Coming Week
Sunday 4/26
10am - Digital Sunday School
10:45am - Preludes and Pre-Worship Chat
11am - Worship
After Worship - Narthex Chat
Worship This Week

The text for this week is:
  • Luke 24:13-35

Claire Helton will preach Sunday's sermon, which will be streamed on our YouTube channel.
Find Us Online