The
Inlet View
e-news brings you announcements, news, and updates from Belin Memorial United Methodist Church. Visit us
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from the desk of Will Malambri
I’ve been writing some form of a pastor’s note for the last 10 years. Most of those have reflected the scripture around which that weekend’s worship services were developed. Occasionally, the notes have included some happenings in the local church that needed highlighting. A few times a year there would be something in the wider culture that I felt compelled to address. Sadly, but notably, the majority of those wider culture writings were in response to mass shootings.
We are fortunate to live in a country that is rich with resources, filled with caring and generous people, accustomed to overcoming extraordinary challenges by faith, ingenuity, wisdom, and effort. Almost no one in our country would perform the acts of violence the disturbed young men in Dayton, El Paso, and Gilroy, CA did over the past 10 days. But it only takes a tiny portion of the population to cause tremendous grief in others’ lives.
The shooters in these recent attacks were 24, 21, and 19 years old. Almost assuredly, they experienced some childhood trauma that contributed to their willingness to embrace and perpetuate evil acts. Before their brains had fully developed or they had developed personal resiliency, they made decisions that killed 36, injured another 66, and forever altered countless lives. Tragically, these disturbed young men had access to weapons that multiplied their effectiveness.
I wrote the above yesterday before I woke up to news that a 33 year-old man killed four people and wounded two others in a stabbing spree in southern California. It was a sad reminder that these events can be caused people of any age and with a variety of weapons – further evidence of how much work is before our society.
I wish I knew the answer to this epidemic. I pray the right people will bring together the best ideas to end it. Surely it involves some combination of caring for what’s not well in those who would act in this way and a more comprehensive way of trying to distinguish responsible gun-owners from dangerous ones.
This summer we’ve rightly celebrated our nation’s remarkable accomplishment of putting men on the moon 50 years ago. If we could do that then, our nation can rise to the occasion of reducing these far too common acts of gun violence now. Like then, it will take us not seeing this as a partisan issue where “sides” matter, but as a problem we all face together and about which the solution matters.
The church’s role in this is to pray for healing, wisdom, and peace, but not just to pray. It’s also to raise up followers of the Prince of Peace, to develop the kind of people who couldn’t imagine doing such a deed or if they did would seek help. The church’s role is to raise up followers of the Lord who, like him, seek and are gracious to the outsiders, the bullied, the despairing. Our job is to advocate for changes in our society, even in our governance, that would reduce these kind of acts. And, it’s our task to support those who risk their own lives to protect others and to encourage those who give of their lives to work that brings healing and positive change.
Thank you for being a church who is grieving with the people directly impacted by the recent violence and who seeks to love others in ways that prevent future violence. Thank you for being the kind of church that seeks, by faith, to love and follow the God who calls us forward, the kind of church that the writer of
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
would commend.
Praying and seeking to faithfully serve with you,
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Back to School Night / Blessing of the Backpacks
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Back to School Night at The Gathering
Thursday, August 15, beginning at 5:30 PM
Family Life Center
Blessing of the Backpacks to follow the dinner
Bring the kids and enjoy a great meal and games!
Cost is $5, children under 5 are free, $20 for families of 4 or more. Menu: hot dogs and fixings. Reservations are required and can be made
HERE
.
*Admission is free with a donation of any of the following school supplies
:
pencils, pens, erasers, book bags, composition notebooks, one-subject notebooks, loose-leaf paper (wide or narrow), child-safety scissors, markers, glue sticks, colored pencils, highlighters, 2-pocket folders (prongs/no prongs), pencil pouches, crayons, and dry erase markers.
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Growth Group Sign-Ups Sunday, August 18!
Sunday, August 18, is your opportunity to sign up for our Belin Growth Groups that begin in September. Growth groups are composed of people that choose to meet in a small group setting to promote fellowship, study and prayer. Sign-up tables will be outside of each service in The Sanctuary and The Harbor. Any questions may be addressed at that time as well. Should you be interested in facilitating or hosting a group please contact
Jane Sparks,
843.357.5185.
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Belin Memorial United Methodist Church and the American Red Cross are hosting an upcoming blood drive.
Please join our lifesaving mission and schedule an appointment today!
Family Life Center
Tuesday, August 20, 8 AM - 1 PM
The need for blood is constant and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Nationwide, someone needs a unit of blood every 2 to 3 seconds and most of us will need blood in our lifetime. Thank you for supporting the American Red Cross blood program!
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Bar-B-Que & Fall Festival 2019
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Planning for the
Bar-B-Que and Fall Festival 2019
has begun. The Silent Auction is an exciting part of the event. There will be many wonderful items on which to bid such as: fishing trips, golf packages, tickets to local venues, gift cards, art, ceramics, jewelry, spa services, legal services, antiques, and so much more.
Please be thinking about what you would like to donate this year. All items should be like new, or in like-new condition, handmade, antique, or of collectible value. All proceeds go to the outreach fund to help families in need. Please pray for the success of this important ministry.
Click
HERE
for more details.
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- If you have a rising third grader and would like to reserve a Bible for him/her, please contact Emeline Jordan, 843.997.8519. The Bibles will be presented to the children on Sunday, August 18, 11 AM in The Harbor.
- Last chance to sign up for the High School White Water Rafting trip, August 23 - 25. Click HERE to register.
- There will be a BCLC Open House this Wednesday, August 14, 5 PM - 6 PM, for all those with children registered for the Fall Semester. The program begins in the Family Life Center gym.
- Don't forget it's Belin Memorial Night at the Pelicans Baseball Game on Friday, August 16. Meet at the ball field; game starts at 7:05 PM.
- The United Methodist Men have signed copies of Charlie Duke's "Moonwalker," for $35 each. Please contact Bill Keesee if you are interested.
- The next ZOE informational meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 26, at 6 PM in the FLC. The dates for our next ZOE trip are February 18 - 27, 2020. Please join us if you are interested in learning more about ZOE and our next trip to Kenya.
- The Youth Ministry needs you! Want to feel like a teenager again? Do you have the positive energy needed to have fun and play games while getting to know them? If you are interested in working with youth on Sunday evenings and special events, please contact Brandy Streett, 843.385.1676.
- The Harbor Praise Band has won July's local artist showcase for HIS Radio. Thank you to everyone who showed voted and shown their support!
- Save the Date: Youth Group Family Night Kick Off has been scheduled for Sunday, September 8, 6pm in the FLC.
- There will be no Inlet Baptism Service this Sunday, August 6.
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Take a moment to look through the calendar for the upcoming week to see what's going on in the life of Belin Memorial United Methodist Church.
Thanks for reading the Inlet View e-news! Visit our
WEBSITE
for the most up-to-date information on everything happening at Belin Memorial!
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