A prayer for our earth by Pope Francis
Taken from the ENCYCLICAL LETTER
LAUDATO SI'
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FRANCIS
ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.
The prayer of Pope Francis, included above, is found at the very end of the pope's "Encyclical letter" regarding earth stewardship. It is a powerful prayer that captures well the reality of our current situation as a planet. There are two lines that I would like to highlight. The first reads, "O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes." One might ask, "Why express concern for the poor in a prayer that has to do with earth stewardship?" The answer is that, as with so many things, it is the poor, the marginalized, and the most vulnerable of human begins who pay the price of our disregard for the earth and its resources more so than anyone else. Those who are poor have few personal resources to help them to live with the effects of climate change. They pay a severe price for something that they contribute towards less because they do not have the ability to avoid its consequences.
The second line that I would like to highlight is the line that states, "Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth." Those who are most responsible for the earth's degradation do so because of greed- the desire for more things, more wealth, more possessions, a more comfortable life and at the expense of the poor and the earth itself. They seek to fill a spiritual need with material things in an act of idolatry rather than seeking from the earth itself the very gifts that are needed for us to thrive as human beings.
I invite each of us to truly evaluate our environmental footprint and its effect on the earth and the poor. May we commit to seeking systemic changes as well as personal changes that will respect the earth and especially its most vulnerable people.
WORSHIP AHEAD
7/21 The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Special Music: Bell Quartet and Kelly Brown, flute
Organist: John Pagett
Readings: Psalm 104; Romans 8:18-25
Theme: Stewards of the Earth- How are We Doing? As human beings we are all called to be faithful stewards of the earth and its resources. We will take a look at how we are doing as the human race, as individuals, and as a church. It may get ugly!
OPPORTUNITY OF THE WEEK
Each week we will try to highlight a particular opportunity for you to serve in and through the Main Street UMC.
This week's opportunity is to volunteer to assist on Sunday afternoon from 1:30-4:00pm at the Nashua Soup Kitchen. On the third Sunday of each month we open the Food Pantry for people who cannot make it during the week. We provide all of the volunteers for this occasion. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
We're looking for folks willing to share their musical talents with us during our summer services. Now's the time to get out that old trombone from high school and dust it off! There will be two available slots on each Sunday, sign up for one or both.
A sign up sheet is posted on the music/worship bulletin board located on the first floor ramp.
If you can provide your own accompaniment (either live or "tracked") or can perform without, that would be great. If you do need someone to assist, please see Julie and she'll work at finding a match for you.
OPERA COMES TO MSUMC
During the months of July and August the Main Street UMC will be co-hosting two operatic concerts. The first will be held on Saturday, July 27th at 7:00pm in the sanctuary. It is titled, "The Beauty of Art Song". The second concert will be held on Saturday, August 24th also at 7:00pm. It is titled, "La Traviata in Concert" and features selections from La Traviata. The cost for each concert is $12.00 for adults and $10.00 for children or seniors. Our portion of the proceeds will go towards the church's organ fund. Come enjoy an evening of beautiful music in air conditioned comfort.
A Finance and Stewardship summary to keep you updated
We are running a bit short on our general fund donations, resulting in unpaid mission shares in particular ministerial support which we must pay by year's end. Your generosity last year helped us out of a similar situation last year.
Our balance for our construction loan is $231,631.77. We look forward to your continued giving to pay down this debt. Any debt going into the 2020 year becomes a general fund obligation, where we would need increased offerings to cover the additional expenses.
In preparation for our 2020 budget, we've discussed the items that have gone up in the past year or are anticipated to rise for 2020. Maintenance of course, salaries such as Nursery which was not realized this year, but we will realize in 2020, insurance, and of course our construction mortgage payment of $1769.53 monthly.
We also discussed our upcoming Stewardship campaign – 2020 Vision. Stay tuned for details.
Joe Dechene
JOB OPENING: NURSERY ATTENDANT
Do you know a friend or family member who may be interested in part-time childcare work during our Sunday worship?
This payed part-time staff position is every Sunday 9am-12 (summer 9-11am), with the possibility of added hours during some Bible studies or church wide meetings.
Requirements:
· Must be 21 years of age and willing to commit for at least one year.
· Willingness to submit to a background check and completion of all required forms.
· Must take our Child Protection training class.
We have a strong preference to locate someone outside of our church community to allow all of our members to attend Sunday worship services. If you know of someone who may be a suitable candidate, have them send their resume to: Kelly.Rose@mainstreet-umc.org
Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter's Backpack Drive
A bin is available in the lobby for donations to the Soup Kitchen's Backpack Drive. Fill it with backpacks, notebooks, pencils, and the other things needed for back to school! Sales are on right now! Donations will be welcome through the first two Sundays in August. We appreciate ALL new donations!
List of Supplies
Backpacks for Boys & Girls Grades Kindergarten – 12th
2" Three Ring Binders -- required in High School
Loose leaf filler paper
Tabbed Dividers
Spiral notebooks
#2 Pencils
Handheld Pencil Sharpener
Separate erasers
Pens
12" Rulers
Protractor or multi-piece Drafting package
Bottled glue
Glue sticks
Scotch tape
Staplers (mini or desk size)
Student Scissors (Safety scissors for younger students)
Dry-Erase Markers for all grades (when called up to the board)
Crayons (Boxes of 24)
Colored pencils (Bright or Bold)
Washable colored markers
Pencil boxes or Pouches for elementary school children
Lunch Boxes/Snack Bags for elementary school children
Calculators for High School students
Dictionary (one per family)
Index Cards
8GB (or larger) flash drive for High School students
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