Author: lakewooducc

LUCC Remembers Victims of Mass Shootings

The last 20 years have seen some of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history:

April 20, 1999 – 13 people killed at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

April 16, 2007 – 32 people killed at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

November 5, 2009 – 13 people and an unborn child killed at Fort Hood, Texas.

December 14, 2012 – 27 people killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

December 2, 2015 –  14 people killed at Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California.

June 12, 2016 – 49 people killed at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

October 1, 2017 – 58 people killed at a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.

November 5, 2017 – 25 people and an unborn child killed at a small church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

February 14, 2018 – 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

It’s easy to get lost in those grim statistics. To remember that each victim was a person, a flower shape representing their life hangs in this commemorative installation in the sanctuary.


A letter from Rev. Kim to parents

This letter was written specifically to the teachers and parents of Lakewood United Church of Christ by Pastor Kim Wells in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting.

 

My heart goes out to each of you, especially today. You went to school or sent your child(ren) to school. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. So much grief, fear, and anxiety.

I’m sure there were many students at school today who were worried, afraid, or distraught, even if they didn’t exactly know why. I’m sure there were teachers who were also worried, afraid, and distraught. And I know that parents made sure to give that hug and say that “I love you” this morning.

There are many conversations taking place in the teachers’ lounge, the lunchroom, and at the dinner table about the Parkland shooting. How did we wake up in a society where “school shooting” is a thing?

After fear and grief, we often move to anger and frustration and despair. Here, I want to tell you a few things.

First of all, you are not alone. Many other people in society and in your church family are alarmed at the gun violence in our society and especially the involvement of young people. Sue Sherwood, Earl Waters, Patti Cooksey, Lucille Ruga and I went to the event at Allendale Methodist Church Tuesday night for a community conversation about gun violence in St. Petersburg. The gathering was very helpful and we went away committed to continue to be involved in addressing this problem. So, please know, you are not alone, and there are people at church that are working on doing something about this.

Secondly, know that you are already part of the solution. You are already doing something about this each and every day. You are teaching your children constructive ways to express anger and resentment and hostility and fear. Each and every day they are learning from you to use words, to take a run, to cry into a pillow, to talk with a trusted friend or a trusted adult about their feelings when they are upset. So, each and every day, in your various settings, you are addressing this problem and making a difference.

You are also making a difference by paying attention. You pay attention to your children and their friends. You pay attention to your students. You notice what is going on. You ask questions. You take an interest in others. You are involved. You express concerns. You show that you care. That matters. Many adults today are consumed with themselves and don’t notice what is going on around them. And when they do see something of concern they think it is not their problem or their business. I know that all of you are proactive in your caring and concern for others. That really matters!

You also make a difference by involving yourselves in schools and education. You advocate for better educational policies. I am not an educator but I am a parent and the Parkland school had 3,000 students. That is just too big. A high school should not be that big. Maybe it is an economy of scale from a financial standpoint but it is not an economy of scale from an educational standpoint. With 3,000 students it is too easy for students to fall through the cracks. It’s too easy for teachers and staff not to care. And we know that students these days have more and more needs. They need more attention and care not less. A school that large cannot meet the needs of the students. But in ways large and small, I know that you are working to make the school culture more supportive of the educational and character building needs of the students. That matters!

Let your heart break for Parkland and those families. Don’t hold back your tears. Love your kids and your students. Let them know it! Continue to be a positive influence in society. And know that your church family is with you every day all the way!

Please call on me if I can be helpful. I am willing to listen. I can give a hug. I am available to speak with your children as well. I want them to know that at church there are caring adults that they can trust.

I know you may be weary of all of this but stay engaged. Be courageous. Don’t let fear win.

Take care.
Blessings,
Kim

Kim Wells, pastor
B.A. Wellesley College
M. Div. Union Theological Seminary of New York

Lakewood United Church of Christ
2601 54th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33712-4700
(727) 867-7961
lakewooducc.org

Pastoral Letter in Response to the Parkland Shooting

Ash Wednesday Evening 2018

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51)

We are desperately in need of mercy. We are painfully in need of knowledge of God’s unfailing love. We are a nation in need of forgiveness and the cleansing of our sin.

Today, on a day of repentance, Parkland, Florida experienced a shooting. A school shooting. A massacre. A national sin. Our hearts break at the news of the twelfth (12!) school shooting of 2018 and the loss of life the scope of which is still unfolding.

Our condolences go out to all involved, but our condolences are not enough. That said, the emptiness we feel in the face of this tragedy can easily cause us to shut down, to isolate ourselves, and to turn from the news in despair. I understand the emptiness because I feel it, too. And so, I pray, ‘have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love,’ and I strive to keep faith with a hurting people, a devastated community, and a nation in need of repentance at our lack of resolve to bring an end to the senseless gun violence that continues to scar the lives of so many young people and their families who start each school day with a hug they hope will be returned later that very same day.

The Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ is a member of the Florida Coalition for the Prevention of Gun Violence and today proves that membership is not enough. Activism and advocacy are essential. It’s past time for the Church to act. It’s past time to stand up to the gun lobbies and to advocate for Jesus’ way of peace that just can’t imagine how sisters and brothers or a nation can dwell together in unity while doing nothing to train our common spirit in the ways of justice, while doing nothing to mitigate the availability of weapons that enable such rampant violence, while doing nothing to stand in the public square and shout with a prophet’s heart that our prayers are not adequate and our faith demands more. We cannot pray “How long, O God, how long!?” and stand by doing nothing in the face of evil.

Pastors, find your people today and console them. People, find your pastors today and ask them to lead with you in a movement to end violence in our communities. Remember especially the people of Parkland, Florida whose anguish cries out and whose pain demands justice. Help build communities where this doesn’t happen. Use your own compassion and power to heal this national sin. And, yes, continue to pray.

Be at peace and be in touch, won’t you.

John Vertigan
Conference Minister

Sermon 2.4.18 Healing Faith

Scripture Lesson: Mark 1:29-39

Rev. Kim P. Wells

This week we heard the heart breaking story of Luis Blanco and his family. Blanco is married and the father of 6 children with another one on the way. The children are US citizens. He has been living and working in the US for 20 years, contributing to the community and taking care of his family.

But as we know, Blanco is not in the US legally. He doesn’t have citizenship or a green card. So he is being held by the authorities and expected to be deported back to Mexico. It is a heart breaking situation for this family and many others like them. It’s amazing, isn’t it, that we can send a person to the moon, a probe to Mars, we can carry the world in our pocket in the form of a cell phone with the Internet, but we don’t seem to be able to come up with a way for longterm residents of the US who work and contribute to their communities, to live here legally. Can we really not come up with a solution? Are we really just too dumb to resolve this? My brother lives in Wisconsin, and he says that if all the undocumented agricultural workers in that state are deported, the dairy industry will collapse. He assures me there will be far less cheese on the shelves here in our Florida grocery stores.

This is just one of many situations in the world around us that show us that we are not well. Our society is not healthy. In the US, there are 29.7 homicides by firearm per one million people a year. The next closest country is Switzerland, with 7.7 homicides per million people a year. [The Christian Century, 11/8/17, p. 9]  There is a gun problem in this country. There is a violence problem. With #metoo, and the recent revelations about sports doctors, we are reminded that there is a sexual misconduct problem of epic proportions in this country. We know of the opioid crisis and addiction problems. We know of rising poverty in spite of the rising stock market. The statistics say there are more jobs and higher wages, but people still keep coming to the church for help with rent and food and  medication and bus transportation. The economy is only healthy for some. We know that there are racial problems in our country. We know of the problems in families where everyone is on their phone and their screen device and there is little to no communication and involvement among family members. And while we know about global warming, did you know that pollution kills at least 9 million people a year and not just in impoverished countries; Japan and the US are among the top ten countries with deaths due to fossil fuel and chemical pollution.  [The Christian Century, 11/22/17, p. 9]   We see sickness around us in so many ways. We experience dis-ease in our own lives and in our families as well as in the world around us.

In the beautiful first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus starts his ministry full force. We hear of John the Baptizer preparing the way. Jesus is among the crowds that head out to the wilderness to be baptized. Then Jesus is tempted by evil in the wilderness for 40 days. After that, he begins his ministry saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the realm of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Jesus recruits a few odd folks working in the fishing industry, and it’s off to teach in the synagogue, and exorcise demons, and heal. All in chapter one. Healing, healing, healing. We are told of Simon’s mother in law. Then, “they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door.” People so in need of healing. Then the next day, as Jesus prays alone in the dark, Simon comes to find him and announces, “Everyone is searching for you.” The people are so in need of the healing Jesus has to offer. So we are given this testimony of a beautiful ministry of teaching, preaching, and healing.

We see so much need for healing around us and the beautiful passage from Mark that we heard this morning reminds us that the ministry of Jesus, and so the ministry of the church, is a ministry of healing. Through worship, prayer, ritual, teaching, visiting, advocacy, and preaching, the church is about offering the healing ministry of Jesus to the world. From Jesus, we don’t see condemnation, we don’t see judgment, we don’t see people being castigated and vilified. There is no threat of punishment or violence. Jesus offers healing through forgiveness and love. His healing is based on love not fear. And it is not only available to those who can pay. Jesus freely offers healing to everyone. He shows us that love is the most powerful force there is. It is more potent than nuclear power, political power, or economic power. Because love is transformational.

While the world wants to keep accounts, and the world wants to promote success in the form of looking young and being rich, while the world promotes looking out for number one, and domination through competition, while the world is consumed with commodifying people and goods, Jesus comes and heals. And not for acclamation or fame or wealth. He willingly dies on a cross. Creating no victims. No collateral damage. No revenge.

Jesus heals by dispelling the delusions and fake realities of the day. He teaches people to be enchanted by the world, by reality, by life. Jesus invites us to experience our full humanity. And that means being real about all of our amazing imperfections. Without imperfections, without mistakes, we are not fully human. And our mistakes and imperfections are our teachers. They teach us to love ourselves, to forgive ourselves, and to forgive others. That is the way we are created. We have this in common. There is common ground for compassion among all people. And when we accept our humanity, we see this bond with others and our compassion increases. When we deny our full humanity, we experience dis-ease, sickness, fear, alienation, and pain.

I was recently reading a list of books by presidents of the US. Three books attributed to the current president include, “How to Get Rich,” “Time to Get Tough,” and “Think Like a Billionaire.” Being tough and single minded in the pursuit of money, this is evidence of dis-ease. This is sickness. This is distorting and denying our true humanity. And the election of someone with this orientation to the presidency shows a sickness in the soul of America. The fixation on winning and being rich is the kind of condition that Jesus came to relieve. He came to save us from that kind of folly which only makes our souls and our bodies sick. Jesus offers an alternative kind of life that is focussed not on promoting yourself, but believing in the goodness of humanity, life, and Creation as gifts to be enjoyed and shared.

In the first chapter of Mark, Jesus is sought out as a healer and performs many healings. But he also teaches and preaches. He shares a vision of a different kind of reality, the commonwealth of God, a reality that doesn’t make you sick, that confronts evil with love. A reality that is based not on domination but transformation. In our world today, sometimes it seems like we just can’t get out of these rip tides of consumerism, individualism, glorification of wealth, selfish egotism, fear, competition, and violence. Jesus invites us to a different way of seeing reality that extricates us from these systems and values that make us sick and result in evil. Jesus doesn’t just heal people and send them on their way. He offers teaching about how to be a healthy human being and how to create healthy communities that promote the well-being of all. The church is blessed to have that treasure to share with the world so in need of healing. We have the teachings of Jesus that invite us to experience our full humanity to share with the world.

With so many competing realities and claims in society and within the church, how can we know what is real? What is authentically of Love? We are given an insight in the lesson we heard this morning. When Simon’s mother in law is healed, what does she immediately do? Does she pay Jesus? Does she tell everyone about her miracle and capitalize on her fame? Does she use her experience to improve her status in the community? No. As soon as she is well, the mother in law takes up her duties serving her guests. She chooses to serve others, to help others. To make a contribution to the community. That is a sign of health. That is evidence of healing. When we are healthy, we take delight in life and in our capacity to serve. We glory in what we can give not in what we will get. May we invite the healing power of love into our lives. May we line up at Jesus’ door with our need. And may we minister to the dis-ease of the world, the people and the systems around us, with the healing power of Love. Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.