Peace Notes is here to bring you some uplifting news during this Covid 19 Pandemic as well as keep you up to date on what is happening at Peace and within the United Methodist Church.
Best News of the Week:
A choir of women physicians from Toronto, Canada virtually sing “Rise Again.”
News from Peace:
Let’s All Be Hopeful People
By Gary Walpole
We have been living through times that could change the world we live in, that will bring us into a new normal. Or we could go back to the old normal, which would probably mean we would live through another world pandemic and another murder of a black man in the Twin Cities in the near future. I believe the change of living into a new normal will not depend as much on what I or you can do as individuals, but how the organizations we are part of will be willing to use their influence to pressure for significant change. I also believe the faith communities within Minnesota must play a crucial role by using their influence for change. Below is an email I sent to our District Superintendent.
Dearly Beloved Susan,
Thank you for your presence at the clergy march this last Tuesday, June 2. I was physically distancing behind you for a while and saw many other United Methodist clergy who were also at the march.
The violence done to black bodies, exemplified by the murder of George Floyd, has had a deep impact on my soul, as I am sure it has on yours, and on many others’.
As I have been praying, reading and listening my heart and mind keep coming back to one question: will organizations that are predominately white – like the United Methodist Annual Conference – be active in seeking to reduce the violence done to black bodies, and therefore the violence done to all bodies regardless of race, by law enforcement?
I hear voices say the murder of George Floyd is a pivotal moment in the history of the United States and Minnesota, but I believe real change will not come unless organizations that are predominately white – like the United Methodist Annual Conference – are willing to use their influence to act for the change for which we are asking?
So, Susan, I am hoping that you, as my District Superintendent, whom I love, and as a leader within the Minnesota Annual Conference, can share with me that there are the beginnings of real plans to use our influence to pressure for real change to reduce unnecessary force used by law enforcement around the state of Minnesota. I know our voice as a Conference is important, put a voice without real and active action to bring about change is hypocritical.
I trust that as a Conference we will do more than just speak, or just listen. I know we will use our time of prayer to discern a way of action that allows us to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. I know we will act for a just peace.
In Christ’s Love,
Gary Walpole
She replied with a brief, but hopeful, response. “Thanks for this email and yes, I can assure you that much is happening.”
Since hope is what we do today to make the tomorrow we want possible, let’s all be hopeful people.
Peace Conversations take place every Saturday on the Peace Community of Faith Facebook Page at 10 am. This week’s topic: “Listening to our Bodies.”
Peace Time is a worship experience shared from Peace Community of Faith that you can find at the Peace Community of Faith Facebook or receive through email by clicking the “Peace Newsletter” at the bottom of the page.
Springtime is Graduation Time: We really want to celebrate our Peace graduates this year! Please, if you or someone in your family is a 2020 graduate, let us know by emailing us (admin@peaceumc.com) with their name, the school from which they are graduating, their future plans, and—if available—a digital photo of the graduate.
United Methodist Happenings
Moving beyond protests to stamp out racism
https://www.umnews.org/en/news/moving-beyond-protests-to-stamp-out-racism
Grace Connections of the Week:
Grace Connections invites you to find the power of God’s love in the midst of the harm, confusion and news of the week. Below are a few stories from the news of the week.
Video of the Week:
Here Comes The Sun – Camden Voices (self-isolation/virtual choir cover)
Photos of the Week:
Protesters march in Illinois town that once expelled black residents
https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/protesters-march-in-illinois-town-that-o-idUSRTS3B00W
Minneapolis Police Use Force Against Black People at 7 Times the Rate of Whites
What I find particularly startling is the map that shows police shootings and use of force against black people in Minneapolis since 2015 that you can see in the article.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/03/us/minneapolis-police-use-of-force.html
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