|
At our last meeting we discussed, as usual, how we might best
spend the monies our church has designated for community
service, both locally and abroad through our UCC denomination.
We also talked about advocacy, and agreed that one of our
Ministry’s responsibilities to keep our congregation informed
about peace and justice issues. For example, we have been
invited to join our neighbor church, Trinity Episcopal, in their
death penalty abolition efforts. Please speak to a CITW Ministry
member if you would like to be better informed on this subject
and to have the opportunity to discuss it with other EACC
members.
With that in mind, we thought
members would be interested in reading what the President of the
UCC, the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, wrote recently in an article
that appeared in the Plain Dealer:
“The United Church of Christ has affirmed opposition to the
death penalty from our earliest days, and we reaffirm that
position today. We take this position because we believe that
God calls us to be merciful, and to assist one another in
seeking redemption for the terrible things we do. Our faith
calls us to leave the finality of death to God and not to state
sanctions that are, necessarily, conducted with imperfect
understanding.
As a man of faith, I believe that
Christ teaches us that we must never lose sight of our
compassion. I believe our justice system must work to improve
life, not engage in its destruction.”
Linda Huston, Chair, Kathy Baker,
Linda Brewer, Jewell Green, Yolanda Jackson Powell, Joan
Southgate, Viveca Williams
|