Water, Water Everywhere

Welcome to summer!  One of my favorite parts about this time of year is spending time on the water.  I love to do things in the water, on the water, under the water, near the water-WHATEVER! I love hiking near a mountain stream, fishing under a shade tree on a farm pond, floating on the lake, or sitting at the beach.  I think one of the things that draws me to the water is what it represents.  Singular water molecules join together in the trickle of a mountain stream.  That flows to the pond, which empties into the lake which empties into the sea.  It takes every little mountain stream, every pond, every lake to make up the waters of the sea.  And when they join together, they represent great beauty, great power, and great wonder.  Stand at the edge of the sea on contemplate how vast, how deep, how wide it is.  Consider the myriad of life that exists below the surface of the water.  I may be simple minded, but the profundity of the simple water droplets coming together to form something so mighty like sea leaves me in awe.

Maybe that’s because I see the power of the church in much the same way.  Time and again we see the Spirit of God represented by water in the Scriptures.  By ourselves, we can do very little.  However, when we join together with a few others, we begin to have a great effect--the stream begins to trickle.  And so it goes as we join and as we become a single unit like the sea. 

When you find yourself on the water this summer, take a minute to contemplate the little parts that make up the larger body of water.  It takes every drop to make up the whole.  So it is with us.  We all do our part to make up the Body of Christ.  May we enjoy our summer while we maintain our faithfulness in Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service, and Witness.  Let’s come together in worship, study, prayer, and fellowship.  The rest of the time, let’s go spend it on the water together!

Imagine No Malaria

Think for a moment about the disease that we no longer worry about because of the dedication and research of those of generations before us: scurvy, polio, bubonic plague.  We don’t give much thought to these anymore.  In the USA we would include MALARIA on that list, but that is not so for much of the Developing World.  However there is a plan to eradicate, and YOU can be a part of the solution.
One lesson we learned from General Conference 2012 is that The United Methodist Church is increasingly a WORLDWIDE church.  The number of Africans United Methodists is approaching 5 million.  It is one area where the church is growing the most.  Our brothers and sisters there need our help in serving their neighbors.  Our missional focus for Annual Conference this year is Imagine No Malaria, a campaign to STOP malaria for good.  This is a world-wide effort of the people of The United Methodist Church to raise $75 million to eliminate death and suffering from malaria in Africa by 2015. This comprehensive approach to beating malaria through prevention, education,
communication and treatment.  Malaria is both preventable and treatable. There is currently a plan to eliminate malaria
in our lifetime.  For more than 160 years the denomination has been a key player in the fight against malaria, operating hospitals, clinics and mission centers across Africa.  Through our partnership in ministry with them, we can look forward to the day that we can celebrate the elimination of malaria around the world.
So what can you do?  We will present a special offering at Annual Conference the week of June 4.  We will focus on this special offering here throughout the month of June.  Your gifts, over and above your regular giving, will make a huge difference.  Every contribution makes a huge difference.  $10 buys an insecticide-treated net, one of the most effective methods of prevention.  As little as $28 a month will impact 100 people in prevention, medications, and education.  As with every donation to these projects, 100% of the donation does directly to the project.
Would you join me in this fight against a needless killer?  Together let’s Imagine No Malaria to threaten our brothers and sisters around the world.  For more information, visit our website www.fairhopeumc.org.