United Christian Ministries is in need of spaghetti.
To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive.
Thank you!
Mission Moment 8.5.26
Mary VanRheenen
Field Associate in The Netherlands
“From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.”
– James 3:10
Words have power, power to lift and power to destroy. As James notes, with our tongues we bless the Lord and Father, and also curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. He adds, brothers and sisters, that this ought not to be so.
A 40-something woman in our Dutch church implicitly realized that. When she walked out of her marriage, she could have defended her choice by bad-mouthing her ex-husband. However, she told me that she was not going to discuss her reasons for leaving or try to justify her choice because that would involve revealing negative things about her ex. He was still in the church, and she did not want to publicize not-so-nice things about his flaws. She refused to curse him.
Earlier, another woman came back to our Dutch church after her husband left her for another woman. She did not mind telling me all about his soap-opera-like craziness. She broadcast far and wide what kind of character he was. Then, after at least a year of therapy and prayer, she made a point of discussing the topic with me again. She confessed that she had smeared his name everywhere that she could find an audience. She realized that it was not healthy or appropriate for her to defame him.
To be clear, neither of these women wanted to cover up or deny their hurt. Neither wanted to sweep away their ex-partners’ personal responsibility for any actions those partners had done or faults those partners had not tempered. Each woman did realize the power of words to harm as well as bless. May Jesus guide us as we use this power.
“I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven...” Jesus to his followers, recorded in Matthew 5:44-45
Blessing
May we continually be blessed by Your offer
to forgive us our transgressions;
May that healing forgiveness wash through our hearts
so that we can also forgive those who transgress against us.
Bless them. As You deliver us from the temptation to curse,
bless them, too.
Amen.
Pray. Give. Go.
First Explorers Summer Camp Recap 8.5.26
For our last week of summer camp, it was a bittersweet time. On Monday, we played at Webster Park. On Tuesday, we played at Bryson Park. On Wednesday, we traveled to the Pine Rec area and played. On Thursday, we went to the pool for several hours. And finally on Friday, we went to East Laporte that morning and swam and played for several hours. Overall, it was another great week and great summer camp this year. The staff was great and so were the kids this summer! We appreciate everyone who made this year’s summer camp run as smoothly as it did!
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of spaghetti.
To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive.
Thank you!
Mission Moment 7.29.26
Brittany Ramirez
Field Personnel in Baguio, Philippines
Our family moved to Baguio City, Philippines, in the summer of 2024 to work alongside the overseas Chinese population. We quickly realized that there are only two seasons in the Philippines: wet season and dry season. We had arrived at the beginning of the wet season. This meant we were immediately introduced to constant rain, typhoons and power outages. I must admit, it was not easy to notice the gifts of the wet season.
As I write this, we have been in our new ministry location for almost a year, and while I can’t say I am looking forward to the quick return of that rainy season, I am thankful for how God has guided our family to recognize holy moments of growth and opportunities for ministry in this past year. Starting in a new ministry context with new culture, language and seasons to adapt to can feel like slow work. After having served in mainland China for many years and our plans and calling there ending abruptly, it is hard to start over. I had already done the language learning, I had already invested in learning about the culture and context I served, I already spent years investing in relationships and seeing the blossoming of ministry.
But to start over requires a trust of this current season I am in. A hope that God can unfold our gifts once again with the gentle power of a blossom opening petal by petal. Sometimes the growth isn’t as fast as I would like. Sometimes I cannot see the end of the rainy season.
May I turn my eyes in hope toward the promise of the flowers in bloom at the Panagbenga flower festival during the dry season. May I trust that in the slow work of building relationships with Chinese students, and teaching English at the seminary, and learning the local language; through all the seasons of transition, and growth, and newness, God is faithful to God’s calling in our lives. May we walk in each season, with eyes open to the holy moments of the ever-working Spirit of God in our midst.
Seasons
By Sharlande Sledge in Prayers and Litanies for the Christian Season
Everlasting God,
When summer days are long,
We move from early daylight to late sunsets,
Noticing the gifts of the season;
Fresh vegetables ready to be picked in the cool of the morning,
Trees offering a pool of shade on a hot afternoon,
Glittering light of fireflies at night.
All these gifts refresh us, God,
And remind us that your love for us knows no special season.
Guide our eyes to holy moments
We might otherwise miss.
Unfold our gifts with gentle power
Of a blossom opening petal by petal.
Turn our eyes in hope toward you,
Our God of all creation,
All nurturing love,
And all new life.
Through the seasons of our souls,
We join with all nature in manifold witness
To your great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pray. Give. Go.
First Explorers Summer Camp Recap 7.29.26
For our second-to-last week at summer day camp, we had yet again another fantastic week! On Monday, 4H came and talked with us about native birds in our beautiful part of the world. They helped us make our very own “bird buffet” feeders by taking a toilet paper roll and smothering it with peanut butter and then adding on bird feed to it. We even added a little string to it so we can hang it somewhere convenient outside for the birds. On Tuesday, we walked to the library to attend their art class where we made cute little jellyfish out of a paper plate and some other cool craft materials. On Wednesday, we played at Bryson Park in the morning, and then Ms. Gaye lead us in chapel in the afternoon. On Thursday, we watched a cool movie indoors as it was too stormy to go outside for most of the day. And on Friday, we had a grand old time driving to Whittier to attend the Thomas the Tank event! We played inside for most of the time at all the fun event stations that were set up for all the kids. There was mini golf, volleyball, a bouncy obstacle course, a giant bouncy slide, a petting zoo, and much for fun activities! And then for the main event, we got to ride on the Thomas the Tank train for over 20 minutes!
First Explorers Summer Camp Recap 7.22.26
This week at First Explorers, we had another fun-filled time! Starting with Monday, we toured the Appalachian Women’s Museum and participated in several fun activities—including weaving and looming. On Tuesday, Ms. Gaye lead us in chapel. On Wednesday, we played at Bryson Park. On Thursday, we swam at the pool. And on Friday, we played at the Pine Rec area near Cashiers. Once again, it was another fantastic week at First Explorers summer camp!
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of spaghetti.
To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive.
Thank you!
Mission Moment 7.22.26
João Moraes
Associate Pastor for Spiritual Formation
Emmanuel Baptist Church, Alexandria, Louisiana
It may be that you need to slow down and consider which direction to take. Amidst the rush of daily living, discernment may seem too long of a word to consider, let alone to practice. So many of us move on and move fast because it simply takes too much energy to stop a system perfected for efficiency. Joined to the system, we are well-oiled cogs spinning tirelessly in some direction: no time to think which one, no time to consider right from wrong. That’s when we need wisdom.
Other times, though, movement is exactly what we lack. While some cannot stop to think, others cannot stop thinking—with their bodies paralyzed by analysis, their heads run wild with endless flow charts that attempt to predict the potential outcomes of every single decision. We become overwhelmed with fear, oppressed by anxiety and unable to move out of the sludge. We fool ourselves believing that a strong dose of certainty would solve our problems. But oftentimes, we already know what is right; we need courage to do the right thing.
Some days we need wisdom; other days we need courage. So, I pray that you may find in the Lord what you need in each instance.
A Blessing for Wisdom and Courage
May the Lord grant you time and space to slow down when the world rushes by.
May His gentle hands hold you steady as you dwell in the wisdom from above.
May His strong arm give you courage to take the next steps even when the way is unclear.
May your faith move you through uncertain situations,
And may you never forget: the One who calls you also goes before you.
Mission Moment 7.15.26
Jonathan Bailey
Field Personnel in Bali, Indonesia
Blessing for Sound
by David Whyte in The Bell and the Blackbird
I thank you,
for the smallest sound,
for the way my ears open
even before my eyes,
as if to remember
the way everything began
with an original, vibrant, note,
and I thank you for this
everyday original music,
always being rehearsed,
always being played,
always being remembered
as something new
and arriving, a tram line
below in the city street,
gull cries, or a ship’s horn
in the distant harbour,
so that in waking I hear voices
even where there is no voice
and invitations where
there is no invitation
so that I can wake with you
by the ocean, in summer
or in the deepest seemingly
quietest winter,
and be with you
so that I can hear you
even with my eyes closed,
even with my heart closed,
even before I fully wake.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that a blessing for sound would be offered by a musician, that working so often with the magical power of music would lead me to the deepest sensitivity to the blessings it offers. However, it is not necessarily so. Frequent exposure to the stimulus of sound tires my ear and mind and deadens the senses. Sometimes I need silence. Pure and without exception. It is in silence that I’m most aware of God. Like Elijah in the cave, I sometimes sense God most keenly when the chaos of life ebbs for a moment. How thankful I am for those times, few though they are.
Whyte’s “Blessing for Sound” reminds me how rare such silence is. His blessing blesses by its clear cry that all life is sound, vibration, resonance between me and you and all creation and “even when there is no voice.” Attending to the sounds of life and even to the echoes of what is no more awakens me to that ever-present invitation to wakefulness and to the greatest blessing it has to offer: the surprise of you sitting beside me.