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THE WEIRS TIMES & THE COCHECO TIMES, Thursday, March 29, 2012
METHODIST CHURCH, WEIRS-1889
by Rev. Victoria Wood Parrish Contributing Writer
Every church I have
been in has regular rum- mage sales and people bring in their excess be- longings – and usually take home some “new” ones. During the sum- mer, I pass by yard sales where people are get-
COMMUNITY CHURCH MEDITATIONS CARRYING BAGGAGE
ting rid of the posses- sions that are filling their closets. I enjoy visiting consignment stores and antique dealers, and I realize that everything we now own will someday be either in one of those sales or in the dump. Sometimes, those who are selling are in real need, and other times
they enjoy the “process” of simplifying their lives. We accumulate a lot
of baggage as we travel through life, and need to get rid of it at times. I have been watching TV
news reports about the tornadoes down south and see how some people are losing everything and starting over. Many of them would be thankful to have the things that I am discarding. There is a real inequity
here, but I am not sure how to fix it. I can make donations
to the United Methodist Committee on Relief for immediate care in disas- ter areas. I can support
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May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world now and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus pray for us. Saint Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us. Saint Jude, helper of the hopeless, pray for us.
This prayer must be said 9 times a day for 9 days. Publication ‘MUST’ be promised. - M.R.
February 25, 2012
Message of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina
“Dear children! At this time, in a special way I call you: ‘pray with the heart’. Little children, you speak much and pray little. Read and meditate on Sacred Scripture, and may the words written in it be life for you. I encourage and love you, so that in God you may find your peace and the joy of living. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
For a FREE copy of the book,
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Our Blessed Mother has been giving a Message to the World every 25th day of the month since June 1981.
the Red Cross and the Salvation Army in their work with those in imme- diate and long term need. I can donate my excess to Good Will for their train- ing programs and stores. Most of our faith groups have a mission agency that can help us to help others. I know that we cannot
stop people from losing what they have in natu- ral disasters – we can only help them get their feet back on the ground. I know that there are people who use the sys- tem to get what they want without working for it. But I also know that
there are people who are trapped in life styles that keep them in poverty and cannot find a way out. They are carrying a load of baggage that they did not accumulate. How can we help free them from their baggage? For generations, blacks
were kept in slavery and whites in indentured servitude. I have read that many of the poor- est whites that we used to call “hillbillies” were descendents of these in- dentured servants – sold into a form of slavery in the 17th and 18th cen- turies in the colonies. When they gained their freedom, many were too poor and uneducated to move beyond poverty for themselves or their chil- dren. I have lived in the south, and learned that many blacks couldn’t move beyond their pov- erty after the Civil War or after moving to industrial centers in the north. Many blacks and white
were able to move on, find jobs and education, and find security – but some were not able, for whatever reason. Many people entered
the cycle of poverty dur- ing the great depres- sion. Some came as im-
migrants looking for a better life, but couldn’t find it. Some people in all situations made poor choices that involved drugs or crime The problem is that
children are born into poverty and the cycle continues for many who can’t break free. How can we help them?
How can we free them? How can we remove their baggage so they can move on? As Christians and Jews,
we are cal led to help the helpless, to care for the widow and orphan, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
It isn’t
an option – it is a part of our faith. I don’t have any great
answers, but I do think this is a question that we all need to deal with. There will always be peo- ple who would rather stay where they are rath- er than move forward. However, it is the chil- dren I worry about and the elderly who are help- less to help themselves. During this Lent, let’s
consider how we can love others, even those we don’t know; enough to make a dent in the cycle of poverty…in the name of the God who created us all.
Rev. Victoria Wood Par-
rish is the pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Gilford, NH, located on Route 11-A. It is a congre- gation of open hearts, open minds, and open doors. We invite you to worship with us on Sundays at 10:30 AM. Children’s activities and nursery are available during the 10:30 morning worship. We also invite you to the United Methodist Church in the Weirs, 35 Tower St., which worships at 10:00 AM. There are also many other local congregations who would welcome you to worship.
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