Dear friends and members of University UMC:
As I write, the US Government shutdown is nearing day 40. It is already the longest shutdown in history. Among other things, news about SNAP benefits is on the minds of many Americans. While some of us are growing increasingly angry about this situation and concerned about the people impacted, others are experiencing the harsh reality of food insecurity. About 3.5 million Texans receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. There is no shortage of political rhetoric with blame assigned to the left and the right, but all I can think about are worried and hungry parents trying to feed their children. Jesus says very clearly in Matthew 25, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.” He doesn’t say, “I was hungry, but that’s okay because I know you have some business and political arguments to sort through first.” The hungry suffer, and there should be no delay in responding to the need. As Desmond Tutu puts it, “When people were hungry, Jesus didn't say, ‘Now is that political or social?’ He said, ‘I feed you.’ Because the good news to a hungry person is bread.”
Church, I am grateful for all you are doing to feed the hungry. Our Open Door ministry continues to feed 200 people each weekend. And this Sunday in worship, you will be invited to give to the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. This fund enables Pastor Earl and me to assist persons in need with rent and utilities. And in response to the current crisis, all funds collected this month for the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund will go directly to the Central Texas Food Bank. As it reads on their website, “As work stoppage and benefit delays leave more families without support, neighbors across Central Texas are reminding each other that it’s okay to ask for help - and showing that compassion matters.”
Thank you for being among those who respond with compassion!
Below are a couple of videos I encourage you to watch (if you haven’t already!). One is an interview Pastor Earl did with Sonja Kever for his “Faith and Art” adult education series. Sonja Kever is a member of University UMC and an incredibly talented artist. When I first arrived as one of your pastors, I marveled at her portraits that hang in the fellowship hall. The series of portraits, entitled “Street Stories,” depicts unhoused neighbors. I had heard Sonja speak of how former Senior Pastor Rev. John Elford was good at reminding the congregation that they all had unique talents and that God was calling them to use those talents. In response, she had the vision to paint these portraits. In this moving interview, I learned so much more about this project. Sonja originally planned to paint 30 portraits. She painted every day, painting one every ten days to two weeks over the course of an entire year. At the end of the project, two unhoused women asked to be painted. Though exhausted from the year-long project, Sonja could not refuse them and painted them together. In this interview, you’ll hear her share about how she connected with each person, listening with a loving and open heart to each person’s story. You’ll hear her moving and personal testimony of discovering a shared humanity with each person. And you’ll hear her share how she sees Jesus in these persons. Take time to listen to this interview and share it with others. “Street Stories” will inspire you and transform you.
You’ll also find below a message from our Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey addressing churches in the Río Texas Conference and challenging them to do all they can to feed and care for persons in the name of Christ. She will be with us in worship on Sunday, November 16, and the title of her sermon is “A Matthew 25 Church!” echoing Jesus’ words, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.”
Psalm 41 (as translated by Nan Merrill) reads:
