New Group Starts Wednesday Night

We are beginning a new weekly gathering on Wednesday evenings that we are calling Together: A Support Group for Practicing Faith and Action. Each week we will begin with a centering practice, engage a topic regarding spirituality, community, or justice, and commit to actions we can take to live in the reality that, as Jesus said, "the kin-dom of God is among us." Our first two sessions will be a discussion of the United Church of Christ's statement on "Just Peace in Palestine" and how we might discern the voice of the Still Speaking God in current Middle East circumstances. We will meet at 7:15 beginning on July 24th both onsite in the chirch office and online here on Zoom. 

You can find some of the resources we will be utilizing on our website.

After we spent a few weeks with Saul, we are turning to a teaching letter written to the early church, Ephesisans, and discerning what it might have for us to learn about living in community in the midst of difficult situations. This week we heard the good news that we are no longer aliens...to God or to one another. You can watch the service here. Next Sunday we'll embrace the unfathomable love that God has for us as praised in Ephesians 3.

Next Sunday July 28th, we will gather in the office instead of the parlor after worship for some refreshments. Lake Worth Spanish Seventh Day Adventist is using the parlor for their Vacation Bible School taking place this week. For anyone interested, we will take a look at our church app and the information it contains. If you don't yet have it you can download it from the Apple App Store here and the Google Play Store here.

Vita Nova Site Visit

Members of the Mission Committee recently visited Vita Nova, a wonderful agency that provides “a safe bridge to independence for former foster care, LGBTQ and other homeless youth (between the ages of 18-25) through supportive housing, education, employment and life skills training”. Last year, our church donated $20,000 toward the continued development of Vita Nova Village, their housing program for young adults at risk of homelessness. We toured those apartments and were very impressed with the facilities and the requirements of the residents for living there. We also visited The Spot, their drop in center that provides safe and non-judgmental support, assessment and resources to youth, coming in off the street, with the aim of eliminating or reducing the risk of homelessness. This facility and the staff there provide a myriad of opportunities for the youth to connect with the assistance they need. All in all, we look forward to continuing our connection as a church with this unique and important resource for youth at risk in our community.

Summer Class

This summer, we are participating  with Hombebrewed Christianity's "Faith and Politics for the Rest of Us" class. 

"In Faith & Politics for the Rest of Us, Dr. Diana Butler Bass, Dr. Tripp Fuller, and Tim Whitaker are bringing together a number of alternative theo-political visions to introduce a multiplicity of vibrant, yet neglected traditions in public theology. With the help of some of the most powerful voices in the academy, participants will be introduced to these traditions and get to put them into action as we wrestle with our present moment, discovering the potential for an alternative public Christian witness.

This class will include lectures and live discussions. We will gather at 7:00 PM on Wednesday evenings beginning June 12th through July 10th, in person and via Zoom (join here! - this is an updated link) for a discussion of each week's material. 

Here is a video from last week, Dr. Kevin Carnahan speaking about Christian realism, how we work together to make a difference in the world right her and right now.

Justice Ministry Meeting with Florida Department of Children and Families

The PEACE mental health research team met with Ms. Trinh, the Southeast Regional Director of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. Part of her role is to oversee the operations of South East Florida Behavioral Health. This meeting was one of the follow up meetings for the Nehemiah Action focus on getting approval and funding for an additional FACT team in PBC. Unfortunately, Ms. Ann Bryner, the director of SEFBH did not agree to this researched solution to the need for mental health and substance use problems. Our own Stacey Harter was one of the facilitators of the DCF meeting and did an excellent job in presenting the PEACE program and our need for their assistance in working through the obstacles posed by SEFBH in order to secure the FACT team. We learned there are other important DCF administrators who should be involved and a time delay before the next meeting, but strong assurances that the concerns and goals presented are supported and will be given attention and backing. 

The Disciples and UCC address the crisis in the Middle East

Global Ministries is the cooperative ministry of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. They have created a page that collects the history of their work in Middle East and the statements, prayers, and action of the denomination. You can see it here.

Coffee & Conversation

Join us at 10:00 on Thursday mornings onsite at 1415 North K ST in Lake Worth Beach or online here (note new link) for coffee and conversation!

• Grocery Bags
• Peanut Butter
• Pouches of Tuna and/or chicken
• Canned Vegetables (tab top and/or single serve sizes are best)
• Ravioli, Spaghetti, Beefaroni (tab top)
• Canned Soups/Stews (tab top)
• Single serve ready to eat meals

We are in desperate need of the following mens' clothing items: 

• T-Shirts sizes L & XL
• Socks
• Boxer Briefs sizes L & XL
• Athletic shorts sizes L & XL
• Backpacks