Love Each Other as Christ Loves Us

There is no room for hatred! Period.

On August 5 an arsonist set fire to a Korean church in Duluth for the third time in a year. Upside-down crosses and the word “Satan” were painted on the building’s exterior in black spray paint.

After construction delays due to the three arson fires, the members of Zion United Methodist Church were ready to open their new sanctuary building the following weekend.

The first arson fire occurred last August near an electrical fixture in the balcony and caused about $260,000 in damage. The second blaze in February caused about $150,000 in smoke damage to the sanctuary, church members said.

In the early morning hours two weeks ago, someone stood outside a side door of the church, poured gasoline on the ground until it seeped into the interior of the building and then lit it. The damage was minimal from this third fire because a sprinkler head extinguished the blaze before firefighters arrived. However, the sanctuary and fellowship hall sustained water damage.

Church member Sonnie Shin said, “We know whoever it is, is against God, but still we have no clue who it is.” He added, “I don’t think God wants us to move back[ward]. We’re going to go forward.” Mr. Shin is right. There is no room for hatred.

Someone painted swastikas on the sign in front of Congressman David Scott’s office in Smyrna last week. The incident follows national coverage of Scott’s encounter with a citizen opposed to health care reform at a recent town hall meeting. Since then his two local offices have been flooded with angry phone calls, faxes and e-mails.

One fax, representative of many of the correspondences, referred to Scott by a racial slur, promoting “Death to all Marxists! Foreign and domestic!”

One of the wonderful things about this country is that we can engage in debate over issues and we have the freedom to disagree, sometimes with great passion. But there is no room for hatred!

Last Wednesday President Obama presented Rev. Joseph Lowery the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. This 87 year-old retired United Methodist minister sat at the White House with 15 others including a former Supreme Court justice, theatrical and athletic stars, political leaders and luminaries of science.

Less than 60 years ago, Rev. Lowery and black men like him could not sit at the same lunch counter or share a bus seat with white people.

At the White House ceremony where he was honored he said, “We’ve come a long way — a long way. But unfortunately we still have a long way to go.”

Thank God for the progress. But until we learn to love each other--no matter who the “other” is--as Christ loves us, we have not arrived. There is no room for hatred.

Jamie Jenkins
jjenkins@ngumc.org

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We Must Go! North Georgia Mission Conference

The North Georgia Conference is sponsoring We Must Go, a mission conference to connect, equip and resource churches in North Georgia to become externally focused. The event will be October 24 at Mt. Pisgah UMC in John's Creek. Pastors, lay leaders, and anyone in the church who wants to move your congregation to have a more effective impact on your community and the Kingdom are invited to attend. The day will begin with a satellite Wesley Walk for Others to benefit Wesley Community Centers. For more information, visit www.ngumc.org/wemustgo.

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Upcoming Events

UMVIM Ghana Trip 8/17/2009
Labrynth: A Tool for Prayer 8/19/2009
Board of Connectional Ministries: Executive Committee Meeting 8/20/2009
Spirituality and Healing Retreat 8/21/2009

Entire Conference Calendar

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Lectionary Scriptures

Sunday, August 16

1 Kings 8:1, 6, 10-11; 22-30, 41-43
Psalm 84
Ephesians 6:10-20
John 6:56-69

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