April
21, 2014
Pastorgraphs: “Every Good Friday”
We were
honored and blessed to have our District Superintendent, the Rev. John
Farley (far right), back with us Easter Sunday to participate in the
energetic multi-ethnic worship of Exodus Parish. David Stump (Christ Chapel lay
pastor, far left) delivered a stimulating Easter sermon. Jean Elise Durandisse
(Haitian Methodist lay pastor, left center), and the Haitian choir blessed us
with their blend of Caribbean and gospel music. The Rev. Dr. Donald Owens
(Exodus Church, center right), planned the program and introduced the Voices of
Exodus who filled our worship with inspirational gospel music.
The meeting
with our Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the California-Pacific Annual
Conference last Wednesday went wonderfully well. I shared an email with most of
you Thursday with her kind and timely words reflecting on that meeting. The
Cal-Pac Cabinet (made up of the District Superintendents, Conference Lay
Leaders and Bishop) will be meeting Thursday and Friday of this week and will
make a determination on proceeding with a Constituting Conference for Exodus
Parish. What that means if approved, Exodus Parish (four Methodist-related
ethnic congregations who worship at Christ Ministry Center) will become
officially chartered as a new United Methodist parish (or church). The Bishop
noted that old Christ Church died, but from that funeral came the resurrection
of a new, stronger congregation. Exodus Parish is a symbol for Easter! Thank
you in advance for your prayers that God’s Will be done in this important
matter.
Friday of
Holy Week is called Good Friday. Every Friday is a day the hungry in our
neighborhood may come to Christ Ministry Center for a banana box full of
groceries (a ministry conducted by the Rev. Bob and Linda DiGiorgio and their
Crossroads Christian Ministries International). On occasion we have had other
groups come in on Fridays to offer various services ranging from health care
insurance assistance to free tax preparation.
The thought
occurred to me that EVERY FRIDAY could be a “community open house” at
Christ Ministry Center where various organizations could set up booths or
tables to help in a wide range of services. For instance, this Friday, I will
be meeting with a neighborhood health clinic that wants to offer FREE health
screening services for women’s health issues for those who cannot otherwise
afford to see a doctor! How amazing will that be?
My friend,
the Rev. Ken Nielsen of the Mid-City Minister’s Prayer Group, suggested we call
it “EVERY GOOD FRIDAY”. I like that. It would not mean every service
would be offered every Friday, for some like the neighborhood health clinic
might want to come one Friday a month. Obviously free tax preparation help is a
seasonal thing. But every Friday, we will continue to distribute food along
with spiritual counseling, prayers for the sick, and a host of other ministries
and services.
Stay tuned,
more to follow. There are some exciting things going on at Christ Ministry
Center.
Devotedly
yours, Bill Jenkins
From the
Quote Garden:
“Until we
embrace our mutual brokenness, our work with low-income people is likely to do
more harm than good. I sometimes unintentionally reduce poor people to objects
that I use to fulfill my own need to accomplish something. I am not okay, and
you are not okay. But Jesus can fix us both.”
Steve Corbett, When Helping Hurts:
Steve Corbett, When Helping Hurts:
How to Alleviate Poverty Without
Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself
Christ United Methodist Ministry
Center
“Christ
in the Heart of San Diego”
3295
Meade Avenue - San Diego, CA 92116 - (619) 284-9205
Home of
Exodus
Cooperative Parish
Exodus Church
- Christ
Chapel - Haitian Methodist - Mision Metodista
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