Thanks for the Conversation

Hello Gloria Dei,

I want you to know that I have heard from many of you following last week’s Friday Followings in which I encouraged all of us to Pray and Act in response to the recent shootings in our nation. I thank you for taking me up on the invitation for dialogue. I hope to keep the dialogue going. I thank you for your continued prayers for the victims and their families, and for the many who have said they have and will write to our government representatives. I hope we can continue to talk of this and other issues with respect and trust of one another. It is helpful conversation.

Another part of this conversation is, of course, mental health. Just like physical health, so too our mental health and well-being is extremely important for all of us. Furthermore, it is vital that we recognize ways to remove the stigma which often surrounds mental health issues. It is important for all of us to be able to dialogue without judgment and to know how to properly respond when this becomes an issue for us, or our families, or our community.

Having been part of a session on Mental Health Education this week, I am encouraged that our Faith Community Nurse, our Pastors, our staff, and others, are committed to keeping Mental Health Awareness a part of our continued learning for Gloria Dei. We hope to bring more and more opportunities to learn about this important subject to our Gloria Dei family and to the surrounding areas. Again, thanks for the dialogue.

As you prepare for worship this weekend, we will be celebrating the day of Pentecost, when God’s Holy Spirit was set loose in the world and upon the early Christian believers. The color of the day is red… so if the Spirit moves you, don’t hesitate to wear red to worship this week.
Please read Acts chapters one and two in preparation for our Pentecost Celebration.

See you in worship,

Pastor Tim