Mid-Week Message - August 14

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be always with you!

and Happy Pride!

I receive a number of newsletters by e-mail from various groups in the United Church of Canada, and every Tuesday that includes the E-ssentials newsletter with updates on what is going on around the United Church across the country. Yesterday's issue included an article about rising rates of hate crimes towards 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in Canada. (You can read the article by clicking here.) Here at Two Rivers, we have been fortunate not to have been targeted because of our Affirming stance, but other Affirming churches across the country have experienced vandalism to rainbow flags and other affirming symbols, and have received hate mail.

Last night, a group of us gathered in the Parlour to watch the movie Pride (2014), based on a true story and set in the UK in 1984/5 when the Lesbian and Gay community offered practical support to striking coal miners.  The movie doesn't hold back from depicting the overt homophobia, fear, and violence of that era.

Fortunately today, 40 years later, there is less overt violence towards the queer community than there was in the time of the movie; but we know that homophobia and biphobia and transphobia still exist in our world today; and the statistics in the article I've linked above show that it is increasing again.

The underlying message of the movie is one of solidarity - after LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) offered financial support and solidarity to the striking miners, the Mineworker's Union not only joined them in the 1985 London Pride Parade, but advocated politically so that the Labour Party in the UK incorporated rights for gay and lesbian people into their party programme.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to offer assistance to anyone in need. Think of Matthew 25:31-46 when Jesus lists off some of the things he expects his followers to do:  feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirst, welcoming the stranger, giving clothing to those without, visiting prisoners.  Whenever we care for someone in need, we are caring for Jesus.

And this includes using the gifts/skills/time we have been given to support marginalized and oppressed communities.

If you are a member of the queer community, Pride is an opportunity to celebrate and to claim some space in the world. If you aren't queer, Pride is still important, because like the miners in the movie, you can lend your solidarity and support.

All that to say, Saint John's Pride Parade is coming up on Saturday afternoon, and both of the weather apps on my phone are currently showing a good weather forecast for that day!  Whether you are queer or not, you are invited to join the Affirming Churches of the Saint John area as we walk in the parade.  Here are the details (and if you have participated in the past, note that the route is different this year due to all of the construction uptown):

Gathering:  between 1:15 at 1:45 in the Smythe Street Parking Lot (33-49 Smythe Street - if you turn right from St. Patrick Street on to Union, then turn right onto Smythe, the parking lot is on the left just before you get to Long Wharf - the parade should be easy to spot! The United Churches are currently assigned position 10 in the parade, though that may change between now and Saturday.)

Ending:  The parade route ends at the Area 506 Container Village, and there will be the "Over the Rainbow Parade After Party and Craft Market" at the container village that everyone is welcome to stay for and explore.

Bring:  A water bottle, any Affirming signs you might want to carry (I'll bring the ones I have at the church, along with all of our rainbow flags), and the past couple of years it has been very hot and sunny and people have appreciated an umbrella for shade

Wear:  Sunscreen, comfortable shoes for walking, and whatever you are comfortable in! Pride is all about being free to be authentically yourself. (I'll bring some face paint, and hopefully someone with more artistic talent than I have will be willing to paint rainbows on faces!)

Also - there are a whole lot of Pride-related activities going on all week in and around Saint John in addition to the parade on Saturday. For a full list of upcoming events, you can click here.

In terms of other announcements for this week:

• Worship on Sunday will be at 9:15 at Long Reach and 11:15 at Westfield and on FB Live. This week's movie tie-in will be Pride, the movie that I was talking about earlier, and the scripture reading will be Luke 4:14-21.

• Movie Nights - we still have a couple more movie nights to go this summer. We gather every Tuesday in the parlour at Westfield United at 7pm - the popcorn is popped, and feel free to bring your beverage of choice! Our last couple of movies will be:

  
  

  Tues. Aug. 20:  The Muppet Christmas Carol

  
  

  Tues. Aug. 27:  Field of Dreams

• School Supplies for MacDonald Consolidated - once again, Long Reach and Summerville churches are collecting school supplies for MCS. Their wish-list includes:  white erasers, duotangs, pencils, Hilroy notebooks, white board markers, and math sets. Donations can be dropped off at either church.

• Summerville Art Festival - Summerville United Church is partnering with the Art Festival again this year, hosting artist's talks on Aug. 21 and 22, then providing parking for the festival the day of the festival (Aug. 24 from 11:30-5) as well as holding a barbecue and a quilt gallery. For more details about the artists and events, you can check out their Facebook Page or website.

• Bible Study will be resuming in September beginning the Wednesday after Labour Day (Sept. 4). We gather in the parlour at Westfield United Church from 10-11:30 each Wednesday, and each week is a stand-alone session. Everyone is welcome to join us, at any time! We read from the bible (we are currently in the middle of a meander through the Old Testament, trying to get a sense of the overall story arc and wrestling with some of the more challenging stories we come across) and then discuss what we are hearing. We learn together through sharing and listening.

• And a reminder that our annual Two Rivers Pastoral Charge picnic will be on Sunday September 8 at 11am at the Sherwood's Cottage (100 Admiral Lane, Long Reach). We will worship on the beach, then share in the "best potluck of the year." (Giving lots of advance notice, as you won't want to miss this one!)

And I think that is all of the announcements for this week!

As a closing thought this week, unfortunately this week's movie, Pride, isn't available for streaming on any platforms (that I was able to find). In an example of impeccable timing though, one of the YouTube channels that I follow released a video on the weekend, examining the movie for historical accuracy as it is based on real events. (Spoiler alert - it is very historically accurate!) As someone who has seen the movie, it was fascinating to see how much of it was true-to-life; and for someone who hasn't seen the movie, it gives a very good overview of the story behind the move. I encourage you, if you are able, to take 40 minutes between now and Sunday so that you can familiarize yourself with the story of LGSM and the striking Welsh Miners. You can find it by clicking here.  (And if you don't have 40 minutes to spare, no worries - you can watch a short clip from the movie by clicking here that will give you a sense of the film. In this scene, one of the striking miners has come to London to pick up the first cheque from LGSM and finds himself on the stage in a gay bar giving a thank you speech.)

Blessings to you and yours, today and always!

Kate.

Rev. Kate Jones

Two Rivers Pastoral Charge

(506) 757-2201 (office)

(506) 343-1307 (mobile)

www.tworiverspastoralcharge.com

Pronouns:  she/her/hers

"Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?"

Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: "You must love your neighbour as you love yourself."

(Matthew 22:36-39)