This week's author is Debby Kirk, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Connecticut Conference, UCC.

Scripture: Psalm 133 (NRSV)

Reflection:

• It is like the miracle of 150 conferees clearing dishes, wiping tables, and sorting compost after each meal.
• It is like the team work required to balance the ‘whale watch’ on the low ropes course.
• It is like the sweet harmony of the entire camp singing the Love Round.
• It is like hearing scripture read by youth from the Sacred Journey Korean Partnership in their native tongue.

• Soul Sisters were empowered to break gender stereotypes,
• Hikers saw what it meant to walk as disciples and build bridges across cultures,
• River of Dreamers named the elements of a “New Jerusalem,”
• Family Campers taught us that siblings come in all sizes,
• And Joyful Noise lifted our spirits with music.

Prayer:

• Those grieving or suffering after violence caused one death and numerous injuries in Charlottesville, VA, when white supremacists and anti-hate groups clashed on August 12;
• those grieving for the two Virginia state policemen killed in a helicopter crash on July 12; and
• those grieving in Sierra Leone after a mudslide killed more than 170 people on July 14.

• Those grieving for 3 soldiers after a U.S. military place crashed off the shores of Australia on Aug. 5;
• the family and friends of Rev. Dewey Frank Fagerburg, Jr., retired UCC pastor, who died on July 14;
• the family and friends of Rev. Joseph O Shaw Jr., retired UCC pastor, who died on June 20;
• those grieving after a U.S. military place crashed in Mississippi, killing 16 people, on July 10;
• the families and friends of those found in a truck in San Antonio in extreme heat, on July 23;
• the family and friends of the Rev. Virginia Back, retired Interim Minister, who died on July 22;
• those grieving or effected by flash flooding in Arizona where 9 were killed on July 15;
• Mark Engstrom, member of the CT Conference Board of Directors, and his wife Nina, who are facing health issues;
• the community of Conway, MA, and the United Congregational Church, UCC, Conway after a tornado touched down on Feb. 25 causing significant structural damage;
• the people of South Sudan where nearly 1 million people are facing famine;
• John Polglase, husband of the Rev. Betsey Polglase, Pastor of the Columbia Congregational Church UCC, who has chronic pulmonary disease;
• the members and staff of Thompson Congregational Church after a fire severely damage the building on Dec. 29;
• Michael White, former Operations Manager at Silver Lake Conference Center, who was diagnosed with colon cancer;
• Juliane Silver, the daughter of the Rev. Jim Silver of Middletown, who is in dire need of a liver transplant. We pray that a donor will come forward giving the gift of life and a portion of their liver to Juliane;
• Chacy Eveland, husband of the Rev. Marcia Eveland, pastor of the First Congregational Church UCC of Ansonia, who has been moved to a full-time facility for care of dementia;
• the thousands of migrants worldwide who flee from violence and persecution in search of safety;
• our ecumenical partners in the Kyung-Ki Presbytery in South Korea;
• the Conference's partners working for peace in Colombia amidst violence;
• the leaders of this nation, that they may meet the challenges of the day with insight, wisdom, and compassion;
• this nation, that it may continue its difficult work to end the practices of racism;  and
• those serving or living in war or conflict zones around the world, or where terrorists have struck.

Please Remember These Connecticut Conference Churches
In Your Prayers:

Debby D. Kirk

Debby Kirk serves as leader of the staff team that provides resources for the work of nurturing disciples of all ages in the local church. Her area of focus is youth ministry. Contact her for:  Faith Formation Communities of Practice Confirmation ...