What does the church need to do now?

Message from Pastor Mori 

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church The Weekly Newsletter    Message from Pastor Mori This summer has been really tough for everyone. We are living with high contagious disease and racism.  I just think of all of you every day. I pray every morning for the Ravenswood Fellowship family.    I especially think about our children and students who are most fragile and need protection. This season would normally be the most delightful and exciting with the start of the new school year and the meeting of new friends, new teachers, and classes. However, this year, instead we have the jitters of back-to-school, students are having to deal with increased anxiety.    For students who attend school in person, they worry about illness and germs. Students who take online classes are anxious about missing milestones and the cancellation of their favorite activities such as band, sports, or group faith activities.    For my own prayer and care for them, I read an article about children and student's anxiety the advice from a psychologist. I want to share some of it.    First, keep calm and listen. Most of all, parents need to be aware of their own anxiety and cope with it and show how to be calm and confident.  I think even though our world is full of tragedy and confusion with political issues, our children should feel safe and be free from fear.    Second, help children focus on what they can control such as washing hands and wearing masks, and following guidelines about social distancing. There is the possibility of anxiety when they hear about normal activities such as a friend's birthday party, or a sporting event, or Halloween. Let them think about how people are staying safe and can be together in a safe way.    Third, enforce good routines and practice regular routines such as sleep, good nutrition, and regular physical activity.  This makes them prepared for change including the possibility that school might transition from in-person to virtual instruction.  (Resource from WSJ, Tuesday, August 18, 2020. Article of Health and Wellness)    And now, I think about the kids who could not get these supports at all. Especially, children who need to watch their siblings, the neighbors who have been oppressed due to their skin color. I assume that kids of color experience even higher amounts of stress.   So I pray for them and donate school supplies for them. This is the reason we have the Backpack Blessing Prayer. Thank you so much for your donations. We will bless those materials and send them to students in need. Also, we have invited the manager of Kids Above All (a United Methodist affiliated, non-profit agency), Deaconess Catherine Inserra to speak this Sunday (August 30). I invite you to listen to her sermon to learn how we best serve as a UMC congregation.    This is a hard time, but I think this is also a time to pray and to help our next generation especially those who need support from us. Thank you again for your donations and prayers.  I hope I can see you all at the Backpack Blessing Prayer!   Blessings  MORI      Give on PayPal Give on PayPal Community Info & Links Backpack Blessings Aug 29 Saturday 10:30 AM This academic year is tough for both students and parents as they need to take online classes. Also, it is a hard situation for teachers and school staff. As a church, we want to bless and support our students and parents and teachers and school staff.    Meet outside the church on the Hermitage side to receive this blessing. We will be doing this blessing with Berry United Methodist Church. (Rev. Matthew Krings) Please look at the poster for the information.  We will have a chance to pray and bless the backpacks. We plan to give a mini sanitizer to all students who come. If you have any question, please email Pastor Mori email    United Voices of Children "Kids Above All" Back to School Drive Donation  It is time for the Back to School Backpack Drive! School supplies are an expense that many of our families have difficulty affording. The Back to School Drive is underway and our kids need your help to make sure they are ready to learn--no matter where and how they do it! Please look at the flyer. You can purchase and send school supplies from Kids Above All's Amazon Wishlist. Check it out! The donation box in the office, Tue-Fri 10:00-3:00   NIC Prayer Book  Don't worry about anything? That's pretty hard to do these days! In addition to the effects of the pandemic, the economy, and whether the rising momentum against racism will produce change, we all have experienced personal concerns with family, friends, transitions, and lost celebrations. Yet it is when we pray that we are able to pour our hearts and minds out to God. Click here to view the book, and download PDF or place a print-on-demand order through Amazon. September Japanese Garden Prayer Saturday, Sep 05, 9:00-9:30AM We invite you to the second Japanese Garden prayer gathering to pray for peace and justice. This time we will pray with handbell ringing and listen to Japanese traditional music. I hope you join the prayer so we can start a beautiful fall season with peaceful prayer. We have limited the prayer to fifteen people due to garden capacity, so please sign-up here. The poster is here.  September Worship Bible Reader  Please sign-up for September Bible Reader. Here are the sermon series and Bible scripture. The sign-up link is here.  The Hope Project People say this is a hard situation. It is very true, but the church never loses hope in Christian history. Please send your children's art drawing or grandchildren's art drawing to show hope to our neighborhood. We will exhibit the drawings outside of the church. The pictures could be about family, friends, or their dreams or flowers, trees, and animals, or anything that shows hope.  Please look at the poster for the information. The due date is Sunday, Sep 13. More information, please email Pastor Mori email    UMM 2020 Spiritual Congress Online Conference Saturday, Sept. 19 – 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM CT  Prayer and Reflection "Sunrise at the Point"   Sunday, Sept. 20. 7:00 AM  Theme: Be a part of the long-term and permanent solution to end racism, violent crime, intolerance, and social unrest. Theme: Guest Speaker: Danny K. Davis – U.S. House of Representatives. Bishop Sally Dyck – Northern Illinois Conference United Methodist Church. Lori Lightfoot – Mayor, City of Chicago.Father Michael Pfleger – Senior Pastor, Saint Sabina's Community of Faith. Bishop James Swanson –Mississippi Conference United Methodist Church Flyer and information link here    Medical Ministry Report  Our old friend Debbie Dornon send their summarised medical missionaries from Nepal. Please read the newsletter. I can see here how Doctors debate with the disease in a pandemic with limited resources. Pray to God, confess that I did complain for cabin fever when they fighting for patience. Please pray for the Dornon family and their ministry. Also, pray for Nepal and the United Methodist Mission Hospital Tansen.    RFUMC Re-Opening Committee Meeting On Wednesday, Sep 02, at 7:00 PM via Zoom. We will discuss re-opening the Church with the government and Northern Illinois Conference guidelines. If you are a committee member check your email for the zoom link. If you want to join, please email Pastor Mori After Covid-19 Updates. Read about the Phases for Re-Opening here. Is that document too long? Read the summary version here.   COVID-19 Assistance Program  -The Illinois Emergency Mortage Assistance Program.  This program will begin accepting applications on Monday, Aug.24, for those who meet the requirements. More Information is here  -ComEd's Customer-Assitance Package.   This program helps customers affect the pandemic with grants up to $500 to more flexible payment options. More information is here.                                                                                                                                                  Links for Worship.  Join Zoom worship by going to this link at 10:30 AM on Sunday: https://zoom.us/j/806489040. Or call in at 1-312-626-6799 (Meeting ID: 806 489 040).  Let's boost our worship! Please sign-up for Worship Bible Reader. September Worship  Bible reader sign-up here. September Bible Scripture here Young People's Bible Study. Ages 12-18 are invited to join the Zoom discussion of Jesus stories at 9 AM on Sunday mornings. Join the Zoom call here (Meeting ID: 828 2305 3546, One-tap mobile+13126266799) Want prayer? During our Prayers of the People, we will read your prayer requests. Submit your prayer requests here.  Download. Get your bulletin here. Having trouble? Try logging off and logging back on to Zoom during the video. Or simply log off and call in.  Missed last week? Check out the Facebook Live video on our page here. Youtube Link here Give on PayPal Our mailing address is: 4511 North Hermitage Ave. Chicago, IL 60640 Contact us at: ravfelumc@yahoo.com (773) 561-2610 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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