Calvin Synod Herald, 1987 (87. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)
1987 / 1. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD — 8 — REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA NEWS FROM THE UCC St. Louis site recommended Calling St. Louis a “progressive city with vision and energy,” the UCC Headquarters Location Committee is recommending that the “Gateway City” be chosen as the new headquarters for the United Church of Christ. Metropolitan St. Louis (pop. 2.4 million) got the nod over Cleveland and New York City. Earlier the committee had eliminated Chicago and Indianapolis. New York has been the UCC’s only headquarters, chosen by General Synod 4 in 1963. The recommendation now goes to the UCC Executive Council, meeting Mar. 11-15, then to General Synod 16, meeting in June in Cleveland. Headquarters are defined as the location of the church’s officers, now based at 105 Madison Avenue in New York. Altogether about 140 professional staff and 170 support staff work for the UCC in New York City. The committee’s hope is that all the national agencies, not only those at “105” but the UC Boards for Home and World Ministries as well (now at other addresses in New York City), will relocate to a common site. It is recommending that the officers move in 1989, or as soon as possible thereafter, when the Madison Avenue lease expires. There are 17P UCC churches within a 50 mile radius of downtown St. Louis, including many in southern Illinois. “I am pleased,” said Illinois South Conference minister Martha Ann Baumer. “St. Louis has a strong UCC heritage and it ties together geographically various parts of the country.” One Great Hour of Sharing Throughout much of the third world the work of children is crucial. Little children take care of smaller children, so that their mothers can work in the fields. Small boys with sling-shots and keen eyes chase marauding birds and rodents away from the family’s garden. Young girls share the endless burden of fetching water - precariously balancing the heavy buckets on their heads for many miles every day. Children help clear rocks and hoe and weed and tend livestock. And when parents grow too old to work, it is their surviving children who will provide for them - all without the benefit of social security or Medicare. The work goes on; it is the survival of children that is so uncertain. In many parts of the world half the children bom die before their fifth birthday from diseases that could be prevented. Half of the surviving five-year-olds may not live to adulthood. Through One Great Hour of Sharing you are helping the most vulnerable of God’s children by providing Mother/Child Health Care Centers, immunizations, nutrition education, seeds for school and family gardens, vocational training, and community projects that include the, development of safe drinking water systems. It is work undertaken with great joy, for children - all children - are an inheritance of the Lord. Teen advocates hugs not drugs i by Julie Mutchman I When I think of hugs not drugs, I think of holding on to the things in life that really count. I try to do my best ih all I do. I enjoy sports, listening to music, making good grades and being with my family and friends. I have learned in I church, we must Stand up for what we feel is right and drugs will not solve any problems. They will make I Íou feel good for a diile but in the long j i)un they will destroy your life. 11 have found if you Julie Mutchman keep busy, you are not likely to turn to drugs. Drugs are dangerous. Drugs cause many deaths each year. They cause trouble in your home. They cause a dhange in your personality. If you have a problem, it would be better to go to an older person or a good friend you can trust for help. Learn to use good judgment. Don’t be a fool. Play it smart. Use hugs not drugs. I recently saw a sticker on a car that said, “Have You Hugged Your Child Today?” If parents would take time to show teenagers they truly cared, maybe a lot of problems could be solved in the home. I feel some who turn to drugs are just searching for an answer. They need to turn to those they love for a hug of encouragement. Drugs are expensive, while the love we show through a hug is free. A hug is a pat on the back saying someone cares and understands. A hug shows love. A hug from someone will make you feel you have a friend, someone to talk to and will give you strength when you are weak and afraid. I feel our society would be a better place to live if there were more hugs and no drugs. A hug is an act of love. What better way to be a true friend. In a world of so much distress, we can put our arms around one another and together we can build a world free from drugs. We can stand tall together and with God’s help we can beat this problem. It’s a job for everyone to work at. We must replace bad with good. Hugs not drugs can work because love is the greatest gift of all and love can prevail. The Way We Witness is a reader-written column of stories and ideas to help others learn news ways to act out their faith. Julie Mutchman, a member of St. John's UCC, Buckskin, Ind., and a high school freshman, won first prize for this essay in a contest sponsored by a local hospital. We welcome stories from both laity and clergy. united Church News W&Witness
