One of the...

…most difficult biblical stories to read is the one often not read during the Christmas season. But it’s one that occurred during that first Christmas. It’s the slaughter of the innocent children by the Romans, who were searching for the newborn baby to kill him.
 
The tragedy, of course, is that innocent children all around the world are still being slaughtered. Two thousand years later we are no more “civilized” now than our ancestors were then. We are still slaughtering children. Oh, the explanations may change, even the circumstances many change, but the deaths continue millennia later.
 
Children killed in Newtown two years ago. Children in Peshawar and Portland this week. Children in Ferguson and Chicago, children in Nigeria and Mexico, children in Gaza and the West Bank, children in Seattle and Santa Barbara this year. We are still slaughtering our children.
 
If we think back to the shock our nation felt in the days after the Sandy Hook massacre, we can begin to imagine how the people of Afghanistan must be feeling this week. But instead of 20 children killed, 130 are dead. Children who woke up one morning ready for a new day of learning but who will never return home. Families torn apart, dreams destroyed. A sense of anger at those who failed to protect, a sense of helplessness in the face of terror. And the killing continues.
 
All those emotions are shared by the parents of those girls who still have not rescued from their abductors in Nigeria and those parents of the 43 Mexican college students presumed to have been murdered in Mexico. And shared by the mothers of the Sandy Hook children and Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown thousands of others murdered in the US. But the killing continues.
 
What is mystifying me right now is a recent Pew Foundation survey. It found that for the first time in more than two decades, there is more support for gun rights than gun control. Currently, 52% say it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns, while 46% say it is more important to control gun ownership. Read report. The support for gun rights nearly doubled in the African American community.  Somehow, in the two years since Newtown Americans have been convinced that more guns offer us more protection. Despite the fact that seven children die every day from guns and that six times as many children suffer non-fatal injuries from guns in our nation. The number of children killed or injured by guns every year in our nation is equivalent to 134 classrooms, according to the Children’s Defense Fund. And the killing continues.
 
So, I mourn with the parents of Peshawar and all the parents who lost children this week and this year. In the midst of the joy of new birth there is the sorrow of the loss of others. Maybe that is just a dimension of human life.
 
But the biblical story ends with the Wise Men being warned in a dream not to return to Herod to report on the baby Jesus. And so, it says, they returned by another road.
 
The question that haunts me is simply this: can we be as wise as the Wise Men and try another road….

 

Compassion Corner

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical, and spiritual traditions,
calling us to always treat all others as we wish to be treated.

 

Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures,
to dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and put another there, and to honor the inviolable sanity
of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

                  Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life

                  ~~~~Karen Armstrong~~~~

Meetings and important events

Farmworker’s Christmas:
Volunteers needed for the Farm Workers Christmas Party on  Sunday 12/21/14.
The presents will be presented on Sunday Dec 21^st from 1 to 4pm at St.Clements Catholic Church on Alexander Rd, in Plant City. From Tampa, to reach the church take exit 21 off of I-4, turn right and the church will be on your left.
We have been asked to provide 3 volunteers to help with the distribution of the presents to the children and families.  Please contact C.L.Townsend (813-638-2260) or Cheryl Rodriguez (813-758-6003) by Saturday Dec 20^th.  Thanks for all the contributions of diapers and funds.



Coming Up:
 

Sunday, December 21  @ 2:00 - Blue Christmas service
 

For those not feeling joyful during this holiday season
 

 

Christmas Eve Services: Please join us.  All are welcome for this special evening!

6:00 pm -  Family service

9:00 pm - Candlelight service

January 4 and 11 - Next New Members Class
Saturday, January 17 - All Church Retreat

 

Sunday adults' discussion group


The adults' discussion group has resumed! They will be reading The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible  by Charles Eisenstein. Join them at 10:10 in the library.





Thanks!

Once a year we take a special UCC Luv offering.  We ask that everyone make a $20 special contribution to cover the FL Conference $14.50 per capita and the balance goes to Our Church's Wider Mission.  We ask those who can make a larger contribution to do so to help out someone else who cannot make the full $20 contribution.  So far we have collected $1205, which does not cover our per capita for the Conference.  Nor does it provide additional funds for Our Church's Wider Mission to go to the Conference and the National church.  We can receive funds for our Special UCC offering until the end of the year.  Please think about how much the UCC means to us and give generously.
 

 

HOPE latest news


At the Tampa City Council meeting on Nov.13, the Council asked the City Attorney to come on January 22 with possible language for an amendment to the ordinance previously passed on Fair Chance Hiring. Such language would include a requirement that vendors with contracts with the City of Tampa also drop the question asking about criminal records from the initial job application.  However, there was much discussion among the Council and the City Attorney about whether the Council has the authority to pass such legislation.  There was also opposition coming from the Associated Builders and Contractors Association, although they had previously indicated support for such an amendment. to HOPE.  We did, however, get support from Abe Brown Ministries, the ACLU and the East Tampa Business and Civic Association.

It will be very important to have at least 50 HOPE supporters at the January 22 Council meeting to show broad-based support for this amendment.  Please join us if you are able.

Meanwhile, we continue to work on the use of Civil Citations in Hillsborough County and in the state.  We are holding a number of meetings with state legislators and with local stakeholders, those in the criminal justice and judicial systems. Our goal is to get more offenses included in Civil Citations in Hillsborough county and to get the state legislation amended so that Civil Citations become the default of youth involved in first-time non-serious misdemeanors.

We are also still working on establishing an Affordable Housing Trust Fund in Hillsborough County and have had several promising meetings with some of the County Commissioners. 
If you are interested in working on either research committee, please let Pastor Bernice know.

How many people have been killed by guns since Newtown?

Click here to see an updated tally.




Listen to sermons online

Now you can listen to recordings of Sunday sermons on our website, www.ucctampabay.org.  Tell your friends!





Please help us on Sundays

If you are the last one to leave the church property on Sunday, PLEASE be mindful to check that all doors are locked.  Thank you!



Sunday School news

Sunday School classes are as follows:

Primary (ages 4-10) - The children will be in church for the pastor's time.  Then they will leave for class with the teacher at approximately 11:10 AM.

Nursery (ages 3 and under) - The children can be with parents and participate in the pastor's time until all children go to the classrooms.

You can visit www.sermons4kids.com and www.kids2kidsmissions.org to see the kinds of activities that are in store for your children.  If you have any questions, please call Debra Warner at 813-909-0591.

Needed! 3-4 more teachers and 1-2 teacher's assistants.  Would you consider being a teacher or assistant at least once a month?  Our children need you.



2 x 3 = 6

Six hours spread over three months – the amount of time Hospitality Hosts contribute to making our Sunday Fellowship Time the best.  Each host “team” member agrees to serve once a month for three months – providing food, enjoying rich fellowship and – yes – cleaning up.

You are invited to become part of this continuing ministry.  As a regular member of a team – pick your Sunday – or as a substitute available as needed. One further note – Paul D’Agostino and Jim Roney come early every Sunday to make coffee in addition to serving as fifth Sunday hosts.




First United name badges

We are ordering name badges for members, friends, and visitors.  The cost is $10.00.  Please contact the church office at 813-988-4321 or churchoffice@ucctampabay.org.




Submitting items to Courage in the Struggle

We hope you enjoy receiving Courage in the Struggle, the weekly e-news of First United Church of Tampa.  If you would like to submit an item that would be of interest to the members and friends of First United, please email it to webservant@ucctampabay.org.  Attach your submission as a Word document.  Submissions may be edited for length or clarity.  For events, be sure to include the date, time, location, and cost (if any).  Thank you!