| Langley United Methodist Church |
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Community Service |
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World-Wide Connections We support the work of faithful people around the world in a number of ways: |
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We sponsor
Paul Jeffrey,
a United Methodist mission journalist currently based in Oregon.
Paul's award-winning writing and photos focus on how
Christians and Christian communities struggle for justice
and peace in the midst of repression,violence, and rapid
economic and social change.
Paul has filed stories from all over the world,
writing about hurricanes, health care, massacres,
indigenous rights, refugees, and ecumenism.
In the course of his work, Paul has been trapped in combat,
tear-gassed and shot at, and taken prisoner by soldiers.
He's also had what he terms the "privilege of witnessing
the poor become subjects of their own history rather than
the objects of someone else's history."
Paul has prepared a moving audio-video presentation on his work
which can be found
here.
(Warning: high-speed internet connection needed.)
Until 2004, we were sponsoring Paul's wife,
Lyda Pierce, at that time
a missionary in Hondurus working through the Christian
Commission on Development to do community organization
and theological training for women in that country and
Central America in general.
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We collect a special offering each spring to support the
United Methodist Committee on Relief.
(That link is a good place to get the latest word on world
disasters and how UMCOR is helping.)
This agency provides emergency aid throughout the world.
Most recently, this agency has been working in the area
around Ground Zero in New York,
in Afghanistan, and in Central America following the
recent natural disasters there.
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We sponsor a girl named Helene in the Jamaa Letu Orphanage in Lubumbashi
in the Republic of Congo. The Jamaa Letu Orphanage cares for girls
who have been displaced by war, abuse, poverty, and starvation in the area.
Many of these girls have witnessed the death of their parents
during the recent years of war in this country.
They were left on their own in the wilderness (often at a very young age)
to survive as best they could.
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Social Questions Since the time of the American Revolution United Methodists have been concerned for the well-being of all people in society: |
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Greening Congregation: We are a Greening Congregation
in connection with
Earth Ministry,
a network of congregations that seek to connect Christian
faith with care for creation.
Greening Congregations engage people in knowing God more
fully through deepening relationships with all God’s creation
as a revelation of God,
practicing simplified living and environmental stewardship,
and seeking justice for all God’s creation.
Our hope is that through this, both personal lives
and cultures can be transformed.
As an expression of this emphasis, one of our Adult Support
Groups has care for creation as its focus.
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| Ministry to At-Risk Youth: We offer space in our basement to the South Whidbey Youth Connection at no cost as part of our ministry of service in this community. The Youth Connection serves a variety of Middle School and High School youth. Some of them are honor roll students. Others are at-risk and occasionally in trouble. We strongly support the work of the Youth Connection with all these young people and welcome them in our building. | to top | |
| Gender Inclusiveness: With the rest of the United Methodist Church we welcome the full involvement of both women and men in the life of the church. Women have preached from our pulpit and served in all key offices in our church. Our previous pastor was the Rev. Patricia Simpson, and until recently our District Superintendent (our pastor's boss) was the Rev. Elaine Stanovsky. | to top | |
| Reconciling Ministries: while our members hold a variety of views on the subject of homosexuality and our congregation has not adopted an official position on the matter, our Pastor, our Church Council, and our Staff Parish Committee have voiced their support for the full inclusion of gay and lesbian folk in the life of our church and the life of the church in general. In addition, one of our members, Larry Fox, is national advocate for Parents Reconciling Network working with churches on behalf of the parents and families of persons who happen to be sexual minorities. | to top | |
| September 11th: In the days following last fall's terrorist attacks, our church sponsored or hosted a number of events focusing on that tragedy. These vigils and services have been open to the community. We also share with many other people a concern for the people of the Arab world caught in the crossfire of events following the attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. We maintain a concern for poverty and despair wherever they are found. For certainly these provide a fertile ground for the rhetoric and tactics of extremists of many different persuasions. | to top | |
| War: The United Methodist Church regards war as the last resort, the failure of earnest efforts by all concerned to find some remedy short of armed conflict. In particular, unilateral armed intervention into countries that pose no immediate danger to the territory of the United States is a violation of international law and of the teachings of this denomination. | to top |
This page was last updated on May 07, 2008.