Montclair Presbyterian Church

Come join the Presbyterians Fighting AIDS! We will join a group from several Presbyterian churches on July 17^th for a 6-mile walk raising funds for local and international organizations that fight AIDS and provide care for those who suffer from it. We will meet at MPC to carpool over to the city (contact Talitha for more information).

Why do you walk? A few people answered this question in celebration on Pride Sunday (June 26^th). One person shared the names and stories of her friends who had died of AIDS – some who died in the years before anyone knew what the disease was. Some of us know people who live with the virus, thriving thanks to new medicines, but still struggling in many other ways. One person shared a picture of a young boy who has been HIV+ since birth. We also heard from one person who doesn’t have personal connections to the cause – but who has committed to the walk for many years. He believes that it is very important for us to represent the Presbyterian church at this event. Perhaps especially this year, while the conservative side of the PC(USA) tries to reclaim the word “Presbyterian” for close-minded and exclusive causes, it is important for us to be out there expressing our love, our concern, and our commitment to work for healing and wholeness.

If none of these have convinced you, consider – we also walk because it is FUN, an inspiring, festive, and joyful day. Join us!

Register online: http://www.aidswalk.net/sanfran/takeaction/register.html and use the group “Presbyterians Fighting AIDS.”

THIS SUNDAY, Memorial Day Weekend, we take time out to remember and honor those who have given their lives in the struggle for peace. This is at the regular celebration (10 AM) – and many thanks to the Spiritual Activists and Peacemakers who have come together to help plan the service!

We will be using songs and material from the Taizé monastery in this service. Taizé is a town in France where, during World War Two, some brave and devoted Christians began sheltering refugees, hiding Jews, and living in intentional community together. Following the war they continued to nurture the community that had grown up there, and eventually found their calling in the work of reconciliation. Every week for decades now, thousands of young people have gathered in Taizé, coming from many countries (mainly from Europe but now from other continents as well). The entire gathered community, from so many different walks of life, learns to pray together in a very simple contemplative form. They pray by repeating simple songs in many languages.

The symbol of Taizé, which you will see on the necklaces of many a young European, is a combination between a dove and a cross. It represents 2/3 of the Trinity, yes (Christ and the Holy Spirit), but more than that, it expresses the deep ties between peace and reconciliation in the Christian story. The letter to the Colossians speaks of the mystery of Christ in this way: “in him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to Godself ALL THINGS, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”

The mystery of the cross remains baffling – how can an instrument of torture become a symbol of peace? But it is in this mystery that we find hope and strength to continue struggling for peace. God can bring healing and reconciliation out of even our darkest moments.