Weekly Greeting - July 7th, 2023
Dear Bethlehem Family,
As I mentioned during our Prayers of the People time during worship this past week, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, recently released an 85-page advisory declaring loneliness a new public health epidemic in the United States.
Given the report tracks a decline in social connections, especially among young people and shows that half of adults are lonely, the importance of our reaching out to our neighbors and welcoming them into our church has never been more important.
It is also important for us to share resources in our community seeking to help address loneliness and other mental health challenges. Find Hope Franklin, an organization with a mission to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and create an environment where people can feel empowered to ask for help is offering three sessions of Question Persuade Refer (QPR) suicide prevention and mental health awareness training in conjunction with Franklin Tomorrow in the month of July. I hope you will consider attending and encourage others to take part in the training.
The classes are planned for July 10, July 19, and July 24. For specific times and locations contact Find Hope Franklin at https://findhopefranklin.com
You can also register though Eventbrite.
Peace and blessings,
Craig
This Sunday we begin our new worship series “Belonging” based on the Gospel of Matthew. This week’s text is Matthew 11:7-19. The passage describes Jesus’ reflections on John the Baptist’s role in preparing the way for the coming of the new age. Some people refused to listen to John because they thought he was too strict. Others refused to listen to Jesus because they thought he was not prim and proper enough. “Yet,” Jesus says, “wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” Join us this Sunday as we reflect on what Jesus has to say about true wisdom.