Dear PCJH Family,

As your pastors we feel called to respond to what happened yesterday at our nation’s capital.  Perhaps, like us, you are experiencing the following emotions: shock, anger, sadness, and deep concern.  Our hearts are heavy.  We believe Jesus is with us, Emmanuel.  Know we are praying for you and our country.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” -Psalm 33:12

As citizens of God’s Kingdom we are committed to following Jesus Christ as faithful disciples and being a people of faith, hope and love.  As citizens of America we affirm our rights to hold peaceful protests, but what happened yesterday was not peaceful.  The violence and loss of life, the desecration of our capital building, and the riot acts were appalling and horrific.  We are grateful for the Republicans, Democrats and Independents of Congress who condemned the riots, called for unity, and then courageously finished the work before them until the early hours of this morning.  This is all far from over and there is much work to do to heal our nation.  But let us not lose hope!  Let us look to Jesus and point others to our Lord and Savior, who is faithful in love.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.” -1 Corinthians 13:13

I, (Pastor Ben), will provide a pastoral address to the congregation during worship this Sunday with further reflections on the state of our nation through the lens of Christ and His Word.  I hope to provide some helpful ways to move forward in love as individuals and a community of faith.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” -Romans 12:12

We would like to call all of us to a day of prayer tomorrow, Friday, January 8th.  We will have our chapel open from 7:00am to 7:00pm for anyone who would like to find a quiet place to pray.  The side door to the chapel just to the left of the main entrance will be unlocked.  Please come pray for our nation, our leaders, the Church, and even our enemies.  Pray for the love and justice of Jesus Christ to be manifest so that the peace of God may prevail through the unity of the Holy Spirit.

May you be comforted by God’s word to us in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In Christ,

-Ben and Tammy