"A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"

Well, it is a beautiful day in the neighborhood (mine, at least). The hazy, hot, humid days earlier in the week have given way to deep blue skies, puffy white clouds and a gentle westerly breeze.

For many of us in the Church days like this reflect the gentler schedules that we enjoy at this time of year, regardless of the setting. The congregational newsletters that I receive are "thinner". They talk about combined services with other congregations, or revised worship schedules, church picnics, retreats and workcamps, and reminders to keep up our pledges even if our weekends are spent doing other things than worshipping.

For my part, as a conference staff person, local churches that are in a time of pastoral transition continue to need assistance in going through the process of finding a pastoral leader. In the two associations for which I am primary responsibility for coverage (Oneida and Susquehanna) 11 of the 56 congregations are in the search process. Fortunately, most of these congregations have very good interim pastoral leadership to help them to grow through this transition time.

Yes, it's a beautiful day in my neighborhood, God is in heaven, and all is right with the world. I look out on my back yard and the grass is green (and doesn't need mowing for another couple of days!), the bushes are trimmed, the gardens are weeded. Yes, things are pretty good...until I think of the goffer holes under the storage shed and back deck, and the myriad other odd jobs that need doing. Suddenly, I'm thinking of going on a day-trip to take me away from it all. But then, I find myself wondering about how beautiful the day is in other neighborhoods.

It's partly cloudy in East London, Republic of South Africa, today. Our missionary partners, Dawn and Jon Barnes, are enjoying a mild mid-winter day with temperatures varying between 46-61 degrees Fahrenheit expected.

Dawn and Jon play a similar role to mine in working with pastors and churches in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa (the southeastern tip of the continent). They help facilitate clergy meetings, retreats, and womens' meetings. They help local churches address nutritional and economic needs. They's helped to start community garden that provide food and some income. And, they are very involved in the Samaritan Care Centre, a health clinic that provides, educational outreach programs and palliative care to HIV/AIDS sufferers. Click on this link for stories and articles of their work on our behalf in South Africa: http://www.globalministries.org/africa/missionaries/?country=&issue_topic=&missionaries_for_stories=barnes-jon-dawn.

In Nyala in the southern, more mountainous region of Darfur, Sudan it is 83 degrees. They are expecting rain and thunderstorms. Expectations might be different in the northern part of Darfur, where the U.N. peace keeping force was attacked by the Janjaweed yesterday.

We wonder what can stop the fighting, the ethnic conflict, the genocide. More peacekeepers with a broader mandate to stop of the violence might help. More pressure on China (one of the Sudanese government's strongest allies) might also help. Keeping our sisters and brothers in Darfur in prayer as well as their persecutors in Khartoum and the hosts of their refugee camps in Chad will definitely help.

In addition to prayer we can sign petitions of support on websites like http://www.savedarfur.org/ and give money to support the refugees and advocate for the end of the violence.

As churches we can also raise awareness and show our support by participating in such programs as Tents of Hope. Tents of Hope (http://www.tentsofhope.org/) raises our awareness and connects us with the suffering of the people in Darfur through the symbol of the refugee tent. We paint tents (or sections of tents) while we learn of the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur regions of Sudan. The Tents of Hope organization is planning a nationwide gathering of these colorful tents on the Mall in Washington D.C. in November.

The Oneida Association Global Church Committee is taking part in the Tents of Hope effort. The Committee invites all churches of the Association to join in a Mission Fair, September 13, Noon-4:00 at the Fairmount Community Church UCC, 4801 West Genesee St., Syracuse. Come for food and fellowship. (There will be a chicken barbecue plus hotdogs and hamburgers and "fixins".) Come and learn more about the crisis in Darfur. Come to paint a 12" square section of a tent that will be sent to the United Nations Refugee Camps in Chad. Once there the sections will be assembled into full tents.

In the meantime Plymouth Congregational UCC, Syracuse is also participating in the
Tents of Hope program. They will paint and display their tent during the annual Syracuse Arts & Crafts Fair, July 26-27. They also plan to take part in the Oneida Association Mission Fair.

And so, with thanks to Fred Rogers,

"It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?..."

Perhaps in their own way, the people of Darfur are asking these same questions.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles