Category: Uncategorized

Today we can chime in with the words of the prophet Jeremiah… with God’s message to God’s people, not in Zion, but particularly in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.   “Listen to the weeping of my people all across the city: ‘Isn’t the Lord in Baltimore?  Is our God no longer here?’  ….Because my people are crushed, I am crushed; darkness and despair overwhelm me.”   (adapted from Jeremiah 8:19,21)

Now we ask ourselves, what can we DO?

1.  Pray.  Alone, with your family, with any group you are a part of.

2. Be a neighbor.  Get to know the teenager across the street or down the block.  Show interest in his activities, in her school progress, in his life.  You could be the positive, stable, healthy influence that makes a difference.

3.  Speak up.  Make it clear to our elected officials and to our police department that unequal treatment based on neighborhood, age, dress or race is not tolerated in this city.

4.  Commit to being a part of our Harlem Avenue Bible Camp this summer to connect with children starved for the opportunity to engage in healthy activities that many of us take for granted.

5. Pray.  Lift up those who are weeping, those who question God’s presence, those who have been crushed by loss of property or a job, by loss of trust in a family member involved in looting, by fear, and/or by sadness.

Jessie and Nick Leonard, HRPC, with Melvin Meares and Dave Rowe, First Presbyterian, Hickory, NC

Blest be the tie that binds….You never know how God will work in and through your relationships to connect you with one another….

Once upon a time, Jessie and Nick Leonard came from Hickory, NC to Baltimore to study and work.  Then Rev. Deborah McEachran was called from Hickory, NC to serve the Hunting Ridge Presbyterian Church.  So Jessie and Nick joined Hunting Ridge.  Very quickly, Jessie and Nick began to share their gifts with HRPC in multiple ways, including improving the condition of our building and grounds.  This week, a team of 13 adults come from Hickory, NC to Hunting Ridge to lend 26 hands on various projects inside and out.  Add to that 44 more hands from Hunting Ridge to help with painting, landscaping, feeding and cleaning.  Add to that 16 more hands of local workers who worked alongside Presbyterians from Hickory and Baltimore, thanks to a gift from FPC, Hickory.  The building is being transformed into a more welcoming place for our entire community.  Now you can see more of our building from the street!  The fellowship hall is no longer dingy and dirty. Flowers and mulch bring color and beauty.  Our church office has had a face lift.  Corroding stained glass windows are being tended to.   We give thanks to God for the ties across states, between congregations, among brothers and sisters in Christ.  Truly we have been gifted by others in many ways.  In gratitude, we can gift others.  Blest be the tie that binds….