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Why we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 12, 2023 by marsha Leave a Comment

Sixty years ago this summer, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered what became his famous “I have a dream”speech in Washington, D.C. While we enjoy a day off on Monday, January 16 to honor the Civil Rights Leader, perhaps we should at least take a closer look at the full text of the great ‘sermon’ he delivered that August day in 1963. Perhaps Dr. King’s speech should be required reading/listening in every classroom in the country, every year in January. On January 14, 2022 – National Public Radio (NPR) offered its followers an opportunity to read Dr. King’s speech in its entirety (below is the entire speech). The audio from the ” I have a Dream” speech is also on that post (click the link).

Everything is in the details, and it’s all there. In one speech, one sermon. Let freedom ring.

Website Editor : Marsha  MacKinnon

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check.

When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, Black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.

We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.

Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. 1963 is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.

There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny.

And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, when will you be satisfied? We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.

We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: for whites only.

We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right down in Alabama little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims’ pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.

Filed Under: General, News

Love Packages Project

January 12, 2023 by marsha Leave a Comment

The Women’s Association of the Cochranton Presbyterian Church will be collecting used and reusable religious items for the Christian mission fields abroad. Items can be taken to the church’s EDU Wing on Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. For more information or pick up contact Kathy Johnston Fish at 814-880-2897 Possible items include: Bibles, Christian Books, Sunday school teaching materials (not busy work papers), religious Daily Devotionals, CDs, DVD, BluRay, Puppets, Nativity sets, etc., Dictionaries, Reference Material. Click Here for more information.

Filed Under: General, News, Uncategorized

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance – Higher Demand for Emotional & Spiritual Care

December 5, 2022 by marsha Leave a Comment

PDA’s Emotial and Spiritual Care programs are responsive to the recent and ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to the effects of natural disasters, the tragedy of mass shootings and other human caused disasters, and continuing issues of racial justice. In all of our programs, PDA team members facilitate discussions and offer materials on maintaining self-care and building personal resilience through relationships, story telling and spiritual practices. Participants have the opportunity to share their experiences and wisdom with one another. Click Here for more information.

Filed Under: General, News

APCE Registration Open

December 5, 2022 by marsha Leave a Comment

APCE Registration Open
Registration is now open for the APCE (Association of Partners in Christian Education) Annual Event to be held in Birmingham on January 25 – 28, 2023. You can attend in person or online. Scholarships are available through the association and our presbytery. Go to the APCE website to read about all the excellent speakers and workshops being offered. Click Here

Filed Under: General, News

Anita Applauds – The Youth of First Presbyterian North East

December 5, 2022 by marsha Leave a Comment

“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason, I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1: 15-16

Presbytery Friends, Every morning I wake up grateful for the love of Christ being expressed through faithful disciples in our Lake Erie Presbytery.  Every day my prayers are full of joy for your commitment and service.  In my role as General Presbyter, I am privileged to see a broad view of church life in this presbytery.  I see ordinary acts of faith expressed consistently year after year.  I also see extraordinary expressions of loving service.  Both often go largely unnoticed as dedicated Christians quietly serve in Christ’s name without fanfare or applause.  With this in mind, every month, I will highlight a mission or ministry of one of our churches that valiantly reflects the love of Christ.  I hope that you will join me in giving thanks for these ministries.

     For November, Anita Applauds youth activities that continue to happen in the Presbytery of Lake Erie.  Our children and youth continue to be a vital part of our collective ministry in this presbytery.  The youth are not just active in the summertime when they go to Camp Lambec, Montreat, Massanetta Springs, and other summer youth programs.  They are active in our churches during the school year too.  On November 5-6, 2022, over 20 youth and a half dozen adults representing at least six churches participated in an overnight event at First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant where they studied scripture together and meaningfully explored our human tendency toward bias and wrong first impressions.  This event was organized and led by the presbytery’s Spiritual Formation Committee.  In addition, Confirmation classes and other spiritual formation activities (yes, some older Sunday school models too) happen consistently in our churches.  We may lament the fact that we don’t have as many children and youth in our churches as we did in the glory days of Christendom.  However, intergenerational and youth ministries are still vital to Christianity.  On Sunday, November 20th, First Presbyterian Church of North East had 8 students confirm their faith and intentionally join the church.  That means that their church will see a net gain in church membership in 2022 and an infusion of new energy.  The involvement of children and youth in our churches is fun to see and certainly worth celebrating!


Rev. Gregg Townsend and Confirmation Class at First Presbyterian Church, North East on 11/20/2022

Filed Under: General, News

Fall Convocation: Re-Imagining Society

October 4, 2022 by marsha Leave a Comment

Fall Convocation: Re-Imagining Society

Wayside Presbyterian Church is excited to host Dr. Eric Barreto on Saturday, October 22. This event includes conversation about race, gender, and power in God’s Kingdom. Cost is $25. Click Here for more information.

Schedule
8:30 a.m. –  Registration; Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. – Lecture: “Difference is a Gift of God”
10:30 a.m. – Discussion Groups
11:15 a.m. –  Lecture: “Community is Life and Death”
12:15 a.m. – Lunch
1:00 p.m. –  Lecture: “The Empire is Crumbling from Within”   2:00 p.m. – Discussion Groups
2:20 p.m –  Closing Q&A

Filed Under: General, News

Anita Applauds – Worship on Wednesday (WOW)

October 4, 2022 by marsha Leave a Comment

“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason, I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1: 15-16

Presbytery Friends, Every morning I wake up grateful for the love of Christ being expressed through faithful disciples in our Lake Erie Presbytery.  Every day my prayers are full of joy for your commitment and service.  In my role as General Presbyter, I am privileged to see a broad view of church life in this presbytery.  I see ordinary acts of faith expressed consistently year after year.  I also see extraordinary expressions of loving service.  Both often go largely unnoticed as dedicated Christians quietly serve in Christ’s name without fanfare or applause.  With this in mind, every month, I will highlight a mission or ministry of one of our churches that valiantly reflects the love of Christ.  I hope that you will join me in giving thanks for these ministries.

This month, Anita Applauds Worship on Wednesday (WOW) that meets at 10 a.m. every Wednesday at New Beginnings Church of God on Leslie Road in Meadville.  Originating out of Church of the Redeemer Presbyterian in Meadville and now assisted by Linesville Presbyterian Church, WOW began more than a decade ago for people with special needs who are differently able.  Rev. Rachel Johns was the impetus behind the ministry and remains its primary clergy leader, joined by Commissioned Pastor Rose Hilliard (Woodcock-Gravel Run Presbyterian Church).  Rachel and Rose faithfully lead this worship service every Wednesday, much to the delight of the people they serve.  They have also become important pastoral care providers for those with special needs and their life skills coaches, people who are connected with seven service agencies in Crawford County. Even on the heels of the pandemic, Worship on Wednesday (WOW) draws 130-160 people [September average attendance was 145!], making it one of our larger worshipping communities.  Bravo Rev. Rachel Johns and CP Rose Hilliard for seeing a need in your community and faithfully providing this valuable service!  As you minister to “the least of these” you reflect the love of Christ powerfully.

Filed Under: General, News

Invitation to Virtual Mission Conference October 14 & 15 2022

October 4, 2022 by marsha Leave a Comment

The PCUSA Ghana Mission Network (GMN) is hosting a “Conversations on Congregational Mission” Conference in October. Rev. Dr. Hunter Farrell and Rev. Balajiedlang Khyllep will lead a presentation and discussion based on their newly released book Freeing Congregational Mission: A Practical Vision for Companionship, Cultural Humility and Co-Development. 
Hunter and Bala serve as Director and Associate Director of the World Mission Initiative at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. They are currently presenting this same conference to the World Council of Churches in Germany.
 
If you sense the need to rethink, re-engage in or reinvigorate the focus of mission for yourself or your congregation, this Conference will provide a tremendous amount of insight, information and practical helps to encourage and inspire you. It will be held in two two-hour sessions on Oct 14th (2-4 PM) and 15th (9-11 AM).
The Conference is part of the Ghana Mission Network Annual Meeting. You are also most welcome to attend this session on Oct. 29, 2022, 9-11 AM if you are interested in learning more about the GMN Community with members from all over the USA and Ghana.
Below you will find the Schedule for the Sessions, Book information and the GMN Registration Form. All meetings are Virtual. Zoom invitation links will be sent to registered Participants. No cost to attend.
The Schedule for Conference and GMN Annual Meeting
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T2gAIzXf6dSS_CAkYjId-tVfsHFRozguZb9bDmzNE9M/edit?usp=sharing/ 
Information on the Book Freeing Congregational Mission: A Practical Vision for Companionship, Cultural Humility and Co-Development, which will be the basis for the Conference Sessions.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gkn9MTQuFldCfhgMRjbdG4-osydq-4b9vAbvZaBAARg/edit?usp=sharing
GMN Meeting Registration Form https://forms.gle/sVVNgTs8LaTwA11C7
You are invited to attend any or all of the Sessions (indicate on the Registration Form). We look forward to your participation.
Please pass this on and share with others who may be interested.
More information will be sent to Participants in preparation for the meetings, so please register soon, if you have not already done so. Thank you.
Please contact me if you have any questions or need more information.
Grace and Peace,
Donna
Donna Cammarata
Presbytery of Lake Erie Ghana Partnership
[email protected]
PCUSA Ghana Mission Network
[email protected]
814-873-4860

Filed Under: General, News

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Presbytery of Lake Erie

2816 Elmwood Ave
Erie, PA 16508
Phone: 814-868-4891
Email: [email protected]

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