Davenport Methodist Church,
Grace and peace to you all in the name of our liberator Jesus Christ. It has been a month since I have started to work at our Dialstone Lane and Davenport Methodist Churches, and I should say how grateful I am for the warmth, welcome and support that I have been receiving from you all. People keep asking me how are my new churches, and all I say is that they have been wonderful, for you have all been wonderful, and thank you for being so. It has been so good to meet the members of the worship group, the church council members, the welcome group and the pastoral visitors. I have shared the idea of visiting people at their homes and to pray with them, and we have just started this pilgrimage. I also had met some of our ecumenical colleagues in the area, and we look forward to working closely with each other in our common witness for Christian unity.
In the UK we observe October as the Black History Month (BHM), and this year 2024, the theme for BMH is “reclaiming the narratives”, which is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Black, Asian, and Ethnic minority communities in the UK.
Here is a prayer for the Black History Month:
“I have a dream that our children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin
but by the content of their character”
cried out O God of justice, Martin Luther King Jr. several years ago,
and dear God that dream still remains unfulfilled,
and here we gather together in one voice, one heart and one mind
seeking your grace for justice to be flown into our nations,
so that we can respect one another, treat each other in dignity and
uphold the truth that you have created each of us in your equal image.
God of justice, help us to recognise that this Black History Month
Is an opportunity to commit ourselves to strive for a just world,
Where you are calling us to give up our privilege, prejudice and supremacy.
We remember in prayer all the contributions of BAME communities for the society, specially we remember the Windrush generation, to whom justice has been denied and who were unjustly treated, we ask O God for your healing.” Amen.
On the 10th of October the United Nations has called to observe as World Mental Health Day. The objective of this day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. As a church we are called to support one another caring for each other’s mental well-being. The Methodist supported charity Peer Talk provides weekly volunteer facilitated peer support groups for people living with depression, anxiety and related distress. You can read more about this on this link: https://www.peertalk.org.uk/ We also have MIND; a local Stockport mental health charity and you can find their details on this link: https://www.stockportmind.org.uk/
May you all have a blessed month of October.
Regards,
Raj Patta