Event Rescued by New Venue:
***NEW VENUE***
The United Methodist Church of Hyde Park

Jesus created his Church for times such as these,
to courageously
bring hope,
share love,
and heal our communities.

Details:

• Place:
  Parking Lot of
  The United Methodist Church of Hyde Park
  1 Church Street, Hyde Park, NY 12538.
• Format:
  Parking Lot FM Broadcast: Tune car radio to FM 88.5
  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HbY00SRaY87-6IY7p-dew
  
• Date:
  January 23, 2021
• Time:
  2:00 PM
• Participating Churches and Faith Communities:
  • The United Methodist Church of Hyde Park
  • Mariapolis Luminosa Community
• Theme:
  "Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit" (cf. Jn 15:5-9)

Description:

Unity. It seems so simple, yet, for all appearances, the more complex and known our world becomes the more polarized we find ourselves as human beings. Christianity has always held unity of faith as one of the higher goals of an actualized faith. If Jesus was serious, unity is much more than a lofty ideal. Take what he says in John 17:20-21 as an example:

^{John 17:20} My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

If Jesus was serious then unity is a proof that Christ is really in us and we are in Christ. But wait, as I read the above, there is more… if Jesus is serious, unity is the only way forward for the world to believe that God sent Jesus to reconcile and overcome with divine power and will those things that normally separate us. Christian unity is not a “nice to have” on some wish list but is a necessity if the full transformative and redemptive possibilities of the church are going to be accomplishable. For me, this lends an urgency to the call for those who self-identify as Christian to pray and come together as often as they can as a spiritual discipline beyond what we would prefer, which is to only fellowship with those who think like us, act like us, or look like us.

This year’s theme for the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” is “Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit”. (cf. Jn 15:5-9) This theme directs our attention that without a center and discipline of abiding in the enduring and sacrificial love of Jesus the church will not be able to accomplish its great commission and convict anyone that God has sent Jesus to bring life and life abundant. I think that marking this time by making the effort to gather in these less-than-ideal circumstances, sends a very poignant message to our community about our commitment to unity, peace, and grace in Jesus Christ. I urge you to come out to the parking lot of the United Methodist Church of Hyde Park, 1 Church St, Hyde Park, NY 12538, on January 23^rd, at 2:00 PM.