Monday 25 January 2010

Prayer for the People of Haiti from Nigeria

Matimoju Femi 24 January at 19:00
Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU, because this morning I woke up and knew where my children were. Because this morning my home was still standing, because this morning I am not crying because my husband, my child, my brother or sister needs to be buried out from underneath a pile of concrete, because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water, because this morning I was able to turn on the light, because this morning I was able to take a shower, because this morning I was not planning a funeral, but most of all I thank you this morning because I still have life and a voice to cry out for the people of Haiti. Lord I cry out to you, the one that makes the impossible, possible, the one that turns darkness in to light, I cry out that you give those mothers strength, that you give them peace that surpasses all understanding, that you may open the streets so that help can come, that you may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all that they need in a blink of an eye. For all those that have lost family members, give them peace, give them hope, give them courage to continue to go on! Protect the children and shield them with your power.. I pray all this in the name of Jesus!!! To all my friends please continue to forward this so that we can pray together for the people in Haiti. We here are truly blessed!!!!!. Matimoju Femi...First Unitarian, Lagos Nigeria.

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Worship Materials on Haiti from UK Unitarian

FOR HAITI – JANUARY 2010

O God,
who is the impulse to love and
compassion in human hearts,
in the face of suffering on
an unimaginable scale,
in the face of the disaster in
Haiti that has taken so many lives
and could yet take so many more,
move us to love and generosity of spirit
for our neighbours in that shattered land.
So might we do what we can to bring your
love to bear upon them in their great affliction.
Amen.

(CMR170110)

LIGHTEN OUR DARKNESS
(Chalice-lighting)

“Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord...” :
darkness of despair in the face of untold horror;
darkness of the closed heart and the closed hand;
darkness that only love, given and received, can penetrate and dispel.


FOR THE DEAD OF HAITI...
(Opening Words)

For the dead of Haiti, peace.
For the bereaved, comfort.
For the survivors, hope – and help.
For the helpers, of all faiths and nations, strength –
and the willingness to stay the course.
May this be our prayer as we worship here today.

(CMR200110)

Cliff Reed
17th & 20th January 2010

Tuesday 19 January 2010

After the Earthquake in Haiti - Prayer

North American colleague John Gibb Millspaugh wrote this prayer regarding the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake that was used in worship this past Sunday in various Unitarian Universalist congregations in the USA and in the Unitarian church in Horsham, England.

It is shared here with John’s blessing in case other communities would like to make use of it. He is happy for you to adapt it and revise it as desired or appropriate.


"After the Earthquake in Haiti, January 12 2010"
By Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh, Co-minister, Winchester Unitarian Society, Winchester, MA, USA

A Haitian prayer book, entitled God Is No Stranger, includes the following
words:
"Father, I have learned that one strong in calculation is called a 'mathematician.'
You are the greatest mathematician
because You can count all the people yet still see each one of us."

Those words find new poignancy
in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, in which tens of thousands of people lost their lives, and many others lost their homes, their families and loved ones.
We who have watched from afar have felt helpless, powerless, in the face of this tragedy, forgetting that we do have the capacity to make a difference, one life at a time.

Let us enter that space of silence and honesty known by many names.
Let us pray.

Spirit of Life; Sacred Web of Life, Death, and Renewal:
Our hearts are open to all who suffer as a result of the earthquake.
We see-on our televisions and computer screens and in our newspapers- the shattered buildings, the hastily erected shanty towns, survivors struggling to find their kin, or just food or water or medicine; so many lives in ruins.
We know about the country's staggering poverty that preceded this most recent disaster; we are keenly aware of our own privilege.
In these times we stand confused before the global forces that shape our lives, in awe before the mystery.

Spirit of Life and Love,
even as we have witnessed death sweep the landscape, we know that life renews itself, and renews itself even now, as human good springs up in the face of disaster, and people reach out to one another across neighborhoods, across oceans, serving one another across every difference.

We pray for the people of Haiti,
that they know the people of the world stand with them as they face the challenges ahead.
We pray for those who work with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and other relief organizations,
that they may act from ongoing wisdom, and courage, and compassion.
We pray for ourselves and other people living in comfort, that our hearts might be touched yet again to generously support human beings facing a terrible tragedy we cannot comprehend, but that they must live through.
May we open our hearts and our wallets to them, as they work to rebuild what they can.

Spirit of Life; Web of Life, Death, and Renewal, We pray, too, for our personal struggles, which matter even though others always face greater challenges than ours.
There are those among us in this community who are sick, those of us who are grieving, Those of us who have not yet discovered our substantial power to bless the world.
We pray for support amidst our struggles, that we might find the courage and grace to move closer to healing and the sacred potential of our lives.
We pray for strength, and finally we pray for gratitude:
for all that is not lost, for all that can be rebuilt, for our chance to play our part, for the ever-renewing powers of life.
And we join in this time of silence, in which we lift up the meditations of
our hearts.

Shalom, Salaam, Namaste, Blessed Be, and Amen.

Saturday 16 January 2010

News from Unitarians in Indonesia

Dear ICUU friends,

On behalf of Unitarian Christian Church of Indonesia (JAGI Church), let me share the result of our 3rd National Meeting, December 24-27, 2009 :
1. We have new board for 2010-2015, who is :

Chairman of High-Council : Elder Tjahjadi Nugroho Secretary of High-Council : Elder Kristanto Tjahjasaputra

Chairman of Elder Board : Elder Nathan Tjahjasaputra Secretary of Elder Board : Elder Ellen Christiani (Ellen Kristi)

President of Executive Body : Elder Aryanto Nugroho Vice-President : Elder Tirto Sujoko General Secretary : Elder Mosye Adam Vice-Secretary : Ester Treasurer : Oktino Setyo Irawan
++ some departments inside the Executive Body

The High-council will responsible for the teaching of the church The Elder board will responsible for the development and control of the work of Elder The Executive Body will responsible for day-to-day activity of the Church The contact person of the church for international movement is still me, since i was chosen as President of Executive body. We hope that the good relation between ICUU and JAGI (UCCI), will flourish in the coming year :)

2. We have formally agreed to use the name UNITARIAN CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF INDONESIA as our international name.

This is our brief information about our last National Meeting, please pray for the work of the new board and keep in touch.

Best wishes,
Aryanto Nugroho
President of Executive Body of UCCI
Indonesia