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Bits from Beth
June 27, 2025
Dear Friends,
I am sitting in my office typing this and it is hot even with the air conditioners running. How many of you remember your home before you got central air? I do. We finally got a window unit in the den and fortunately, my room was beside the den. My grandparents had a window unit in their bedroom so when I stayed there, the only cooling was from the attic fan. Like many of you, we got central air in the mid-1960s and by the late 1960s, new homes were all built with central air conditioning as a standard. Now we cannot imagine being without it. I remember asking Gerald Keith about living with the power out after a summer storm several years ago. He laughed and said he had lived a good portion of his life without power and he was just fine now.
Many of us have never lived overseas. We have never had to flee violence with our children. We have never had to worry about when our next meal will be. We have never lived where bombs are striking the apartments across the street. We have never had to worry about someone searching our phones for our social media posts or being snatched up off the street by someone masked and armed who refuses to identify themselves. That all seems unreal to us.
But more and more, we are divided by income and social order. The very wealthy no longer can relate to how I live my life. They do not do their own laundry nor do they even go to a grocery store anymore. They have people take care of all those chores we do ourselves and can no longer understand how their wants do not take priority over the needs of others. Some people have never returned to the life they had before COVID and many no longer see value in collective activities such as church. They prefer the online relationships they have made as opposed to face to face contact. This has led to serious isolation issues for many which has led to affiliations with extremist groups or ideologies. It is not just a problem for older adults, either. Sociologists are very concerned about the isolation they see in many teen and young adults.
Our church takes all of these concerns very seriously. We work with our neighbors at the food panty and at Sue’s Table. One of the suggestions I heard at Annual Conference was to have a chalk board or suggestion box where you serve asking these questions: What do you need that you have a difficult time receiving? What do you wish we knew about your life and your needs? If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be? These answers help us understand what challenges are facing the people we serve and how we might find ways to help. On June 30th & July 6th, we will have our quarterly giveaway tables at Sue’s Table. If you have cleaned out closets and wish to donate items, bring them this weekend!
Monday, we are serving a big meal and we hope you will call someone who lives alone and invite them to come with you to Sue’s Table. If you have an idea of how we can continue to reach out to our neighbors, please let us know. Our Food Pantry will have an adjusted schedule because we do not want to go over a long weekend without opening given that we received our shipment from the Arkansas food Bank on Wednesday. This week only, we will be open on Thursday, July 3rd.
We only have one 90plus birthday in July but it is a great lady that we miss very much. Please remember Joyce Mann on July 11th, her 92 birthday! Hope to see you Sunday!
Grace and peace,
Beth
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