 Elders, family and church leaders lift a prayer of affirmation on Mike Miller (with staff), installed as Lead Pastor of Living Hope Church, Elk Grove Village, IL, April 2024. by Michael Edgar Myers Founding Artistic Director Growing up where and when I did, we did not have pastors in our church.
We did, but we didn’t. Whereas “pastor” is a commonplace term today, in my youth its synonyms were wide-ranging with historical cultural importance (to be outlined at another time). We had “preachers” and “parsons,” “ministers” and “reverends” – especially Ministers and Revs – but, yes, we had us no pastors. We had us no “pastors” to pray. Yet, to borrow from Romeo’s adoration of Juliet (a Shakespearean connection we’ll occasionally adapt), “pastor” by any other name can still be a rose in a community. Or a thorn. These are among the thoughts that percolated over our prayer and coffee conversations during Pastor Appreciation Month. The occasion allowed us as Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries to reflect on clergy who have influenced our lives as we embark upon our 30th year of service.
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 Irving Berlin, composer of a beloved American patriotic hymn. In the same week our nation honored fallen military personnel who sacrificed their lives to protect liberties such as freedom of religion, speech and the remaining Bill of Rights, a court decision in New York sparked cries that “this is a bad day for America.”
We agree, these are bad days for America, but not because of that verdict. Responses to the verdict across the nation further illustrated divisions in the U.S. that seem to grow wider daily, regardless of topic. Politics is least among them. As we rehearse the songs and Scripture content of our newest show, “Freedom Suite: Juneteenth, July Fourth, The Gospel,” we’re affected by the parallels between “bad days” in American history and those of the Israelites and Judeans recorded in the Old Testament books Kings and Chronicles. Amid headlines of court cases, violence, tornadic weather, wars and rumors of wars, we often hear, read or cry out, “God, Bless America.” Before this was a jingoist slogan, the phrase was a beloved song, written by Irving Berlin, an immigrant, a Jewish composer born in Russia, whose surname translates to the name of Germany’s capital. This parallel is among the ironies we highlight in “Freedom Suite.”  Migrants arrived in Chicagoland in buses similar to this; but transportation within the communities is scarce. Volunteer assistance with transport or housing through Elk Grove Village government community outreach. In September 2022, the government of the State of Texas began sending migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to northern cities, including Elk Grove Village, IL, where Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries is based. Since then, KIT Ministries and the Elk Grove Interfaith Council have monitored progress assisting the original 85 migrants, and the hundreds of others in the Chicagoland area, in the process of being physically and spiritually safe and secure while legal matters are resolved.
Five months later, many matters remained in flux between federal, state and local officials and the individuals awaiting answers. At the February 2023 Interfaith meeting, the Council resolved there was one path to take to overcome the obstacles and repeated ball of confusion: Intercessory prayer. Thus, several pastors participating the council agreed to encourage individual congregations to intervene in prayer. Here are eight specific items of prayer:  Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash By Michael Edgar Myers Founding Director I'm writing while reflecting on "Giving Tuesday," the designated Tuesday after Thanksgiving when not-for-profit organizations concentrate on requesting financial donations. It's a laudable period of end-of-the-year generosity, even if a tad overwhelming.
No doubt you have received many "Giving Tuesday" email requests in recent days. If you're like me, you may feel a twinge of pressure to try giving to everyone, as if #GivingTuesday is a do-it-or-lose it competition with leftovers from Black Friday and Cyber Monday. For us, "Giving Tuesday" isn't a landing site, it's a launching pad of Yes, And... Y So, to be transparent, yes, this IS a request to give...AND it is not. Yes, we would be thankful if you gave financially to Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries (today, even), AND I want to let you know there's a deeper reason I'm writing. It's to thank you for the intangible gifts you have given us already so that we may give to others. 
As the stay-at-home orders extend around the U.S. as a result of COVID-19 quarantines, and Christ-following churches adapt how Services of Worship are conducted, among the adjustments to be made are rites commanded by Scripture, notably, baptism and The Lord's Supper.
While the procedures connected with the above may be familiar to you, in the online community, these days pastors will encounter many variables in the process: |
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