Dear Faith Des Peres Friends,
This Sunday is World Communion Sunday. World Communion Sunday began at Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA, in autumn 1933. Think about what was happening then . . The country was in the throes of the Great Depression.
· The cloud of Nazism and Fascism hovered all over Europe and threatened the entire world.
· And anxiety about the economy, the world order, and the future enveloped the people.
As a faith response to those fears, a group of leaders at Shadyside sought to do something both real and symbolic to proclaim that God is God indeed, in spite of politics, economics and future shock. So they conceived of a day when Christians would gather around the Lord’s Table in a show of unity to counter the pessimism and walls that were dividing them.
The idea caught on, and in 1940 World Communion Sunday was endorsed by the National Council of Churches.
Personally, I think it’s one of the better ideas to spring from a Presbyterian Church, or any church, for that matter. We need the reminder that there’s unity, a oneness given to us in Jesus Christ. We need the reminder that God’s will for creation is peace and harmony. And we need the reminder because there’s a great deal of disunity in the world. While I’m not able to be here to celebrate with you because I’ll be celebrating my parents’ 65th wedding anniversary in Akron, I hope you’ll be here to show your unity with one another and the wider world. Rev. Joy Myers, retired pastor and Acting Stated Clerk, will lead worship and preach.
Thank you all so much for being a part of the Faith Des Peres community and welcoming everyone to the table.
Blessings,
Annie