Please join us for in-person worship on Peace with Justice Sunday, June 12 at 10:00 am. There will be special Peace with Justice Sunday offering envelopes available in the narthex. The bulletin for this Sunday is available for viewing HERE.
Please join us every Sunday for in-person Worship at 10am. *Masks are optional. We follow local, state, and federal guidelines. You can also worship online by going to our website “watsonville1stumc.org” and click YouTube or Facebook. It will be uploaded on Sunday afternoon for your viewing.
Peace with Justice Sunday
Sunday, June 12, 2022, 10 am
Children’s Time “The Parable of the Lost Sheep” Pastor John
In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, What Does it Mean That Jesus Leaves the Ninety-Nine in Search of the Lost Sheep?
So Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.” ~ Luke 15:4-5
Special Music You’ll Be In My Heart Febe Avitua, Solo
Our Febe is going to be brave and sing a solo under the accompaniment of Marina Thomas. Febe belongs to the Aptos High School Choir under the direction of Holly Ota.
Message Rev. John Song
“A Christian Response to Gun Violence:
Bringing Biblical Clarity to Crisis”
Chinese calligraphy and Hebrew writings are two of the oldest surviving writing systems today. We will investigate the original meaning of “peace” by the ancient Chinese “Hwa-pyoung” and the ancient Hebrew “Shalom.” It is fascinating to learn what these ancient people thought of “peace”.
Some recent polls show that over 90 percent of Americans support expanded checks. Polling, however, does not tell the whole story. Despite expressing support for gun control measures in public polls, many voters, especially Republican voters, do not support these measures in the voting booth.
After a series of deadly mass shootings in the United States, the National Rifle Association and some Republican leaders and conservatives are pointing to mental illness. Many Republicans lawmakers opposed to more gun control have called instead for investing in mental health programs, increasing funding for law enforcement and bolstering security at schools. Many Democrats say they are missing the point.
This approach raises a question: How can the mental health system stop gun violence when mental illness is so rarely the cause of it? Mass shootings are only caused by 4% of the mentally ill. The vast majority of 96% of mass shootings are committed by people who are not diagnosed as mentally ill and majority of them with no prior criminal records.
A typical profile of overwhelming mass shooters are young males, loners, bullied, low social status in school, and isolated.
As Christians, what is the right social stance and action we need to take to meaningfully address the gun violence epidemic in America?
