Month: October 2024

Deacon Marcianne’s blog – November ’24

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“…Let the concerns and sorrows of others be as your own…”1

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”2

On 19th October, we had a ‘Messy Church’. One of the activities taking place was to stick some plasters on a heart designed card and on it write people’s different situations which need God’s love, light, and healing. One of the children, who is three years old, wrote on her card, asking God to heal those who have been and are suffering from cancer. After briefly talking to her, it was clear to me that she took the concerns and sorrows of others to heart as her own. Importantly she felt comfortable to bring these concerns of sorrow to God in prayer through our Messy Church.

As members of the religious order, deacons are called to support the weak, bind up the broken, gather in the outcast, welcome the stranger, seek the lost, and let the concerns and sorrows of others be as your own.” 3 The world is visibly and invisibly hurting today. It’s clear when we watch the news and see what’s going on around the world. There are so many conflicts, people living in hunger, poverty, wars, injustice, killings, and homelessness. The testimonies, stories and circumstances of those who have lost their loved ones and those suffering from terminal illnesses, overwhelming me. When you speak to a true follower of Jesus Christ, you realise that we all have a common story to tell, past and present. The question is, if we are all hurting and
struggling in one way or another, or if we are all dealing with complex situations and circumstances, how can we then let these concerns and sorrows of others be as our own while we are already at the edge?

As the young girl at Messy Church took her request to God in prayer, we too must take everything to Jesus, our faithful friend who accepts all things (good and bad). We are to bring to him all our concerns. Our sorrows, our weakness, our discouragements, our pain, our sins, our griefs and our trials, temptations and financial challenges. We must leave them all to him because for God nothing is impossible. As the Hymn from Singing the Faith puts it:
“Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer.” 4

In the name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Yours in His service,
Deacon Minister Marcianne Uwimana

1 The Methodist Worship Book, 1999, p.323
2 The Methodist Worship Book, 1999,
3 The Methodist Worship Book, 1999, p.323
4 The Singing the Faith (StF) 531

Deacon Marcianne’s blog – October ’24

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John Wesley’s letter to a Methodist Society member: “You have one business on earth – to save souls. Give yourself wholly to this.”; “As far as we are able with God’s help: We will speak of the love of God. We will live in a way that draws others to Jesus. We will share our Faith with others.”

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”[1]

Recently while walking around the Church Hall at St Andrew’s, I came across these words from the Rainbows and Brownies Rules: “Respect each other, forgiveness and friendship, trust and share with each other, make sure everyone is safe, show kindness, being helpful, include everyone, etc…”[2] Later on, I read from an article by Stephanie Dietrich (2022), about the United Nations Goals which seek to support a global development which ends ‘poverty in all its forms and everywhere, leaving no one behind’ by 2030.”[3] Surely  God is at work in so many different ways in our local, national and international communities through  charitable activities, initiatives, projects, governments, institutions, and organisations.

If that is the case, then, what do faith-based institutions, charities, organisations and groups have to offer that non-faith organisations are not offering? Christians around the world are called to point all people, leaving no one behind, to Jesus: The Life, the Truth and the Way by speaking of Him. Our Methodist Way of Life on Evangelism says: “As far as we are able with God’s help: We will speak of the love of God. We will live in a way that draws others to Jesus. We will share our Faith with others.”[4] We are all called to share our faith in a way that gives the other person the opportunity to partake or not, and perhaps also for the other persons to share their own experiences. In John Wesley’s letter to a person in the Methodist Society, he wrote: “you have one business on earth – to save souls. Give yourself wholly to this.”[5] This is still every Christian’s mission today.

However, while we share our faith in Jesus Christ with wisdom, gentleness, kindness, integrity and respect, we will not please everyone, nor will everyone appreciate our courage, passion, resilience, and commitment. In fact, some will be offended by mentioning the name of Jesus in any conversation with them. This is a challenge for every Christian; as it causes fear, resentment and mutes our calling and commitment to speaking of Jesus. I want to encourage you as I encourage myself to reflect on the words from Matthew 10:24 “a disciple is not above His teacher, nor a servant above his master.”[6] Jesus didn’t please everyone; the first disciples didn’t please everyone, no matter how careful we try, we cannot please everyone either. However, with God’s help through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to be faithful and never stop sharing our faith no matter what comes our way. As John Wesley’s letter says, we have one business on earth – to gently point everyone to the one who saves every soul that seeks him wholeheartedly. We are to give ourselves wholly to this.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with our minds and spirits. Amen.

Yours in his service, Deacon Marcianne Uwimana.

[1] Ephesians 1:2 (NIVUK).

[2] St Andrews’ Rainbows, and Brownies rules Poster.

[3] Haugen, H.M. et al. (eds) (2022) Developing Just and Inclusive Communities: Challenges for Diakonia, Christian Social Practice & Social Work. S.l.: REGNUM BOOKS INT’L

[4] Methodist Way of Life: Evangelism

[5] ‘One Business on Earth’ | UMC Young People

[6] Matthew 10:24 (NIVUK)