Dear friends,

Greetings! I am writing this just as Hurricane Irma is set to grind up the state of Florida while Texas and Louisiana are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey. Caribbean Islands are bracing for another Hurricane, Jose. My thoughts and prayers are with people whose lives are in turmoil from these storms.

Perhaps some of you will feel called to lend a hand in the coming years. Volunteers will be needed to reconstruct homes and communities for quite a while to come. After Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans and parts of Mississippi, my previous church sent volunteers for several years in a row. Recovery takes a long time and it will take years for our southern neighbors to rebuild their lives. Perhaps some of us will want to organize a response. My denomination, through our Global Missions, can assist with that endeavor. There's nothing like working together to build bonds across communities. Perhaps our nation, working together through small communities, will be strengthened by our resolve to help one another - the miraculous outcome from disaster - I think we've all seen bits of this as strangers have helped strangers.

Often, shared troubles can build relationships. None of us skates through life without some difficulties. Helping others, along with allowing others to help us, draws us closer. We learn that our Western value of "independence" only goes so far. We need one another and sometimes it takes disaster, trauma, addiction, and things we think are horrible, for us to come to realize this. I don't believe that God makes these things happen or wants us to suffer, but our healing requires us to let others in, and when two or more are gathered, the Divine can work some pretty remarkable miracles.

Prayers may be helpful, but alone, they are not enough. Prayers don't clean up houses or yards or reconstruct buildings. Actual hands, feet, and willing bodies are required. Sometimes prayer, or meditation, can allow something within us to know how we should respond. We can't respond to every need, so it is important to discern which ones are meant for us.

I am very excited about a group I am leading on Tuesday evenings, at 6:15 p.m., allowing people to listen for the Divine in their personal lives. I'm calling the group, "Sacred Space." It provides a chance for people of any faith to intimately share and look for how the Divine is present while deepening spiritual awareness. All are welcome to come try it out.

Regardless of what is happening in the world, may you feel Divine presence with you,

Pastor Nancy Bacon

About Tehachapi United Church of Christ:

No matter who you are, no matter where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here!

The Tehachapi United Church of Christ is an open and welcoming community of faith that believes that each person, created in the image of God, holds a piece of the truth. Therefore we respect each person's unique spiritual journey. We invite you to experience the difference that religious freedom in a caring community can make in that journey.

We are located at 100 East E St., in Tehachapi. Worship and Sunday School are at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. Please join us for coffee and fellowship at our Friendship Hall after worship (approximately 11:30 a.m.). All are welcome.