The Church Council was to have a retreat on May 2 to discuss the future of our church, what we wanted to be rolling into the future. Covid-19 made sure that didn’t happen. So the heads of the ministry committees (worship, music, youth, missions, membership) met virtually to discuss how we can be Crawford NOW. We kept coming back to the particular challenges of our sisters and brothers of color and the immigrant community in Chelsea, a city hardest hit by the pandemic. Pastor Mirna Rodriguez of the Nueva Vida UMC in Chelsea has 60 families, from 6 Latin American countries, 90% undocumented, over half out of work, sick, afraid. In our discussions with her we learned that she is trying to support her congregation with few resources. I am so grateful that during this crisis Crawford was able to contribute $10,000 to the Benevolence Fund of the Nueva Vida UMC, which will be put to good and important use. We are able to do this because for many years the Crawford congregation has generously donated and carefully stewarded money to be used for our needing neighbors. So. on the first Saturday in May, instead of talking about what the church should be, we WERE the church. Thanks be to God.
Nueva Vida = New Life
