Devotion by Pastor Hille- Showing that we care about one another

Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. (Proverbs 31:8)

Dear members and friends of Martin Luther Church!

It has long been church tradition to have a Bible verse for each month. I have shared the one for May 2021 with you above.

Besides the task of preaching and of celebrating worship, the most important and noble task of a congregation is to care for the weak and voiceless. Why is this? Because God Himself has made the cause of these people His own, and we are His arms to reach out to them. God’s mercy is to be shown in the pastoral care and missional work of the congregation. Through this work, the “weak and voiceless” are to understand that God is there for them and has not forgotten them in their present need. This knowledge, this realization has driven the great role models of the church. I am thinking, for example, of Friedrich von Bodelschwingh (Bethel), Alber Schweitzer (Lambarene), Mother Teresa (Colombo, Madras and Calcutta) and many others.

Of course, we also know how difficult it is, especially in this time of lockdown, to be those hands of God in our direct and immediate community and surroundings. Organizing meetings is almost impossible, as are home visits, and in-person support a wish too often unfulfilled. Nevertheless, I admire the imagination of many people in our congregation to faithfully and reliably be there for others and be an example of togetherness in our congregation. Again and again, I receive telephone calls in which I hear how this happens with passion and commitment. This fills me with joy and gratitude.

In the same vein, our letters and emails are also meant to be a small sign for all of you, and I ask you to understand the following to be a similar sign: Martin Luther Church is present, faces the current challenges, and engaged people are doing their best to speak out for the silent and to stand up for the rights of the weak.

In this spirit I greet you all warmly!

Your Pastor Gerhard Hille

P.S. Please share the name of a family member or friend in case we can’t reach you, as well as someone you keep in touch with in the congregation so that we can support you.