This column will appear in this week's Good News, the twice monthly newsletter at Grace.
On June 7, at a service beginning at 10 a.m. at Selena Auditorium at the American Bank Center, Bishop Joel Martinez will lay hands on me and ordain me as an Elder in The United Methodist Church. Just two days later, Alisha, Josh and I along with our dogs Bodhi and Violet (and our turtles Simon and Simone) will drive to San Antonio to start the next chapter of our ministry at University United Methodist Church.
Many people have asked Alisha and I what gift they might give to recognize my ordination and honor my time here at Grace. First of all, let me say that no gift is necessary. My ordination and my time here are precious gifts from God. So many of you have gifted me through your support and presence in this community and through your love and service to God. Second, let me say that any expression of love warms my heart. Third let me say, that truly, I am in need of nothing. With that, let me make a suggestion. A really good way to show your love for me is by expressing your love for others.
Many of you know that I am not an extremely emotional person. However, it brings tears to my eyes that I lack nothing while in our world a child dies every 30 seconds for lack of something as simple and inexpensive as a mosquito net to cover her bed. One of the fruits of the recent General Conference of The United Methodist Church was a renewed commitment to stamping out the diseases of poverty, beginning with malaria. Malaria is a horrible disease that infects nearly 500 million people each year and kills more than a million children. Ninety percent of those deaths are in Africa. What is so sad to me is that this horrible disease can often be prevented simply by providing bed nets treated with insecticide. These nets stop mosquitoes from biting children at night and infecting them with the deadly disease. It costs only $10 to provide a net through the Nothing But Nets Campaign.
To show you my own love for this ministry, I am opening a special offering by contributing the first hundred dollars in honor of the life of Scott Hammond. That’s ten nets, ten kids who may very well stay alive because they will sleep safely. If you would like to give a gift to me by supporting this campaign, you can just write a check out to Grace UMC and write “Nets” in the memo line. You can let me know by sending a card or dropping me an email. You can also go online to www.NothingButNets.net. They will even send an e-card for you so that I will know the gift of life that you have given.
peace,
will
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