VOTER PARTICIPATION IN TEXAS
IS 48th OF 50!
Although
Texas’s voter participation had improved as of the 2012 presidential election,
election watchers expect only 40% of its registered voters to actually vote in
this coming election. We need to improve a lot more!
So….
Our election is November 4 and I urge all of you to vote yourselves and to
encourage family and friends to vote. Regardless of your party affiliation,
exercise your right—and duty—to help select men and women to represent you at
the State and local levels.
It
can be difficult to decide how to vote, but as Christians and United Methodists,
we have help there.
First,
we have scripture: “Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and
with all your mind …and your neighbor as yourself.” Those commandments give us
initial direction.
Then
we have the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes, which tell us that we are
to be peacemakers, be merciful, be pure in heart, etc. Those instructions lead
us further in our thought processes about choosing our positions on the social
issues.
And
then we Methodists have the UMC Social Principles, which state in very simple
and direct terms how our church, our faith puts those Biblical instructions
into action. (There are copies of the Social Principles in the FUMC Denton
library, and probably in most all your church libraries.)
There’s
nothing anywhere about political parties…only about issues and our living out
our faith according to our understanding of scripture. So it is up to us to
choose the candidates who seem to support the positions that manifest the
Biblical admonitions.
So
continue to pray, read, listen, educate yourself, and then VOTE! Early voting
is very easy in Denton County because you can vote at any poll in the County.
OTHER CONCERNS TO REMEMBER
We
should not forget the refugees in South Texas, and in connection with that
situation we have a message from Carol Barton, UMW Inc., social action….
“The UN Office of the High
Commissioner on Human Rights has just released a new document, ‘Recommendations
for Principles and Guidelines for Human Rights at International Borders.’ The
document represents an important step forward in recognizing the significance
of human rights at borders. It presents us with a tremendous challenge to
strengthen adherence to these principles and guidelines by governments around
the world. The document is “non-binding” and does not introduce “new” rights,
but by clearly spelling out human rights principles in the context of borders
and providing numerous recommendations for guidelines for government adherence
and implementation, it provides advocates and organizers with a great tool to
incorporate into our efforts.” Rose: I urge you to stay in touch with the
progress via website UMW Immigrant/Civil Rights Initiative.
And UMCOR continues its work in the Philippines in
the aftermath of Typhoons Glenda and Mario. Almost
400 families displaced by the typhoon will receive food packages to meet basic
needs. The relief packages, which consist of locally purchased rice, sardines,
instant noodles, sugar and meatloaf, will go to those deemed most vulnerable.
To enable UMCOR to support
the needs of survivors during times of disaster, we can give to Advance
#982450, International Disaster Response.
Let us continue to pray for the people of the U.S. Midwest during
their time of recovery from the severe storms that ripped through the region
recently, as well as for the dedicated missionaries returning to countries
ravaged by Ebola as well as for the victims and families.
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United Methodist churches celebrate U.N. Sunday, Oct. 26,
the Sunday closest to the Oct. 24, (1945) founding of the United Nations.
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