Hurricane Ian left a path of devastation for many including our neighbors to the west of us in communities such as Ft Myers, Captiva, Sanibel, Cape Coral and many others. Here in Clewiston, we were fortunate in that we did not sustain serious damage. The task before us, is to support our beloved communities with everything we could to help others live, recover and ultimately restore.
The Methodist Way to respond to such events is to roll up our sleeves and look to fill the needs with the love of Jesus Christ. Over sixty men, women and children helped assemble and deliver 100 Flood Buckets in affected areas. Others helped deliver much needed supplies and we will continue these efforts until the need is no longer there.
It is reminiscent of the work John Wesley and his fellow Methodists did when they helped widows, orphans and others who needed help. This excerpt is from a Christianity Today article, and shares a statement made at the small group meetings that were part of the early Methodist Way; The moral and spiritual fervor of the meetings is expressed in one of Wesley’s most famous aphorisms: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
This reminds me of Jesus words to his disciples and all of us today in Matthew 22:36-40 where the second greatest commandment is noted to be: love thy neighbor as thy self. We have only just begun in helping our brothers and sisters to the west. Please continue to offer your faithful prayers, gifts and talents as we know this rebuilding process will take a long time. In this case, our endurance to assist must be steady and founded in the love of our neighbor. Please join us for worship in November as we share more about how we can serve in hurri-cane relief and to learn more about The Methodist Way.
In Christ’s love,
The Methodist
Pastor Jeff