Statement from Bishop LaTrelle Easterling: Oct. 6, 2016
"Arise! Shine! Your light has come; the LORD's glory has shone upon you."
– Isaiah 60: 1
Dear Friends in Christ:
Grace and peace to you in Jesus Christ. For many years, I am told, people in the Baltimore-Washington Conference begin to anticipate Christmas, when they see the traditional red cardboard stockings from the Board of Child Care. They equate the coming of Christ with the lives of vulnerable children, families who struggle with seemingly impossible circumstances. Christ's coming is a beacon of hope that guides all who are hurting into health and wholeness.
This will be my first Christmas as bishop of the Baltimore-Washington Conference – my first time to reflect together with you how "we, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." For me Christmas is a time in which the love and light of Christ shines just a little brighter in our lives and in our world. It is a time for stars to point our way home to a newly born savior; a time for celebration and illumination.
I encourage you, this Christmas, to lean into God's light. Foster the spark that is within you. Ignite a spirit that will blaze with transforming power and love. Let Christ be born in you anew as you celebrate this sacred season.
One way to celebrate this Christmas is to lift up and support the Board of Child Care and the children in its care. I encourage you to visit www.boardofchildcare.org to learn more about their innovative ministries to abused, abandoned, and neglected children, and how they are enriching communities, one family at a time. I also encourage you to request brochures, donation envelopes, and red stockings for your congregation so that they might give generously.
The Board of Child Care allows us to continue our mission of love and hope for the children who need it most. I pray that you have a blessed Christmas and New Year. Thanks be to God for the light of Christ that shines in our world and in our hearts.
May Peace be Yours,
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling