 Sunday, April 22, 2007 |
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It is a joy and
privilege to welcome Dr. John W. Kinney, Dean and
Professor of Theology and Historical Studies, Virginia
Union University, Richmond, VA as our guest speaker at
both services today. Dr. Kinney is an inspired and
gifted preacher and an anointed man of God. We
eagerly await the messages he will bring to us.
Last week's Youth Explosion was beyond description. Our
young people offered an experience which one person
described as something people would pay to see. Our
thanks go to Archie Prioleau for all of his hard work,
and to his daughter Jean, who took over while her
father was ill, and to all the parents, organizers
and participants in this outstanding event. Not
only is 9th and P the place to be, but Shiloh's Youth are
second to none.
Two weeks ago we had another event that made us all
proud. Gerard Bingham and some dedicated parents and
friends put together a college fair that was an
overwhelming success. Potential college students were all
over the church. Those who presented were outstanding.
Special thanks to all who made the college fair an
overwhelming success.
As we celebrate and thank God for the young people of
Shiloh, we are forced to turn our attention to the
tragedy of mass murder which has struck our nation once
more. The Columbine style killings at Virginia Tech defy
comprehension. We know the "what", it is the
"why" that is so hard to determine.
The unfolding of events holds an eerily similar feeling
to other brutal atrocities. The perpetrator was an
inveterate loner. No one seems to know exactly who he was
or what caused his irrational anger. Reports say he was
upset about a love triangle involving his girlfriend.
However, on careful reading, his problems seemed much
deeper.
One report states he attended a poetry class, and his
writings were so chilling that his professor recommended
that he obtain counseling. Those who knew him say he made
little effort to communicate with classmates or faculty.
However, when he came to school that morning he was
prepared for serious violence. He brought along chains to
lock the doors and prevent the escape of his victims. He
wore a jacket that held extra ammunition, and guns with
the serial numbers filed off. This was no random act of
violence or crime of passion. Premeditation's
fingerprints were all over the events
We know what but we don't know why, and may never know.
How can a love relationship gone sour cause someone to
take the lives of that many innocent people? One thing we
can affirm: In spite of all our technological
sophistication, evil is as rife in the human community as
it has ever been. This is the only "why" that
makes any sense at all.
Readings for April 29,
2007: Acts
9:36-43; Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30
***
OUR PURPOSE
Building the Village by Caring
Concept: Our pastor, the Reverend Wallace Charles Smith, envisions a holistic Ministry of Building by Caring, which includes a 3-tier approach - Care for Ourselves (spiritually), Care for Our Relations (family, friends and members), and Care for Our Community (outreach). In building our capacity to care we will also create an atmosphere that will increase our church's membership, winning more souls to Christ; they will know we are Christians by our love;.
