news article
From the Desk of Bishop Mark. J. Webb: Prayers for Paris
November 17, 2015 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb shared the following note about the attacks last Friday in Paris, France.
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I share with you a statement from the President of the Council of Bishops, Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr., on the recent acts of violence in Paris. I join the rest of the Council of Bishop and United Methodists around the world in holding up in prayer the people of Paris and all those impacted by violence, and I invite you to pray with me.
The President of the United Methodist Council of Bishops issued the following statement about the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris:
John 11:35
Jesus wept.
This week, we weep for those in Paris. We weep for the senseless violence. We weep for the innocents whose lives were cut short. We weep for those who are grieving, who are frightened, who are hurting. We weep for those whose hearts are breaking, in France and all over the world. As several world leaders have stated, this is an attack on all humanity.
Even as we weep, we know that God is with us, that he sustains us with hope and that he will dry our tears. Once again, the forces of evil have tried to dominate; but, as disciples of Jesus, we must make our witness that the darkness will not overcome our light.
Let us be in prayer for Paris and the people of France. These events have impacted them in the way Sept. 11, 2001, grieved the U.S. Also, please pray for communities around our world that will not make the news, but cringe under the threat of violence. May the Holy Spirit guide us in ways that will break this cycle of violence.
Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr.
President, Council of Bishops