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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2007-02-08, Page 13By Brent KipferBrussels Mennonite Fellowship On the last Sunday of January, Ivisited a beautiful Jamaican villagecalled Flower Hill - where five men had been murdered a few days before. With four missionaries from Youth with a Mission, I went to stand with the people of the community in their grief, pray with the families who had lost loved ones, worship with a local church and pray with their pastor. When we arrived in Flower Hill, we parked our car near the main road and walked down a picturesque lane lined with homes – some hedged by carefully groomed flower bushes, others roughly constructed and dilapidated. We came to the concrete structure – a bare shack – where the five men had been shot to death in a vengeance killing, one later beheaded on a paved block outside. There was still blood on the ground. Vengeance killings have become epidemic in Jamaica. Someone is murdered – and then friends, family or gang members set out on amission of revenge. In the case ofthe Flower Hill murders, one of themen was targeted and the other fourwere shot to eliminate witnesses. This is an echo of Lamech who bragged: “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.” (Genesis 4:23b-24)It was terribly sobering to stand atthe site of such an atrocity, aware ofthe pain carried by families in theneighbourhood and in the heart of God. Vengeance perpetuates a brutal cycle. One injury leads to another as the wounds are multiplied. How can such a life-destroying cycle be reversed? The shedding of blood not only creates grief for those immediatelyinvolved; it poisons a community.In Numbers 35:33, God says: “Donot pollute the land where you are.Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.” On the cross of Jesus, the Son of God shed his own blood so that we and our land could be cleansed. He breaks the cycle of vengeance: confronting sin, bearing its penalty in himself and offering mercy for those who renounce their wickedness and turn to him in faith. Standing at the site of the killings, we asked God to cleanse the land by the blood of Jesus and bring healing and hope to the families and community of Flower Hill. We then met and prayed with members of three different families who had lost a son or brother. Acknowledging their grief, the missionary who led our visit consistently reminded each person we met that God calls us to leave vengeance in God’s hands. Police are responsible for bringing perpetrators to justice and each would be accountable to God fortheir actions.“Vengeance is mine, I will repay,says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19b)The cycle of human violence needs to stop. One visit particularly stands out for me. As we prayed with him and his mother, a brother of one of the murdered men wept and said that he had faith that good could come from this evil. Of course, it is only at the cross of Jesus that such a miracle could happen. We affirmed his resolve and prayed that the Holy Spirit would use him to bring leadership to the community, as an agent of God’s transforming power. In my visit to Flower Hill, God again showed me the critical role that the cross of Jesus plays in bringing redemption to our broken and sinful world. I praise God that we do not have to contend with out- of-control vengeance killings in Huron County. At the same time, we have no less need for the good news of Jesus to touch us and transform us. May we look in faith to the One who says, “See, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5) THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2007. PAGE 13. Enough for All was the theme for the Maitland Presbyterial annual meeting held on Jan. 22 in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Wingham. The Molesworth WMS led the morning worship with readings from Genesis 20 and James 1. Joanne Lennips read the report from the CGIT. The Lucknow CGIT is disbanding due to few members. Camp Kintail's children’s rally will be discontinued at this time because of low attendance. Rev. Anne Yee-Hibbs, AEC, gave a workshop on water. "Water is God's gift, we need to conserve it since it is recycled over and over again. We need to change the way we use water, since not everyone has equal access". The Molesworth WMS led in the in memorium remembering members who have passed away. Karen McCrae and Evelyn Dickson led the group in a sing- song to begin the afternoon session. Leona Armstrong from Brussels introduced the guest speaker, Jim Stark, who spoke on his study tour to Malawi. Jim and a team visited the Blantyre and Living House Synod to study the effects of HIV/Aids. The group, he said, was greeted with songs of praise. The people are happy to see people from the outside world. Innocence lost Children play in the village of Flower Hill, Jamaica, where days earlier five men were murdered. Pastor Brent Kipfer of Brussels Mennonite Fellowship visited with four missionaries from Youth with a Mission. (Photo submitted) Wingham hosts Presbyterial From the Minister’s StudyOn a mission to redeem a community FOR ALL AGES SUNDAY ~ 9:45 to 10:45 am WORSHIP SERVICE AT 11:00 am Phone 519-440-8379 308 Blyth Rd. E. ~ Pastor Les Cook 519-523-4590 BB ll yy tt hh CC oo mm mm uu nn ii ttyy CChhuurrcchh ooff GGooddLooking for a Great Sunday School Experience? THIS IS IT! P U P P E T S S T O R IE S DRAMAMUSIC Sunday 9:30 a.m. - Sunday School 10:30 a.m. - Morning Worship Service 7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship Service Wednesday 6:30 p.m. - Family Night with “Olympians” 7:00 p.m. - Adult & Youth Bible Study Something for everyone! Call the church for current Youth events HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH Auburn - 519-526-1131 PASTOR DAVE WOOD & PASTOR DON PLANT JR. THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA Welcomes you to come and worship with us SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11 The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. 519-887-9273 Trinity, Blyth 9:30 a.m. St. John's, Brussels 11:15 a.m. Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street Blyth United Church Office: 519-523-4224 Worship Service, Sunday School & Nursery 11:00 a.m. Guest Speaker: Sandy Morris Sunday, February 11 All Welcome BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA Sandra Cable, Worship Leader Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship Sunday, February 11 Ethel United Church Worship Service & Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Brussels United Church Worship Service & Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Please join us for worship SUNDAYS Morning Service 10:00am Evening Service 7:30pm BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Pastor John Kuperus Hwy. 4, Blyth MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11 Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 519-887-9831 Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available 11:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship - Sunday School 9:30 am - Sunday Belgrave Service getlivingwater.org Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848 February 11: 1 Cor. 13 Evangelical Missionary Church Living Water Christian Fellowship at Blyth Public School, corner of King & Mill 10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School Mondays 7:30 pm -Power of a Praying Woman DVD Tuesdays 7:30 pm -Wingham Small Group Fridays 7:30 pm -Youth Group Valentine’s Treat: Love’s Hidden Filling Continued on page 17