A sobering report came out of the CDC this past week – a report that shows increases in sadness and exposure to violence among teen girls and LGBTQ+ youth. The data, collected in the fall of 2021, indicates that almost 1 in 5 teen girls experienced sexual violence (an increase of 20% since 2017), 3 in 5 girls felt persistently sad and hopeless (an increase of 60% since 2011), almost half of LGBTQ+ students seriously considered attempting suicide (nearly 1 in 4 did attempt suicide, and 3 in 4 reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness). You can find the complete CDC study HERE.
I should note that I have had several conversations with parents and school administrators in Bedford, all of whom say that people in our own community are feeling these negative feelings, too.
What should the church’s response be to such troubling data and anecdotal evidence? At first glance, the problem is too big for one church to handle, but this does not mean that we cannot do our own small part to humbly seek the wholeness of our community. Some of you might remember that back in the fall, we hosted an impromptu vigil on our front steps to support someone who had attempted to take their own life because of bullying. Over 100 people (many of whom were not members of our church) attended the event.
BPC is currently planning two responses. . .
First, on Sunday, March 5, at 5 PM, we are hosting a concert for our community by a singer-songwriter named Kimayo. The concert is part of Kimayo’s “My Queer Faith” Tour, which seeks to connect the LGBTQ+ community with faith-based safe spaces. Kimayo will tell her own story, through song, about loving Jesus but growing up in a church that did not affirm her identity. The concert will last about an hour and include a conversation with Kimayo at the end. At the concert, Kimayo will be telling stories with some “Rated PG-13” subject matter (about abuse and self-harm). Still, unfortunately, many in the LGBTQ+ community have similar stories to tell. We want to provide a safe space where people can find community and, hopefully, some wholeness through the telling of their stories.
Second, later in the Spring, we will host a community-wide forum on mental health and wholeness for students and families. This forum will be done in coordination with the Bedford Schools and Pastoral Counseling Services and is thought of as a springboard into deeper conversations and the possibility of building a support group (or groups) of students and parents. More details about this event will be sent out in the next few weeks.
Hosting events like this will be a “first” for our congregation and, with some “firsts,” will undoubtedly come to some questions, namely. . . “Why are we doing this?” In the Book of Jeremiah, the prophet tells his people (who are, themselves, experiencing great difficulty) to “seek the welfare of the city” where they have been placed (Jeremiah 29:7). God tells us to “love your neighbor as yourself” in both the Old and New Testaments (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Mark 12:28-31). And Jesus tells us to take special care of the children and not stop them from finding welcome, comfort, and peace in the presence of Jesus (Matthew 19:14).
Why are we doing this? With so many people in our community who are hurting, God calls us to do the most loving thing.
There are other questions that I – and others – will seek to address in the coming weeks. There is more information about the Kimayo Concert Tour in this edition of the Hilltop Crier.
Grace and Peace,
John
PS – Thank you for praying for Sarah Robator Stone and her T-Cells. She is receiving encouraging news about her blood count. Keep praying that the cells harvested this coming Tuesday will be enough and that they will be able to be replicated and trained into the cancer-fighting cells that Sarah needs.
Prepare for Worship
This Week: “A Change is Gonna Come”
Read Matthew 17:1-9
Read Exodus 24:12-18
Read or sing Hymn # 190 – “Swiftly Pass the Clouds of Glory“