30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him,
and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him,
and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was:
and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine,
and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence,
and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him;
and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him,
Go, and do thou likewise.
Jesus shared this parable (as recorded only by Luke) about the Good Samaritan who (unlike the Priest and the Levite) ministered unto a wounded man. In application, we learn the importance of “Reaching Others For Christ.”
Although we have not worshipped together for thirteen months, St. John is still “Reaching Others For Christ.” We commend those of you who have financially supported, participated and served in our Grocery Giveaway Ministry. Every Monday a group of St. John volunteers pick up and prepare groceries, and every Tuesday at noon a group of St. John volunteers give groceries to people who come to our North Campus and South Campus.
Besides the Grocery Giveaway, we are planning to allow Contra Costa County to utilize our facilities for Covid Vaccinations. Tentatively, the schedule is as follows: From 9 am – 4 pm, April 26th – May 2nd at the North Campus and May 3rd – 9th at the South Campus. I was informed that a medical staff is scheduled to administer the Pfizer Vaccine (this could change). Because we have a great opportunity to Reach Others For Christ, we will need 4-7 volunteers each day to assist, so a sign-up sheet is forthcoming.
In addition to our Grocery Giveaway Ministry and hosting Covid Vaccinations, if you or anyone you know lost a loved one to COVID, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing a reimbursement for COVID funeral costs, and the maximum reimbursement offered through FEMA will be $9,000 per burial. In order to apply, you will need to provide documentation that includes a funeral contract, receipt and more.
The COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Hot Line is as follows: 844-684-6333 or TTY: 800-462-7585. If you need additional help, you can call the office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee at (510) 764-0370 or connect with her via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Again, thank you for you support regarding our Family Life Center which was approved on April 1st by the Richmond Planning Commission. We still have a few hurdles to go through before we are granted our building permit, but we hope to begin construction this year.
We also solicit your prayerful and financial support in my vision and desire for St. John to have a Day-Care Center. This will be a tremendous blessing for children to be indoctrinated at an early age about God through Jesus Christ.
Last but not least, I thank each of you who have been supporting St. John financially, especially in the last year (even though the monthly contributions are declining). With everything that we are doing and trying to do, your financial contributions are needed. We currently give by mailing or dropping off our Tithes and Offerings to our St. John South Campus (662 South 52nd Street—Richmond, CA 94804) or by giving online through our website (sjmbc.org). If you are a member of St. John who is financially able but not supporting our church financially, allow God to bless you with more by giving today your Tithes and Offerings.
May God bless and sustain each of us.
Your Servant In Christ,
Dr. Kevin B. Hall, Pastor