March 7, 2013 - Christian Vegetarian Association Update Newsletters


	2013 Newsletters

CVA Weekly Newsletter
March 7, 2013

Activist Outreach

Reflections on the Lectionary 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 – Are We “New Creations in Christ”?

This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

The March-April Issue of The Peaceable Table Is Now Online

1. Activist Outreach

Rick, who leafleted with Kymi at Winter Jam in St. Louis, writes:

Kymi and I leafleted mostly to receptive kids at Scottrade Center today. Kymi, sporting her new CVA tee shirt, handed out 300 booklets, and I handed out 900.

Thanks to Kymi for her great job and for making her CVA debut!

Upcoming Outreach Opportunities

3/14-16   FL Orlando              Joyce Meyers
3/15-16   SC Greenville      Extraordinary Women's Conference
3/15-16   CA San Diego       Acquire the Fire 2012-2013 "Relentless Pursuit"
3/15-16   OK Tulsa           Acquire the Fire 2012-2013 "Relentless Pursuit"
3/15-16   IL Normal               Hearts at Home 2013 National Conference
3/16          NY Syracuse        WOF Celebrate What Matters: Up Close
3/22-23   NC Winston-Salem        Acquire the Fire 2012-2013 "Relentless Pursuit"
3/22-23   MN Minneapolis          Acquire the Fire 2012-2013 "Relentless Pursuit"
3/24          NY New York             Veggie Pride Parade NYC 2013
3/21          IA Davenport      Brandon Heath BranDisa Tour
3/23      OR Tualatin        WOF Revolve Tour This Love
3/28      MO Springfield     Winter Jam
3/29      KS Wichita              Winter Jam
3/30          TX San Antonio          Winter Jam
4/5-6     CA Roseville       Women of Faith: Revolve Tour: This is Love
4/13      MT Billings             Celebrate What Matters: Up Close
4/13      CA Pasadena             Revolve Tour : This is Love
4/19-20   WA Kirkland             Revolve Tour : This is Love
4/12-13   AL Birmingham      Extraordinary Women's Conference
4/20      TN Knoxville       TABLE EarthFest 2013
4/21      CA San Diego       San Diego Earth Fair
5/19      CA Lake Balboa          TABLE WorldFest 2013 Earth Day Festival

2. Reflections on the Lectionary 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 – Are We “New Creations in Christ”?

This passage includes the well-known verse: Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come (2 Cor 5:17). What does it mean to be a new creation?

I think this passage teaches that those who are “in Christ” have a new outlook on life, which manifests itself in new behaviors and new choices. Jesus exemplified love, compassion, and mercy. There are people who claim to be “saved” or “in Christ,” but if they manifest the same hardness of heart they had before they were “saved,” I think they have deceived themselves. While we all “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), those who are new creations in Christ continuously strive to emulate Jesus’ attitude toward God’s creation.

Are those who contribute to the abuses of animal agribusiness saved? I don’t know – some people may not have access to nutritious non-animal foods. For those who do have a choice and who know (or have no excuse for not knowing) about the cruelties of modern animal agribusiness, they are only “in Christ” to the degree that they try to use Jesus as a model for their choices.

Next week, I will reflect on the last part of this reading: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.

3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

Removing Ourselves from a Violent World

4. The March-April Issue of The Peaceable Table Is Now Online

Contents include:

There have been readers, even in ancient times, who ridiculed the book of Jonah because they couldn't believe Jonah survived three days in the fish's belly. But perhaps the laugh was on them. When read as a parable, the book uncovers some of the riches of God's love, not only for human animals, but also for the furred and feathered ones with whom we are all bound together. See the Editor's Corner essay, "Jonah, the Fish Story, 'and Also Many Animals.'"

In one of the Unset Gems, author Victor Hugo tells us why animals are in no risk of going to hell.

Our Pioneer, Maria Rosa Martinez of Argentina, tells in an interview about becoming a vegetarian in her teens, how her family and friends responded, and how a powerful short video convinced her to become a vegan. (Ms. Martinez is the translator into Spanish of Quaker Animal Kinship's booklet "Are Animals Our Neighbors?" Both English and Spanish copies are available for distribution; just ask.)

A Book Review by Robert Ellwood looks at A Faith Embracing All Creatures, an anthology of knowledgeable and sensitive essays on various aspects of the Christian faith having to do with animals. Several of them, citing Bible passages frequently quoted by those who mean to challenge a compassionate veganism, show that a very different interpretation is called for.

To read these and more, see http://www.vegetarianfriends.net/issue95.html

We welcome comments on anything in this issue as well as suggestions and submissions for the next one.

Peace on Earth,
Gracia Fay Ellwood, Editor

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