October has a lot going on. The first half of the month ends the month-long recognition of the contributions of those of Hispanic heritage to our nation. At the end of the month many are having celebrations of the fall. Children and children at heart participate in costume parades and other community Halloween activities. In the church we recognize three special Sundays, World Communion Sunday, Laity Sunday and next week we will recognize Reformation Sunday.
Amid all these events there are two other things we may want to be aware of during the month of October. You may have noticed this month more people are wearing pink or pink ribbons than usual. This is because October has been designated breast cancer awareness month to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer.
Many of us or one of our loved ones have been impacted by breast cancer or we know someone who has been. We are also very proud to have in our church family at Faith, Pat Berg, who has done ground-breaking research in breast cancer to help identify the causes of breast cancer in African American women. You can find more information regarding the importance of this issue at Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2022 – National Breast Cancer Foundation.
You may also have seen purple lights and people wearing purple this month. This is to raise awareness of domestic violence. This is something I have witnessed in our community, and it is heart-breaking. Often the victim or victims are not only ashamed but may also believe it is their fault. It often perpetuates itself if not addressed, continuing from generation to generation.
October was designated as Domestic Violence Awareness month in 1981. According to Domestic Violence Awareness Month – Domestic Violence: It’s EVERYBODY’S Business “It was created not only to bring more awareness to others but to connect and unify the millions of affected victims that had been battered due to domestic violence. Its hope is to break the chains of violence that currently have such a strong grip on our nation.”
I bring these two designations for October to your attention because if we do not see what is going on around us, and do not see the needs right in front of us, how will we offer a helping hand. How will we pray for those like Pat who dedicate their careers to helping and for those who need the help.
May your October be full of blessings and may you be blessed to be a blessing.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Peggy