“I once thought that my spiritual life was separate from and more important than my civic life. I now know this was wrong.”
-Bishop Ken Carter
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Florida Annual Conference and Bishop Carter have just published a small series of videos on the convergence of our social life and our spiritual lives. With such hostile rhetoric in the media and world these days regarding the election, I feel responsible to share these videos which speak to the extreme importance that voting has, and why I urge everyone to participate in this most special civil liberty.
This video, entitled ‘Fighting Voter Suppression” can be found on our St John’s on the Lake media platforms as well as at http://www.faithfulvote.com/
I encourage everyone to watch and to pass these on to friends and family through social media.
Love and Peace,
Pastor Dawn
All the Information
We here at St Johns knows how difficult in can be to find out everything you need to be a responsible voter… So we made it easy. Below you will see a complete list of everything you might need in order to vote.
- For Questions about Mail-In Voting – http://florida-email.brtapp.com/files/fileslibrary/communications/voter+registration+flyers.pdf (English, Spanish, Creole)
- Easy, Online Way to Register – https://makeaplantovote.com/
- Info on Candidates and Policies – https://myvoteproject.com/
- For Info on Early voting and locations – Visit Your Local Supervisor of Election Office Website. Search Each Office by County
Dates to Remember!
- Registration Deadline: October 5
- Early Voting: October 19-November 1
- Election Day: November 3, 2020
🌟Early Voting and Mail-In Ballots
With the COVID-19 virus still affecting millions, you may want to request a mail-in ballot. If you have concerns about your vote not making it through the USPS, we want to remind you that you CAN DROP OFF YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT TO AN EARLY VOTING SITE.
Miami-Dade County:
- Early Voting Dates and Hours: October 19th Through October 25th. 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Early Voting Sites: https://www.miamidade.gov/elections/library/2020-general-early-voting-schedule.pdf
Broward County:
- Early Voting Dates and Hours: October 19 Through November 1 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Early Voting Sites: https://www.browardsoe.org/Voting-Methods/Early-Voting-Dates-Hours-and-Sites
PDF Version of the Information
The Faith in Voting
Methodist Christians have a long history of connecting faith and social action.
As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in August, move toward the general election in November, and reckon with ongoing racial inequity in our country, it is worth considering the role of our faith in public life. What place does it have?
Let’s start with the Bible. Loving God and loving our neighbor (the great commandment Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:36-39) not only meant feeding hungry people, tending the sick, visiting prisons and being generous with the poor, it also meant working for just policies which result in fewer hungry, sick, imprisoned and poor people. When Jesus was flipping tables in the temple he wasn’t forbidding the youth ministry from having a fundraiser at the Church building, he was challenging the abusive policies of those who held power.
“Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:15-17
Jesus held people in power accountable to act in ways that that recognized and included everyone’s sacred worth. In his ministry, Jesus consistently elevates the lives and experiences of persons who have been overlooked and neglected.
In our day, nothing is more fundamental to recognizing the value of every human life than the right to vote in free, fair and safe elections. Today, as we join Jesus in elevating the concerns of the poor and people of color who are far more likely to face voter suppression, we commit ourselves to dismantling policies that produce and perpetuate racial inequity, and join the work to ensure free, fair and safe elections in our country.
Here are some practical ways to put your faith in action:
Make sure you are registered to vote and that your name has not been purged from voting rolls or designated “inactive.” The deadline for registering to vote is October 5, 2020.