Delivered on August 17, 2022 to SC Senate Medical Affairs Committee Good morning! I am the Reverend Merianna Harrelson. I am the Pastor of Garden of Grace United Church of Christ on Atlas Road in Southeast Columbia. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you all this morning on this crucial issue involving my own …
On this day in 1919, the US House approved the 19th amendment – giving women the right to vote. There was a notable regional pattern in the vote #19thAmendment #WomensVote100 pic.twitter.com/JVrl8DdFYE — Matthew Isbell (@mcimaps) May 21, 2019 This week 100 years ago, women earned the right to vote in the United States, but not …
Today began our Youth Missions Week at New Hope. We are so excited to be joining with Koinonia offering arts, crafts, and songs to the students gathered this summer. This morning we read God’s Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and were reminded that we are unique and special and that we are all a part …
You are special. You are loved. You are God’s child. Read More »
Yesterday, New Hope Christian Fellowship called me to be their pastor and I said a wholehearted YES! A New Hope…started a journey and ongoing battle between the dark side and the Jedi. A journey that has continued onto this generation in the form of new characters, missing story pieces, and a bond of love for …
I know some of you were left nursing reopened wounds in light of the presidential results and the discussions and rhetoric that has followed. I certainly was knocked off balance, but sometimes you’re watching your one-year old dance to a Sesame Street song and you recommit yourself to the work of reconciliation that you have …
As we awaken to the reality that our country has elected Donald Trump as it’s next president, I hope what we have also awakened to is the reality of the needs that surrounds us. 47 million people live in poverty according to the 2014 creating a poverty rate of 15%, that’s 2.3% more than at the …
We Have Vastly Underestimated The Needs That Surround Us Read More »
As I sat in the middle of a tarp filled with donations of men’s short-sleeved T-shirts and collared shirts on Saturday morning with our 11-month old, I was overwhelmed with the way a community can make a difference. There were so many winter items gathered in order to help those who might not have enough …
As the cooler weather has crept in, I realized that this time last year, my choices were pretty limited on what I could and couldn’t wear because I was 8 months pregnant. As I looked in my closet, I wondered what I wore two years ago before I was pregnant to stay warm. Then, I realized, …
This morning I took the puppies to the running trail we used to frequent once a week only to find that the majority of the trail was closed because of damage. I tried to remember the last time I had gone to this trail. I knew it was before Ben was born and then remembered …
When We Forget Natural Disasters, We Forget the Need That Surrounds Us Read More »
This Saturday as part of ministrieslab, we partnered with Resurrections that has been popping up on Saturdays in downtown Columbia to serve a midday meal for fourteen years. We knew it was going to be hot and we knew that there were going to be a lot of people in need. We also knew we …
