Greetings from Brooklyn!

I hope that the new year has been a good one for you all so far. Like much of the nation, we here in Brooklyn are filled with hope and optimism amidst difficult times. We all watched on Tuesday as part of Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream was realized. The day before, at the Brooklyn MLK day celebration, a group from Revolution witnessed some of the history of that dream, as we listened to Minnijean Brown-Trickey, a member of the Little Rock Nine. She captured the moment, by saying she had no words in regards to an African American being elected president. She continued by saying that anything she said would be a cliche. We all were struck by wonder and optimism in her words. After the ceremony, some of us went for some hamburgers across the street, and Mrs. Brown-Trickey was there as well. I thanked her for her sacrifices and commitment to the dream.

On Sunday at Revolution we had our annual MLK day service. It was the first one I was able to speak at while here in Brooklyn. I really enjoyed the preparation for this sermon, as I got to reflect on the words of one of my heroes in the context of Tuesday. We are pleased to announce that the sermon will be sent to the Library of Congress, which is collecting sermons preached on the Sunday before the Inauguration. 

We here at Revolution continue to follow Jesus’ prayer of “On earth, as it is in Heaven” not only in the work of human rights but also in the work of taking care of God’s creation. This month, we will host another film screening educating us on environmental issues. The film is called Mountain Top Removal- it is a documentary about coal mining in the Appalachia Mountain region. Some of the negative impacts of coal mining on the environment are highlighted, including the geological changes that occur and result in flooding and pollution and the impact these practices have on the people living there. The screening will be at The Lazy Catfish (593 Lorimer St, Brooklyn, NY) on Sunday, February 8th at 7pm. Suggested donation is $10 (to benefit Revolution and Haw River Films). For more information please click here. Along these lines, we will start a new Bible study this month based on the newly published Green Bible, which has verses pertaining to the environment highlighted in green. For more information on this, along with other interesting muses, check out the RevolutionNYC Staff Blog. 

Like all of us these days, Revolution is in financial need. If you consider this your church, whether on-line or here in Brooklyn, we ask for your continued support. Click here to donate now.

In Grace,

Jay Bakker