美南浸信会11月8日守「孤儿与寡妇主日」：牧者谈寡妇关怀重在空间与连接的平衡
11月8日（周日）是美南浸信会年度强调日历上的「孤儿与寡妇主日」（Orphans and Widows Sunday）。这一强调日源于《圣经·雅各书》1章27节关于看顾孤儿寡妇的教导，提醒各教会在敬拜与团契生活中，特别记念社会中最脆弱的两个群体。美南浸信会的伦理与宗教自由委员会（ERLC）已为各教会备好讲道与团契资源，供教会当天使用。
浸信会通讯社（Baptist Press）11月5日刊文，采访了两位牧养一线的牧者，谈教会应如何关怀寡妇与鳏夫。受访牧者指出，关怀的关键是在「空间」与「连接」之间找到恰当的平衡：哀伤中的人需要独处与喘息的余地，教会的探访与邀约如果过于密集，反而可能成为压力；但若教会完全退开，丧偶者很容易在人群散去之后陷入被遗忘的孤单。
其中一位受访者是德州达拉斯县梅斯基特市友谊浸信会（Friendship Baptist Church）的主任牧师凯勒布·特纳（Caleb Turner）。他与另一位牧者在文中分享了各自教会的做法，包括在丧偶初期之后的持续跟进、在节日与纪念日等敏感节点主动联系，以及帮助寡妇重新在教会群体中找到位置与事奉角色。按文章的说法，关怀寡妇是让信徒「参与基督的工作」的一种方式。
同一强调日前后，ERLC公共政策副主席扎克·普鲁伊特（Zack Pruitt）也在浸信会通讯社发表专文，呼吁教会通过寄养、收养以及与各州浸信会儿童之家合作等方式回应孤儿的需要，并主张政府不应妨碍教会履行这一责任。
美南浸信会是美国最大的新教宗派之一。每年11月的「孤儿与寡妇主日」，全美各地教会通常会以讲道、祷告与具体的关怀行动，提醒会众把信仰落实在对弱势者的照顾上。
（来源：浸信会通讯社）
Southern Baptists Mark Orphans and Widows Sunday on November 8: Pastors Say Widow Care Balances Space and Connection
Sunday, November 8, is Orphans and Widows Sunday on the Southern Baptist Convention's annual emphasis calendar. Rooted in the teaching of James 1:27 about looking after orphans and widows, the day calls churches to remember two of the most vulnerable groups in their worship and fellowship. The SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has prepared resources for churches observing the day.
In a November 5 report, Baptist Press spoke with two pastors about how churches should care for widows and widowers. Their shared conclusion: the key is finding the appropriate balance between space and connection. People in grief need room to breathe, and a church's visits and invitations can become pressure if they come too thick and fast; yet if the church steps back entirely, a widowed person can be left feeling forgotten once the crowds go home.
One of the pastors interviewed is Caleb Turner, senior pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Mesquite, in Dallas County, Texas. He and the other pastor describe practices such as sustained follow-up long after the funeral, deliberate contact around holidays and anniversaries, and helping widows find a renewed place — and role — within the congregation. Caring for widows, the article suggests, is one way believers 'participate in the work of Christ.'
Writing separately for Baptist Press ahead of the same emphasis day, Zack Pruitt, the ERLC's vice president of public policy and general counsel, urged churches to answer the call to love orphaned children by fostering, adopting and partnering with state Baptist children's homes, arguing that government must not stand in the way of the church fulfilling that responsibility.
The Southern Baptist Convention is one of the largest Protestant bodies in the United States. Each November, Orphans and Widows Sunday prompts congregations across the country to pair preaching and prayer with concrete acts of care for widows, orphans and the families who take them in.
(Source: Baptist Press)
来源：浸信会通讯社
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：教会敬拜场景（资料图）。图片来自 Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。 / A church worship service (file photo). Image via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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