VBS for this year:
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SUNDAY MORNING from the pastor April 14, 2002 It is a spring morning. Dozens of birds sing. A cool morning breeze blows through the open window. The air is scented with budding plants. And like Jack (as in Jack and the Beanstalk), I am eager to get outside and see what has grown and blossomed through the night. God has greeted us in this creation, and our souls are awakened with this rousing of the earth itself. Today is the third Sunday of Easter. As a reminder, the church observes Easter as a season, not just a day. For 50 days we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Our Christ candle in the front of the sanctuary is the reminder that with God, light overcomes the darkness and life prevails even in the face of death. Both of my daughters were home yesterday. We caught a movie, ate out at a restaurant, strolled the shopping mall, stopped by the Moonstruck Chocolate Bar for a late dessert, and filled out their tax forms to beat tomorrow’s deadline. Family life isn’t always that gentle, but thanks be to God when we can be graced by just such a day. Our spring concert is just two weeks from today. This will be new for our church. It is a musical extravaganza featuring all of our church’s choirs, bell choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists. We will be enjoying some of the special music that stirred the congregation the most during the past year. And several of our musicians are working on numbers that will be shared for the first time. This event will be on Sunday evening, April 28, and be followed with refreshments in the fellowship hall. It is a great time to invite friends, relatives, and guests to share with them some of the blessings of this congregation. The Personal Strengths Seminar has been rescheduled for May 4-5. This seminar is open to everyone from 7th grade through adult. It is an opportunity to learn about ourselves, about one another, and about ways we can recover energy when our tasks wear us down. The seminar is led by Robert Mushrush, a retired United Methodist pastor. I went through this seminar several years ago and found it to be one of the most helpful things I have ever experienced, both in my work and in my personal life. We will meet Saturday May 4 from 4-8 and Sunday May 5 from 1-5. If you can participate, call the office this week to sign up. The newsletter deadline is this coming Friday. If you have anything to be included, please get it into the office sometime this week. --Mike |
