April 2, 2022

When I was a ministerial rookie over 30 years ago, I worked as a chaplain at Memorial Sloan Kettering and New York Hospital in NYC. Now I am one of their patients. Once a year I travel to Sloan Kettering for a MRI on a cyst I have on my pancreas. This past week was the annual check-up, and fortunately, the doctor gave me the same report he has been giving me the last seven years:

"Good news! The cyst has not grown." 

So if I seem like I have an extra bounce in my step on Sunday, you know why. Of course, since I have just gotten off the airplane, I may have some jet-lag on Sunday. I'm a bit sore...I forgot how much one walks in Manhattan. And yes, we did see some shows while we were there. And we saw two of our children and son-in-law. (Wendell, Chelsea, and her husband, Chris.) One of the highlights was a supper with all of us down in Chinatown. 

Wouldn't it be fun to have a Church Family Trip to New York? Let's do it!

So I got some good news this week. But we all also got some tough news. While I was away, we lost two dear members of our church family, Pete Vasta and Rev. Grady Mills. Pete and Grady will be greatly, greatly missed. They added so much to our church family and church ministries. We will be celebrating Pete's life tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 10:00 a.m., and we will be celebrating Grady's life Tuesday morning at 11:00 a.m. Please be praying for Beverly and Brenda and their families.

This will be the first Sunday of the month, so we will be celebrating Holy Communion. If you will be worshipping with us online, we hope you will participate in the Lord's Supper by having bread or a cracker and juice or water with you.

For the first time since the pandemic, we will be having our BIG Coffee Hour in Holliday Hall after the worship service. If you are able, please bring some goodies to share with others. Food items can be dropped off at the kitchen when you arrive at church.

Come get a spiritual massage on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Using scripture, silence, prayer, and chant-like songs, the Taizé service will quench the thirsting of your soul. It will be the last Taizé Service in Lent as we will celebrate Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week on April 10th.

Our church consultant, Paul Nixon, will be visiting us this week. Please be praying that our discussions and our time together with Paul will be fruitful. We also pray for Paul and all of his travels — as he is constantly flying from east coast to west coast and overseas to England.

If you have attended our Sunday services recently, you probably noticed that two of the heads from our beautiful statues in the courtyard are missing. Unfortunately, they were stolen. (Yes, I know...it's hard to believe!) We were able to contact the artist who made the statues. She resides in Florida and is now in the process of making the new heads. I wish we would have them by Easter Sunday (April 17th), but it appears they will not be finished until the first of May. So in about four more weeks our statues will be whole again!

Don't forget that Easter is fast approaching. If you would like to honor or remember a Loved One with one or more lilies on Easter Sunday, please call or email the church office. The lilies will be placed in the sanctuary on Easter Sunday.

Next Saturday, April 9th, we'll be having our annual Easter Egg Hunt. It will be from 10 — 12 at our Wesley Oak Campus in Thunderbolt. Please plan on joining us for a time of fellowship and fun.

We will continue our "Lenten Tree Services" this Sunday. I'm not going to tell you what the biblical text is for this Sunday because then you will know what will be on the tree...and I want it to be a surprise!

Hope to see you Sunday and at Pete's and Grady's services!

Love and Blessings,
Billy