August 19

I want to thank all of the preachers, singers, readers, musicians, techies, ushers, greeters, teachers and congregants for all you did to support the church and worship services while I was away. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Cheri and I just got back from a quick trip to New York to see our 9 1/2-month-old grandson, Anson. We thought we might even get to see him take his first steps as he seemed to be on the verge of going for it. Sure enough, the day after we got back home, we received a video with the little guy moonwalking! (I don't think I started walking until I was 6 years old, so this kid is something else!) Chelsea, her husband, Chris, and Anson are going to be in Savannah in October — the Sunday we use The Lion King for God On Broadway. I can't wait for you to meet him. By then, he'll probably be able to play Simba for us! 

I'm really looking forward to being back with you on Sunday. I especially am looking forward to it because we'll be celebrating the life of one of the most incredible persons who ever walked this earth. And I mean WALKED! (Virginia never learned to drive.) I wonder how many steps Virginia took in her lifetime.

Most everyone knows by now that the matriarch of Asbury, Virginia Holliday, made her transition on July 20th at the age of 99. We wanted to do something extra special for Virginia as she was the last of the original Elderberries who kept Asbury going during its lean years. Then when help came in 1993, Virginia didn't say, "Well, I've done my part." No, she kept giving and giving and GIVING! So, we decided to dedicate one of our Sunday morning worship services to her. Some of her family members from Augusta will be joining us. The choir will be singing two of Virginia's favorite songs: In This Very Room and He Never Failed Me Yet. Asburian Kate Jacobson, who moved to Florida many years ago, will be driving to Savannah to be the featured soloist. We'll also be watching a video of pictures of Virginia throughout her life. You won't believe how much red hair she had on top of her head in the 1970s! 

Virginia's favorite color was red. She was famous for painting all kind of things with red nail polish. So, everyone is invited to wear something red in honor of Virginia on Sunday. 

After the service, we'll continue to celebrate Virginia's life with a lunch reception in Holliday Hall. We'll have lots of food, including Deviled Eggs in honor of the thousands of DEs that Virginia made for the church in her 60 years at Asbury. We are hoping to have lots of people at church on Sunday to express their gratitude for Virginia, so if you are able to bring food items to help us feed everyone, we would appreciate it. You can drop food items off at the kitchen when you arrive. 

After battling back from a devastating case of Covid that almost took his life, Bob Francischetti inspired us all. He had been hoping to join us in worship on a regular basis, but sadly, it was recently discovered that Bob had an undiagnosed case of cancer. After being in the hospital the last several weeks, Bob passed at Hospice House yesterday. We rejoice that Bob's suffering and pain is over and that he has rejoined his husband of many years, Bobby Soletto, who passed of Covid during the pandemic.

The Celebration of Life Service for Bob will be this coming Tuesday, the 22nd at Asbury. A Visitation will be held at 1:00, an hour before the Service which will be at 2:00 pm. Bob's two brothers, John and Paul, live in New Jersey and will be attending the service. Please be praying for them during this difficult time.

The doors at Asbury and Wesley Oak are always open for people looking for a church home. Our next New Member Classes will be after worship on the last two Sundays in October (22nd & 29th). If you are interested in learning more about church membership and attending the classes, please contact Candace Jenkins at the church office or contact me at bghester3@comcast.net.

I again want to thank everyone who helped with worship and our ministries during my break. A number of years ago, the Staff Relations Committee started insisting that I take more time off in the summer. The Committee was made up of sages who knew that this time away would benefit both me and the church. It would allow me to be refreshed and recharged so I can be as effective as possible in my work. It would give me time to organize and plan. This time away also gives others at Asbury the opportunity to share their gifts and talents. It's exciting to see others developing their skills, sprouting wings, and flying!

It's also been great to see how Rev. Lynn Drake has been using the worship services and ministries at Wesley Oak to do the same thing. We are blessed to have another campus to help develop more leaders and servants. This will continue to happen, and in time, we will see more and more fruit — more and more people willing to help and serve a hurting world.

Just recently, Wesley Oak has had a number of church members have Covid. We knew there would be an increase in Covid cases with the start of school. Because of the development of vaccines, most Covid cases are acting more like a bad cold or Flu. But we do encourage you to protect yourself as best you can. You know your medical situation. Please don't feel bashful or awkward about wearing a mask, if you desire to wear one. Also, we still have the "space saver" cards in the narthex and at the registration table. If you would prefer to have the chair next to you in the sanctuary be empty, just simply place the card in the seat. Asbury is a place where we want you to feel loved and cared for, so please do what helps you feel safe.

I attended a Stewardship Committee meeting this week, and one of the things we discussed is a desire to emphasize the giving of our tithes and offerings as a communal act of worship. There may be a tendency for us to think of the "Offering" as a time to collect the money from those who want to put something in the plate. Instead, it should be seen as a communal event of not only giving by some, but rather a giving and blessing by all. There are two aspects of this that I would like to highlight: 

First, if you give to the church through automatic payment or give online through the church's website, thank you, thank you, thank you! If you are in our church service, we still would love for you to be part of the communal experience of the offering. One way to do that is to put an "Online Giving Card" in the plate when the plate is passed to you. You can pick up an Online Giving Card at the registration table when you check in at the church. You should be able to see them, but if you don't, please ask the greeter about them.

Secondly, even if you cannot give something monetarily for the Offering, we still covet your blessings and prayers. You will be adding so much to our ministry, if you will bless the offering — pray that what is given will be used to bless others. So, we would LOVE for EVERYONE in the sanctuary to "touch the offering plate" - to receive it, to bless it, and to pass it on.

It's a bit ironic and serendipitous that I am writing about this just as we're about to celebrate Virginia's life. Whenever we had an extraordinary amount of money given for the offering and when the amount was posted in the bulletin the following Sunday, Virginia would come up to me and point to the figure. She knew how close Asbury had come to closing in the early 1990s. And every time she saw an overwhelming amount of money given, she would privately and quietly celebrate it with me. Just yesterday I came to understand her feelings of joy and thankfulness a little bit more. In preparing for Virginia's service, I went through some old history files of the church this week. I came upon the 1992 Charge Conference Report for Asbury. 1992 was the year before I was appointed to Asbury. I looked at the financial report, and when I saw the balance in the church's account, I almost fainted. In August of 1992, the balance on hand for the church was $1,576.70. I called Claudette at the office to make sure I was reading the report correctly. She said I was. In August of 1992, the church only had $1,576.70 in its General Account. I knew things had gotten bad, but I didn't know they had gotten THAT bad. It's no wonder the Methodist denomination had started putting pressure on the members to look for another church. 

So, when the offering plates are being passed around on Sunday, be sure to touch the plate and bless it - whether you have a financial gift or not to put in it. And say a special thank you to God for helping a church that had gotten down to $1,576.70 hang around for 30 more years so we could be touched by someone named Virginia Holliday

See ya Sunday!

Love & Blessings,
Billy