February 19, 2022

 

Great news! We'll be starting back with our Coffee Hour in the courtyard this Sunday! I can go back to saying, "If you would like to learn more about Asbury and our programs, please see Candace Jenkins, our Connections Coordinator, after the service. She will be under the canopy tent in the courtyard!" 

The Health and Safety Task Force recognizes that with vaccines and boosters we are at a different place with Covid, and we will now be able to do some things we haven't done in a very long time. We, of course, will continue to wear masks, but we celebrate that we are at a new and better place in the pandemic. I am looking forward to connecting with people again after the service.

This Sunday we will be passing our offering plates for the first time in a long time. Do you realize that we have not passed our offering plates during a worship service in over two years? If you would have told me two years ago that we won't be passing the plates for over two years, I would have fainted. "What will happen to our church and its ministries?" But the people of Asbury have been faithful. You have continued to give by bringing or mailing your offering to the church or by online giving. We have greatly missed the extra offerings we usually receive from constituents and visitors. But our members have kept us afloat by their faithful giving. Our Finance Committee met this week and our administrator, Randy Canady, reported that well over 90% of our members have followed through with their pledges in 2021. Many churches aren't fortunate enough to hear those words. But this faithful giving has been a long trait of Asburians. Thank you! 

Our choir will also be starting back this Sunday! 

Ray Ellis and the choir have just started rehearsing again and have started working on music for Lent. So if you ever thought about singing in the choir, now would be a good time to start. The choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm. If you would like to learn more about the choir, see Ray or Candace after church on Sunday or call or email them.

Now that we are seeing more light at the end of the Covid Tunnel, we are going to get to connect with each other more and more. I am so excited about this...because a Community of Faith is all about relationships, connecting, and supporting one another. I want to remind everyone that a great many of our members are homebound or live out of state and cannot have these "in person" experiences that many of us will have in the future I want to encourage all of our members to be committed to connecting with others - especially with those who cannot be physically present with us at church. Please call them on the phone, email them, Zoom with them, and/or write them a letter. It will be a blessing for them and a blessing for you.

You should have received by email a survey called, "Readiness 360" that our consultant, Paul Nixon, would like every church member to fill out. The results will help Paul in guiding us with our merger with Wesley Oak, so please take the time to fill it out. If someone is unable to fill it out or did not receive the survey, please contact the church office. We want to be sure every voice is heard.

Rev. Claire Marich has just started facilitating an 8-week study on Wednesday evenings based on Julia Cameron's book, Seeking Wisdom: A Spiritual Path to Greater Connection. You don't have to be a member of Asbury to participate, and you don't have to live in Savannah because it will be a Zoom study. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with others. Please read the article on the front of the February Newsletter about the study and how to register for it. And share the news about this opportunity with others. The newsletter can be found on our website. 

You heard right!

You know the story. Well, maybe not all of the story. 

Join me this Sunday as we explore the story of Joseph in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Our biblical texts for Sunday are Genesis 45:3-11, 15, Psalm 37:1-11, and Luke 6:27-38. 

Reading the gospel text this Sunday will be Mickey Dodge. This will be Mickey's last Sunday before moving to Atlanta to be closer to family. Mickey has been a long-time member of Asbury. She has been a faithful member of the choir, participated in many groups and studies, and has shared her talents and gifts in theatre at Asbury and in the Savannah community. She will be greatly, greatly missed. I hope you will be able to be at church Sunday to wish her well and to offer your blessing for her. "We love you, Mickey!" 

Hope to see you Sunday!
Love & peace,
Billy
Rev. Billy Hester