February 26, 2022

I write you with a heavy heart due to the tragedy occurring in Europe. For the first time since World War II, Air Raid Sirens are going off in Kyiv. We are seeing the worst of humanity as Russia invades Ukraine, destroying the lives of countless men, women, and children. More than ever, we need to come together in prayer. I hope you will join me in church this Sunday as I lead us in prayer for the people of these two countries and for the world.

We are just about to start the season of Lent. The Sunday before Lent is called Transfiguration Sunday when Jesus went up a high mountain and his clothes became "white as light."

I've asked Rev. Claire Marich to preach this week. I appreciate her agreeing to do so because it has given me the opportunity to try to catch up on work...like some of the past emails that many of you have sent me. It has also allowed me to think more about our upcoming worship services in Lent. I'm looking forward to Claire's sermon. If you have spent time with Claire in studies and meetings, you know that she is great thinker and is deeply committed to her faith. Her sermon is titled, Glimpses of Glory. 

One of the things I got to do this week since I didn't have to prepare a sermon is fill out the Readiness 360 Survey. You should have received the survey by email. This survey will help our consultant, Paul Nixon, guide us into the future. 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. 

Here is the info that will take you to the survey:

Please click here to log in and type in our congregation’s survey code: 3229862548. 

The season of Lent, the 40 days (not including Sundays) leading up to Easter, is a time when Christians rededicate themselves to God and reflect upon their own need for God's grace and the hope of resurrection. It all begins this Wednesday, March 2nd. We will be offering four Ash Wednesday Services. There will be a 7:30 A.M. service at Wesley Oak. A 12 Noon service at Asbury. And both Wesley Oak and Asbury will offer a service at 6:00 p.m. 

When I was a teenager, I was a percussionist in the Savannah Youth Orchestra. But honestly, I wasn't a very good drummer...as in the snare drum. But I played a pretty mean bass drum. My real specialty was playing the cymbals. I could clash with the best of them! And I got to play the cymbals on my favorite piece of music that we performed, a song called, "The Great Gate of Kiev." It is one of the most majestic and inspiring songs ever written. Kiev is another way of spelling the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv. The song was written to celebrate the Golden Gate that was built to protect Kiev in 1873. 

Here is the song. It's about 9 minutes long. I invite you to pray for the people of Ukraine as you listen to it.

After you spend this 9 minutes in prayer, go back to the 8:00 minute mark of the song and watch the orchestra play the last part of the song. This was my favorite part. It's when the cymbals really take over. Watch the cymbal player and imagine little Billy Hester clashing away on the stage at the Civic Center!

Hope to see you tomorrow...in white!

Love & peace,
Billy