July 29,2022

Hello, Church Family,

I have exciting personal news to share. One year after being diagnosed with stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a rather rare form of cancer, we were told this week by our awesome oncologist at MD Anderson that all indications are that my husband John is in remission! God (and MD Anderson) are good, really good! People have been so kind in keeping up with his progress and we want to express our heartfelt thanks for your support. This means that we will be reducing his treatment visits to once every two months instead of going to Houston every month. He is still easily fatigued and has some headaches, but these are manageable, and this is really nothing short of a miracle. Praise God!

This week we worship with Bob delivering the sermon. Bob was born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA where he served in the Louisiana Conference of the UMC for forty years as a pastor in the local church, a campus minister at several universities, and as an executive for Methodist Childrens’ Home and UMCOR. He went to school at Northwest State College, where he fell in love with his wife of almost 55 years, the lovely Mickie. He completed his Master of Divinity at St. Paul’s Theological Seminary in Kansas City and went on to serve the church and the world for 40 years until retirement brought him to Statesboro. Bob and Mickie have a son, Mike, and a daughter, our own Karen Murphree along with grandson, Benjamin. I know that Bob will have a good word for us this Sunday.

Last week’s community block party sponsored by our backyard neighbors, True Light Pentecostal and the awesome Rev. Dr. Kathleen Roberson, was a big success! As one of our members observed, “It was a very positive environment with many good resources.” Our own addictions education event will be coming up on Saturday, August 20 from 10 am-12 noon at The PARC, where we hope to provide a new understanding of addictions to the community, make our congregation more welcoming to persons with substance use disorder, reduce the stigma of addiction and offer great resources. We even have a big announcement at the end of the program, which will make you all so PROUD!

Mayor Van Johnson met with faith leaders today to give us updates with the city manager on the public safety transitions for police and fire departments. Did you know that the mayor meets with us regularly ever since his election and all through the pandemic? He gave us a chance to say goodbye to Police Chief Roy Minter and welcome to the interim director Fire Chief Kitchen. Folks have asked me about the headlines of clergy demanding the resignation of Mayor Johnson. As far as I can tell, the person making this demand is not affiliated with a church in Savannah, has a small band of protesters from Charleston, SC, and the organization he represents is in Minnesota. He appears to be an outlier. Please continue to pray for our city and our nation as gun violence continues to plague our communities and our leaders continue to bear a great burden of responsibility.

Times of transition are stressful. Please remember the many congregants who are facing changes in housing, health losses, job changes or searches, and recuperation from serious illness. Your interest, kind words, and willingness to listen are not only the tonic that someone may desperately need, but what you need to live out your faith. I encourage you to make a gesture to someone when you recognize they need a boost.