June 18, 2022

Holliday Hall and other rooms at the church were filled with joy and excitement this week for Vacation Bible School. I want to thank all of the planners, teachers, servers, cooks, and helpers for creating such a special week. And a great big thank you to all of the children who attended and brought their diverse personalities and big hearts.

On Sunday, we will get to see the children from Vacation Bible School share their songs and music from the week. They will even be singing a version of The Lord’s Prayer. Hope you will be in attendance to show your support for them. 

You should receive another important email from me today. It’s about the process we will be using to name and brand the merged ministries of Asbury Memorial and Wesley Oak. Please be sure to read the email. We are now receiving suggestions for the rebranding. We want your input! The email contains 5 questions and tells you where to send your responses.  

Seven years ago, today (June 17), our country experienced the horrible massacre at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. This tragic event motivated us to start our Orange Ribbon Ministry at Asbury.  It also encouraged us to invite Rev. Sharon Risher to preach for us five years ago. Rev. Risher lost family members in the shooting, including her mother. Just recently at our Beating Guns’ event on June 4th, Rev. Risher was our keynote speaker. Let us be in prayer for Rev. Risher and all of those who have lost family members to gun violence.

Here is a powerful documentary about the Charleston shooting that features Rev. Risher. It is called, Quiet No More: https://vimeo.com/425765045

We’re sorry, but we had to postpone the Grief Seminar that was scheduled for tomorrow. Twenty people had signed up for it, so we were really looking forward to hosting it. We will be rescheduling it soon. If you have any questions, call or email Candace Jenkins.

I want to remind those who are worshipping online that they can chat and connect with others worshipping online starting at 11:00 a.m. every Sunday. It’s wonderful to see people greeting each other from different parts of the country and world. So please use your phones or computers to connect and fellowship with others before the service begins on Sundays.

As always, I am looking forward to worshipping with you on Sunday. The biblical text is a fantastical tale from the Hebrew Scriptures (I Kings 17:8-24). It is a story from the 9th century BCE involving the prophet Elijah, a widow, and her son. It is this week’s lectionary text from the Hebrew scriptures, and ironically, was one of the stories that was featured during VBS this week. I’m looking forward to talking with you about it on Sunday. Have a blessed weekend! 

Love,
Billy