May 5

Cheri and I just took a trip to New York and came back to a stack of wonderful cards filled with kind and loving thoughts about my mother. Thank you so very much. We are so blessed to have you in our lives.

One of the reasons we went to NY is because I have an annual MRI done at Sloan Kettering. I have a small cyst on my pancreas, and Sloan has been monitoring it for about 9 years. Every year the size of the cyst has remained the same. This year, we received a little different news. The cyst has grown a bit. The doctor said that everything is still fine. They, however, want to monitor it more closely. They want me to go back up to NY in a couple of months for an endoscopic exam. Also, they want me to have the MRI every 6 months instead of annually. I am sharing this with you because we've all played the "Telephone Game" where we whisper a sentence into someone's ear and it goes around the players and ends up being a totally different sentence. So I just want to be clear that all that I am doing with Sloan is precautionary. And, if some kind of surgery is needed at a later time, we will have caught the issue sooner rather than later.

Some of you may be thinking, "Isn't it convenient that Billy is going to have to take more trips to NY now that he has the cutest grandson in the world living there? Interesting? How convenient?"

Yes, it is true that I have the cutest grandson in the world, but it is also true that I will be getting more frequent tests in NY. Rumors that I am moving to NY to become Anson's commercial agent are false. Though don't you think the picture above would be perfect for an ad for a fabric softener???!!!

How wonderful it was to see folks in Holliday Hall breaking bread and laughing together at our Wednesday Night Supper! This time of communion and community is so healing and bonding. We need it! Plus, the food is great, too!

We only have three more suppers before we take a long break for the summer.

So do yourself a favor and hurry and make a reservation. I want to see you there. I need you there to tell me not to get more than one dessert! 

I am so excited that my friend, Mark Erelli, will be coming to Asbury on May 20th to offer us a concert. Please share this news with friends and neighbors! Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at: https://www.asburymemorial.org/.

Here is a link to some of Mark's music that you could send to folks to help us get the word out about the concert Thanks!

If you are looking for a church home, we would love for you to be part of the Asbury Memorial/Wesley Oak Family. We offer New Member Classes three times a year. The next classes will be after the worship services on May 21st and 28th. A delicious lunch is supplied by our wonderful Kitchen Hospitality Team. If you would like to attend, please contact our Connectional Ministries Coordinator, Candace Jenkins, by calling or emailing the church office.

This Sunday, we'll be looking at another text from The Gospel of John that has caused division among family members, religions, and nations. This is too bad...because as I will be sharing on Sunday, the passage should be uniting people instead of dividing them. The passage is John 14:1-14. You have most likely heard it read at a funeral. There is a good chance that you have not heard it interpreted as many Biblical scholars feel it should be interpreted. I'll share their thoughts and my thoughts about the text on Sunday. Hope to see you in the sanctuary or on the air waves! 

Love & Blessings to all!
Billy