Dear Caldwell,
This morning several hundred community stakeholders gathered at a breakfast hosted by the Community Building Initiative. We heard a stirring speaker who didn’t hesitate to admit that she was “singing to the choir” when it comes to those who are working to make Charlotte more inclusive, welcoming and engaging for all types of people. In the church, the speaker said, the choir is the group that lends energy to worship and sometimes isn’t thanked enough. So, she said “thank you” to all those who are working to make Charlotte “aggressively welcoming.”
At Caldwell, her words ring true. We have our own choir for which we can “give thanks always” for making our worship more welcoming. This Sunday we will gather to say thank you and farewell to Thomas Moore for the season he has spent with us as our co-choir director. After worship, we will move to Belk Hall for a program of thanks and a reception. We will have more details and plenty of campus guides to facilitate the move from the sanctuary to Belk Hall.
This will be the third Sunday in Advent and we will make a turn of sorts in our waiting and watching for the birth of Christ. The Third Sunday is traditionally the week when we recognize that we can hardly maintain the restraint we’ve tried to show in waiting and watching for the Lord thus far in Advent. Our joy breaks out, no longer to be contained. We will listen deeply to the hopeful words of Psalm 126 and, after we’ve passed the peace, confessed, prayed, sung, heard the Word of God read and interpreted and responded with our lives and our resources, we will conclude with those appropriate words, “Soon and very soon we are going to see the King.”
At 10 a.m. Sunday, the Sunday school class will continue with its look at Christmas through a book by Adam Hamilton. And, as every week, all are welcomed to help prepare and share breakfast with the ladies of Caldwell House. Prep starts at 7 a.m. Sunday and breakfast is served at 8:30.
On Saturday, the Men of Caldwell are meeting with the men of Bread of Life for breakfast and fellowship at 8:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. If you’d like to help decorate our Chrismon tree, the elves will gather in the sanctuary tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.
That handsome fellow in the photo is Caldwell’s newest member, David Ashley, who goes with the lovely Sheena Bossie. David is known to many of us and has been a laborer in God’s fields here for a good while. Welcome, David, at least officially. Caldwell also lost a member this week, Elise Hood, 101, whom I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. The family will receive visitors at Harry and Bryant on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 10.:30-11:45 a.m.
We’re also keeping our friend Katherine Forney in our prayers after her loss of her father earlier this week. His service is in Tennessee next week. Ollie Huff, mother of member Diane Huff, continues her recovery from a broken hip.
So, as you can see, life is as full as ever at this busy little church. Thanks be to God. See you Sunday.
In Christ,
John