Grace and peace to you in these hot, mid-summer days.
As we travel this week from Sunday to Sunday, a few quick reminders:
– Tuesday from 4-6 pm, you are invited to come to the Prayer Room for a time of quietude. From 5:30-6, a time of group meditation will be offered … followed by this week’s Living the Sermon discussion group.
– Our second, big Summer Nights at Caldwell breaks out Thursday, gathering at 5:30 pm, followed by food, fun and some informal avenues of Bible study and reflection. This week is “Front Porch Night,” featuring some down-home music and home-made ice cream, among other treats. Come casual and enjoy.
– Please note that Caldwell This Week, our weekly e-newsletter, will not be published this week due to staff vacations. A prayer list is at bottom.
– Interested in a refresher on topics such as the roots of Presbyterianism, how our denomination and church are organized and governed, some key theological concepts and how to get involved here at Caldwell? The ACE Class launches a 5-week review of some of these “newcomer” topics this Sunday, as Parish Associate Rev. Dr. Diane Mowrey take us back to our roots in the Protestant Reformation.
Otherwise, as we move toward next Sunday, we prepare to take time when we worship to think, pray and consider the role of grief in our lives as people of faith. In my years here, the most common experience across our congregation has been a member’s loss of a loved one. And, there are a range of other experiences we encounter that can bring along grief – loss of a relationship, a job, a friend, one’s health, even a beloved pet. Each loss is unique and each person grieves in her or his own way.
Our Congregational Care Committee, chaired by Kim Bohannon, is exploring new ways we can walk with each other and with Christ in our grief, through its various seasons and phases. In the weeks to come, we will be seeking those who feel called to this particular ministry for some special preparation. John Crowell is leading this particular emphasis, in close concert with Evie and me as pastors.
We begin, as we should in all things, with worship, scripture and guidance from our God, who knows our grief from God’s own losses, including an only son, who took on our suffering. I invite any thoughts you may have on this topic and, as we move from Sunday to Sunday, I share these words from Augustine of Hippo with you:
“In affliction then, we do not know what is right to pray for. Because affliction is difficult, troublesome and against the grain for us, weak as we are, we do what every human would do. We pray that it may be taken away from us. However, if (God) does not take it away, we must not imagine that (God) has forgotten us. In this way, power shines forth more perfectly in weakness.”
For your Prayers:
• Steven Stafford, the nephew of Danny Trapp, who was injured in a boating accident that killed his 21-year-old girlfriend, Hailey Bordeaux
• For Wilma Petty, following the death of her aunt
• Felicia Pine, as both her father (hip surgery) and brother (brain tumor) undergo surgery
• John Crowell, as he continues pre-surgery tests and procedures in advance of brain surgery later this summer
• Nancy Nance, suffering from pinched nerve pain in her back
• Chuck Atwell, as he recovers from a lung infection
• Joy for Craig and Mary Ann Ogle as they travel for Craig’s daughter’s wedding
• Joy for the recent marriage of Meg Haynes’ daughter
• Joy and gratitude with Maria Mancinelli as her father, Al, receives a medal of honor from the French government for his heroic service in World War II
* For safe travel for Ann and Alex Smythers, on a cross-country tour.
• For Doug Macomb, Dee Blackburn and Cathy Lum, all recovering from recent surgeries
• Continued prayer for Christina Byrd and her family, grieving her husband’s death
• Bennett Marcotte, son of Ivan and Donna
• Affiliate member Caitlyn Culp, on a mission trip
• 19-year-old Kayla, a family friend of Peg Robarchek, who has just spent her second Fourth of July in the hospital battling a rare form of cancer
• For peace in the Middle East and in all global “hot spots”, especially between Israel and Palestine.
In Christ,
John