Dear Caldwell,
The word ‘benediction’ is one of the richest words in our Christian tradition. We’re most familiar with it, of course, as the sending that comes at the end of a worship service. But it also conveys a general state of being blessed. As I tie up a few loose ends before heading out on vacation, I feel blessed in many ways.
All who were in worship Sunday were blessed by a great blended worship service shared with our sister congregation, Bread of Life (see the photo above). Caldwell is also blessed by hard-working disciples who carry on the work of ministry even in the dog days of summer.
I think you’ll be blessed by two upcoming guest preachers. This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Marcia Mount-Shoop will visit from Chapel Hill. Marcia is known to a number of folk who were part of the Seigle Ave. church. I’ve gotten to know her on a PCUSA national conference committee and was delighted she accepted my invitation to preach her. Her full bio is below. On Aug. 31, our old friend Danny Trapp will return and he is preparing what sounds like a provocative message on heaven and hell.
Please pray for our friend Randy Hood, whose mother is expected to pass away today; for Ann Dorsett and her mother Betty Jo, whose mother is undergoing skin graft surgery today; for Ryan Denison, who is recovering from broken bones in his leg; for John Patton, who is recovering from bronchitis; and for Donna Price.
Please pray also for Veronica Rogers, who traveled today to Seattle to be with her son, who is suffering some ominous physical conditions that seem related to either muscle or nerve movement/restriction. Veronica is happy to be able to be there in person and learn more for herself, though she is quietly concerned.
Also, be on the lookout for communications from Jill Aleong, our women’s shelter leader, for help assembling a shipment of bunk beds within the next week. We just received word of this and Jill is tasked with handling their reception and assemblage. Any help you and others can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Finally, please pray for the group of 9 of us from Caldwell who are going hiking and camping out west.
In closing, I want to pass on the words someone hand-wrote on a notecard that was placed in the offering plate, with the suggestion that I use this as a benediction one day. I will, but also want to share it here. You’ll recognize how it echoes the truths of some of the parables I’ve preached on recently from Matthew 13:
We are yeast in bread;
We are wheat, I’m told;
And we grow with the weeds
through the clods.
We are buried treasure
worth more than gold,
For we’re hidden
with Christ in God.
Amen.
Brief Bio-The Rev. Dr. Marcia Mount Shoop:
The Rev. Dr. Marcia Mount Shoop currently serves as the Theologian in Residence at University Presbyterian Church, Chapel Hill, NC. She just completed a two-year term as the Moderator of the national board of the Presbyterian Multicultural Network. She is also the moderator of the Multicultural Committee and Network in the Presbytery of New Hope. Marcia is the author of Let the Bones Dance: Embodiment and the Body of Christ, which was released last year. She also writes a blog about contemporary Christian identity at www.marciamountshoop.com and has chapters in two books being released this summer and fall on women, call, and theology. Marcia and her husband, John, were members of Seigle Avenue when they lived in Charlotte in the 1990s. Since leaving Charlotte, Marcia has served churches in Chicago, IL, Tampa, FL, and Oakland, CA before moving to Chapel Hill in 2007. Their Godson, Chris Dixon, was also a member of Seigle Avenue. Chris also lives in Chapel Hill. Marcia and John have two kids, a son, Sidney (11) and daughter, Mary Elizabeth (7).