Dear Caldwell,
As my daughter and I made a few (more) college visits this week, I found myself smiling as memories from last Sunday’s ‘Tales from Caldwell’s Past’ came back to me. One was the story about how Mrs. W.H. Belk would give a nickel to any child who came to her door and recited a Bible verse. One “alum” told how he strode up to their imposing home on Hawthorne Lane, rang the bell and recited, “Jesus wept.” Mrs. Belk awarded him his nickel but told him he’d better pick a longer verse if he ever came back to her door.
It was a fun night to lift up Caldwell’s past and all who were there were touched. I know the “alumni” who returned were deeply appreciative. We all owe our thanks to the committee who pulled it all together – Johnny Johnson, Beth Van Gorp, Linda Matney, Bob and BG Metzler, Brenda Campbell, Bo Jordan and Smitty Flynn.
I hope you’ve had a chance to look through our wonderful new church website, at www.caldwellpresby.org. God surely answered prayer in sending the fantastic team of Peg Robarchek, Greg Shell, Maggie Jordan and Leslie Gipple to bring a new website from idea to reality. In the week since it has been “up,” we’ve already received an inquiry from a college student interested in exploring a summer internship here, based largely on the vibrancy and energy of the congregation she felt from the site. God works through bits, bytes and even URLs!
Have you noticed anything about the new look of the church name and branded “mark.” Perhaps a word that isn’t there anymore? In adopting the new “identity” for the church, the session agreed that, as a forward-looking congregation, we would drop the “memorial” from the every-day use of the name. We remain deeply grateful to the Caldwell family, whose financial contribution prompted the name Caldwell Memorial in 1922. At the same time, the session wanted the church to have a cleaner and shorter name. No doubt, we are and always will be Caldwell and “called well” as we lean forward in the service of our Lord.
This Sunday, we respond to that calling in numerous ways: breakfast with Caldwell House (prep at 7:00, meal at 8:30), Sunday school at 9:45 (continuing study of the Lord’s Prayer) and worship at 11. In the sermon, we will take a look at two linked passages, Numbers 21:4-9 in the Old Testament and John 3:14-21 in the New Testament. Both passages speak of things lifted up and both provide the chance for us to refocus our Lenten journey in case we’ve been wandering a bit.
Tomorrow from 9 a.m. to noon all are invited (called?) to pitch in as we prepare and plant the Caldwell garden. Every year, our garden operation gets a bit bigger and better. It’s a great time for gardeners of all ages and a chance to reconnect with God’s earth.
As always, there is so much more to report but I will stop there. Wishing you and yours a restorative weekend.
In Christ,
John