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Must. That's a hard word to hear. Demanding. Unbending. Hard. May. That's a gracious word. A choice. An opportunity. An invitation. The religious leaders of Jesus's time were full of "musts". All of the things you had to do to be right with God. Well-intended, perhaps, but still very burdensome. Jesus came along and turned "must" into "may". A gracious invitation. An open opportunity. And that was and is refreshing. But let's not forget that even an invitation or an opportunity presents a choice. The fact that you may, also means you may not. The choice is ours. We may engage with Jesus, and receive the blessings he intends for us. But we may choose to ignore him, look the other way, say "No thanks." And Jesus never forces his will on any of us. The choice is ours. I encourage you in this month of May to consider the choices that are yours. The opportunities that God offers you. What will you decide? The choice is yours... Hope you have a great month! Gary May Calendar Sundays - Every Sunday - Worship Service 10:30 am in person and via Zoom. 5/6 - Communion Sunday - and another chance to bring your jars of coins. 5/22 - Worship followed by a potluck lunch. More info is below. Wednesdays - Every Wednesday Bible Study via Zoom - 7:30 PM - Zoom Thursdays - 5/5 - Church Board Meeting via Zoom - 7 PM - Zoom - National Day of Prayer - Please pray for our nation today. Contact Gary bridmin@aol.com for Zoom links Other News - Communion - Communion will be served to those attending in person on Sunday, May 1. If you are attending via Zoom, please have your own ready if you want to participate. Potluck Lunch - We had such a great time at our Maundy Thursday supper, let's eat together again! Plan on staying after church on Sunday, May 22 for a potluck lunch. Bring a dish or two to share with everyone else. If the weather is nice, perhaps we can even eat outside. A beverage will be provided. Offering - Please continue to mail your offering to Nathalie. Or if you attend in person, there is an offering plate at the back of the sanctuary, if you prefer. Coin Collection - If you forgot your coins for benevolence on April 24, you can bring them this Sunday, May 1. Our next collection will be at the end of August. Thanks for saving and sharing your coins! Upper Room Devotionals - The May/June devotionals are available to be picked up at the church. Every month there seems to be a few left at the end of the month. Perhaps you know someone who would benefit from a copy. Feel free to grab one to share with them. Refreshments - Coffee is on every Sunday. Stay after church and enjoy a cup. There are usually some simple treats as well. Donations of treats are always welcomed and enjoyed by everyone who stays. This is a great time to visit and catch up with people. Garden Gang - We have a beautiful little garden area at the church. It is in front of the ramp and behind it. We thought it might be helpful if this year we formed a Garden Gang. Would you be willing to pick a month and be in charge of the garden for that month? That would mostly include weeding and watering and just general watching over the garden for your month. It would include some cutting back flowers later in the fall months. If you are interested, let Jennifer know. We are thinking of May or June through October. Church Cleaning Day Thanks - Thanks to everyone who came and helped to clean the church in April, inside and outside. So thank you Lyfords, Murphys, Cal and Betsy Komerska, Curt Moore, Ellen Steiskal, and the Schwerins. Everything looked so clean and fresh afterward! Thanks to Tim for the donuts! . Maundy Thursday and Easter Thanks - We had a most amazing soup supper before our Maundy Thursday service. It was wonderful to finally gather together for a meal. The food was fantastic and looked like it was right out of a magazine! Thanks to all who provided the food, everything from the soup to the crackers! Thanks to Judy and Tim Murphy and Carl and Ellen Steiskal for the beautiful Easter lilies. The sanctuary looked fantastic! Sympathies - Off and on again for many years, we have prayed for Leslie and Russell Quiggle's good friend Ray Melby. This past month he passed away. We want to extend our sympathies to the Quiggles and to Ray's wife, Linda. |
AuthorGary Schwerin, pastor Archives
September 2023
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