Greetings, dear Church, in the name of the risen Christ.

I had so much fun Sunday morning with the song that we sang, and with the time that we spent together before church having breakfast together. For some reason, everything seems lighter. The decisions of the general conference this year have made a way for everyone to be at the table of our Lord. There are no words for me to adequately express what that kind of freedom means. I am grateful to you for your continued love and support.

I’m also very grateful to those who showed up Saturday to clean the church. Nan and Winston cleaned the entire church in two hours. It doesn’t seem like a huge task, however, only two people showed up. We’ll have a sign-up sheet on Sunday to get a more organized and consistent schedule for cleaning the church.

Anna is progressing well after having a major surgery on Monday. She was up walking today with physical therapy. I look forward to spending time with you again this weekend. I miss you between these Sundays, Mary.

This week, we met Paul, who was a tax collector. Paul decided he wanted to join the disciples when he arrived in Jerusalem, but they doubted Paul’s sincerity as a disciple of Jesus. Up until his experience of meeting the Lord on the road to Damascus and his experience of blindness and healing, Paul was an enemy of Christianity and a persecutor of those who practiced the faith. The disciples do not trust that Paul has changed. Barnabas brings Paul to the apostles and serves as a witness that Paul has changed. Paul makes a large impact on the new church. The church grows in strength and reverence for the Lord, as well as the number of people. This growth is attributed to the Holy Spirit.

Since it was Mother’s Day, the boys planted flowers in a pot to take home. These were even more special because each one made their handprint, cut it out and, with Miss Vickie’s help, glued it on the flower pot. This made their Mother’s Day gift even more special. Hopefully, you had a wonderful Mother’s Day. See you in church on Sunday.

Blessings

The Perfect Sunday

It may have been—perfect.

It was a fitting, moving, and festive celebration of our deliverance from those ugly words in the Book of Discipline declaring a malicious falsehood: that being gay is “incompatible” with Christian faith.

Mary preached and consecrated the elements for Communion.

Mary preached a fine sermon–and she preached from the high pulpit for the first time. (I forgot to tell her that, when she is up there, the fan in the north transept must be turned on. Otherwise—it’s hot!)

Julian sang Bridge Over Troubled Waters—and got another standing ovation. 

 It was a great day.

Our Special Offering

Our special offering Sunday (to get us through a tight spot) was over $11,000. We give thanks.

This offering will do two things, one immediate, the other later. It will help get us through our tight month (May) and later, it will help us meet our obligations at the end of the year.

I depend on the people of this church always coming through.

And the people of this church always come through. We lift our praise to the Lord.

Breakfast this Sunday

It’s a “We-Bring Sunday.”

I’ll bring “pigs-in-a croissant.” 

Let’s have breakfast together—10:30 a.m.

Ascension Sunday this week—

Then Pentecost.

Sermon This Sunday: The Great Miscalculation

We are in prayer for those who are ill and those who have lost loved ones.

See You Sunday. (Just do your best.)

              God Bless—MB

BY THE WAY—we have a big dinner a week from Sunday—on Pentecost. Get ready to bring.

Greetings in the name of the Risen Christ!

I am still giggling in joy over the events of the past two weeks. I am especially joyful over the great service we had Sunday morning. Julian’s song was perfection. And, once again, you continue to overwhelm me with love. It was so wonderful to feel your joy as well. We can spend a bit of time reveling in our freedom and then we will get together to make a strategic plan for getting back to the business of loving other people. You may remember last November that Bishop Saenz laid out the plan for fulfilling our mission as the new United Methodist Church. I look forward to working on this with you.

Please remember the family of Julian Rodriguez in your prayers. Julian sang for us Sunday. He called me this morning to tell me his mother passed away suddenly. Julian is the oldest of his siblings also and will need special strength as he helps them navigate this difficult time. We will have the funeral at the church. Julian has a large family and they will provide their own food; however, I told them we would set up the fellowship hall for them. I will provide more details as they become available. 

Blessings to all, and my undying love, Mary

This Sunday we learned about one of my very favorite ladies in the Bible!  Maybe you have heard of her. Tabitha was her name.  She was one of the poorest ladies in the town of Joppa.  In Bible times, women were completely dependent on men for their survival. If a woman’s husband died, the woman’s life took a drastic turn for the worst.  Women were not allowed to own property, so if the husband died, they would be at the mercy of others to be able to live.  Tabitha somehow had the resources to sew for others who were less fortunate. 

Unfortunately, Tabitha became very sick and died.  When the other disciples heard about Tabitha’s death, they sent for Peter. Peter went right over and went upstairs where Tabitha’s body lay. Many community members were there, crying and showing one another tunics and other clothing Tabitha had made. The presence of the community showed how dedicated Tabitha was to loving and serving others.

Peter asked the people to leave the room, and he knelt down and prayed. Peter commanded Tabitha to get up, and she opened her eyes and sat up.  Her friends were astounded and overjoyed at the same time. Through this story, we can learn that the exchange of loving gestures is part of being in the community of believers. See you in church. Blessings