Hello There,
It seems the weather has finally turned. While there are piles of ice and snow that will be there for a while, the walks and the parking lot are all clear. If you have been “hunkering down” for a few months now and worried about coming to church because of the ice, you should be fine this Sunday. We have missed you and will be glad to see you.
If you do make it to church on Sunday, wear something green. If you are wondering why, well, you must not have any Irish blood in you. It is St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday; something that only happens every six or seven years. So I thought we would celebrate a little this week. I am not Irish, myself, but I do claim to be Celtic. My ancestors on my mother’s side were all from Cornwall in England, and the patron saint of Cornwall is St. Perin. He is an abbot who planted monasteries in Cornwall and supposedly was an Irish disciple of St. Patrick. So I will claim St Patrick indirectly, and why not have some fun with all this?
The Chancel Bells will be playing at the first service. My sermon text will be Acts 16:9-15. My sermon title is “An Irish Blessing.”
Our Coffee Chats adult Sunday School class has begun a new series “Illuminating Lent,” led by Roger Dana. It will be connecting Lenten themes with various lines from the Lord’s Prayer. I would encourage you to join them at 10:15 in the lounge on Sunday morning.
We have heard from Pastor Beth. She is doing well, and preached her first sermon last Sunday as the pastor of Green Acres Presbyterian Church in Portsmouth, VA. She sent this note to everyone:
“Words seem inadequate to express my heartfelt gratitude for the generous gift and love that you showered on me my last Sunday. My eight years as your associate pastor were wonderful and joy-filled. You are a loving congregation and I learned so much from your faith and faithfulness as we shared ministry together. Thank you for your encouragement and support. Grace and peace to you always.”
And may we all stay in One Peace!
Howard