First the things of October: On Saturday October 4 we will be hold our annual Pig Roast! Over the years this day has evolved from a mere fundraiser into a Church-Wide Event that helps to bring us together and to shape us a Church. From the pre-dawn hours when the fires are started, through the morning and afternoon of preparation, into the meal itself and then the clean-up and set up for the next day’s worship and Church School there is plenty of room for everyone to be involved. But these are not simply jobs to be done, they are sacred opportunities for people to work with, talk to and learn about each other in ways that result in deeper relationships. These relationships become the foundation for blessings shared in the future. If you haven’t signed up yet, please call the Church Office today!

On Sunday October 5 we will celebrate World Wide Communion Sunday as Christians of all lands gather at table for the Sacrament. In recent years we have invited the children of the Church School to rejoin their parents for Communion, confident that you who are parents understand your child’s spiritual maturity and readiness for the sacrament better than we ever can. Whether they partake or not, it is good for them to see the celebration that unites all of us to Christ and each other. We will also be celebrating the Baptism of Stella Martinez on this sacred day!

On Tuesday October 7, at our Consistory meeting, we will continue our conversation about how to best celebrate our 175th Anniversary next year. Among the suggestions that we are working with are a year long process of Reaffirmation, visits by former pastors and mission partners, a dinner/dance celebration, an anthology-like book of faith which will gather many of the stories of the people whom God has worked through in this place, the completion of the Steeple Repairs and a general upgrading of the Sanctuary and the other properties. If you have ideas and dreams to share, please speak to us soon!

On Sunday October 12 we invite those of you who have been worshiping with us on a regular basis to consider formally uniting with us as a congregation. If you are interested, please speak to me soon so that we can set a time to talk about who we are and answer any questions about he Church that you may have.

On Sunday October 19 we will be honoring those of you who joined God’s Church in Clover Hill in the years that end with “8” or “3”. Letters of initiation will be sent for this special worship service and I hope that all of you will be with us to give thanks to God for our companions in faith.

As for the September leftover, I know that I have had, thus far, one of the richest and fullest careers in ministry that anyone could ever hope for and I anticipate so many more blessings in the years that lie ahead, but I am not sure that any single moment will compare to that moment when I held our granddaughter, Michaela Elizabeth, before you and invited you to “Behold, the newest member of the Church of Jesus Christ” on September 14th. To place her in the same circle of concern and affection that you have provided for us as a family was a joy and honor that I will never forget.

Shalom,

Jack