News & Notes 10/15/09
Dear St. John’s Church Family,
I’m feeling a little under the weather today, so this issue of N&N is bound to be brief (Have you heard that before?).
What a great Sunday we had! I loved the morning worship services that were lead by members of our previous Louisiana Mission Teams - and I hear that two more team members were added following the services! And we had a terrific time with the Blessing of the Animals in the afternoon. I don’t ever remember having so many community members attend. And we seemed to garner pretty good press coverage, didn’t we? If you didn’t see it yet, look in Monday’s issue of Foster’s.
Remember the Red Cross Blood Drive will take place tomorrow from 1 till 6 PM - in memory of Don Cheney! Food donations would be gratefully received - as will donations of blood!
The Trustee’s sponsored work-day (meaning “the Trustees are sponsoring the work-day - they’re not doing all the work themselves!!”) is this Saturday, from 8 AM till Noon. There are a number of tasks to do. I’m sure the coffee will be on early . . . and maybe a donut or two? We REALLY need your help -whether for an hour, or for all four!!
Our sister in Christ, Ruth McCarty, went to be with the Lord last Sunday morning. Her funeral will be this Saturday, at 1 PM in our sanctuary - a reception to follow in Hartford Hall. Donations of “sweets” would be appreciated, I’m sure.
Next Tuesday our Witness Committee will present the 2009 Older Adult Luncheon - for those connected to our church who are 70 years of age or older (and their spouses). Members of “Rock My Soul” Gospel group will provide entertainment after the luncheon. This luncheon is made possible by the Helen Burnham and Ray & Edith Chase Memorial Funds - making the event free to all who attend. If you haven’t called your reservation into the office yet, please do it soon!!
Ann Kippley sent me this note: “Could you please put in (News & Notes) something about the sign up sheets for the public supper? We only have this Sunday to get donations and volunteers since the supper is the following Sat. Thanks so much.” As always, the sign-up sheets are posted on the rolling bulletin board in Hartford Hall.
When looking ahead, I see these important events on the church calendar:
*October 24th; 9 AM to 3 PM Work-Day at Wanakee United Methodist Center, Meredith
*November 1st, All Saints Sunday, when we remember the saints who have gone on to glory over the previous twelve months, and receive new members into the life of St. John’s
*November 7th, from 8 AM till 1 PM; Holly & Harvest Fair and Silent Auction - sign-up sheets are on the rolling bulletin boards
*November 15th, Consecration Sunday worship (9:30 AM) and Celebration Luncheon (immediately following). This is our fall Stewardship emphasis.
Finally, there this: a man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about. For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents. ‘When we were to be married,’ she said, ‘ my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.’ The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. ‘Honey,’ he said, ‘that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?’ ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘that’s the money I made from selling the dolls.’
See you in church! Peace, Mark