News for the Church, 8/12/22

Good Afternoon, Church!

Well, we made it through this week’s heat spell and have returned to pleasant August temps. How did you hold up in the heat? I was so grateful to have the opportunity to go swimming a couple of times. It’s not often that you can sink into a North Country river without gasping from the shock of cold, so I relished dunking down into the tepid temps!

The news this week will be short and sweet.

Monica Sandreczki to Preach 8/21

I’m headed out on vacation on Monday, and I’m very excited that Monica will be stepping into the pulpit with her very first sermon on Sunday, the 21st. Come support her as she preaches a word from the Word! 

Ukrainian Benefit Concert August 21st at 3pm

Two weeks from now, our very own Keilor Kastella will be joining another Crane professor, Christine Hoerning, to offer a music concern at our church to support Ukraine. They will offer selections for clarinet and piano, with all donations going to the Atlantic Ukrainian Association. The concert begins at 3 pm. Come enjoy some beautiful music and lend your support of a country in need!

All-Church Potluck Set for Sunday, Sept. 18th

I’m excited to announce that we’re going to give eating together (for the first time in 2.5 years!) a try. Bring a dish to pass on 9/18 and we will break bread together after the Sunday service ends.

To make the potluck work, we need a couple of people to step up and volunteer to help with set up and clean up. This will likely require your presence 30 minutes before the service starts and about an hour at the end. Work includes helping set out plates and utensils and then washing dishes and wiping down tables at the end. If you’re not someone who usually helps with this sort of thing, would you consider giving it a try? It would be a lovely gift to the whole church! Just email me back if you’re willing to be on the team.

Life and Death Perspective

I don’t often talk about my family, but will you be praying for us right now? My stepdad, John Tate, contracted spinal tuberculosis 4 years ago and has been in agonizing pain ever since, as a result of lesions on his spine. This week he will enter hospice care. It comes as a huge relief in some ways but is grievous in others. 

The last few days I’ve been in constant contact with my mom and stepdad, and I’ve realized how important it is to express to him (while he’s still cognizant enough to follow along in conversation) what he has meant to me for the 30 years that he’s been in my life. Melding two families together in a second marriage was not easy– especially with 4 teenagers in the house– but we muddled through it. And now, all these years later, I see the impact he has had on my life. 

Friends, we don’t often spend time thinking about what people mean to us until they’re no longer with us, and so we don’t get a chance to communicate that to them. My invitation to you this week is to become aware of how the people around you impact your life and let them know! Convey to them why they are important. Do you appreciate how dependable they are? Do you love that they make you laugh? Are they good listeners? It’s a very special gift to give someone you love recognition for what they mean in your life. It may very well be the most important gift you ever give them! 

My stepdad taught me some very valuable lessons about grace and I’m going to make sure to tell him this week. Join me in this adventure, will you?

Tenderly,
Pastor Katrina