Transitions
This Sunday we will be saying goodbye to our Summer Intern, Drew Lyon who will be returning to OSU soon to resume his studies. Drew has been a wonderful asset to the discipleship team all summer and he will be missed. Drew received a call into ministry his last year in high school and we hope this summer has helped him define where he sees his gifts line up with his call. This Sunday we will also be looking at a resurrection story from Acts 20 where a young man falls asleep listening to the Apostle Paul talk and falls out of a window to his death. I think they call this “dark comedy” or “tragic comedy.” We aren’t supposed to laugh because of the subject matter but……we do. Because it is funny to think that someone might be talked to death. I will confess that I have been in places where I thought that if I heard another word that it might kill me. But that is me just being dramatic and impatient. Or maybe bored? And I have seen people on Sunday morning who have clearly fallen asleep in the pews, but are never at risk of injuring themselves. I will have to say that I considered sending my sermons and research to Abington Publishing to see if they would want these Bizarre Bible stories for a book. It has been fun to do the research and learn so much about these stories that are so avoided.
At the 9:00 service, we are going to have a special worship service with EJ Smock leading us without instruments in our singing. This beautiful tradition of sacred song goes back to the very beginning of the church. Bring your voices ready to sing!
We are very excited to announce that we have found a new Financial Secretary! She has nine years experience and chose us over other offers that she received. She will begin as soon as she returns from taking a couple of granddaughters on a trip to Disney. Don’t forget to come to the celebration for Lori Burns this Sunday at 10:00 am as we honor her and her almost twenty years of service to Faith. Glen will be with us on Sunday as well to celebrate Lori. We will have breakfast in the Great Hall and that is where the party will be. Lori is indeed irreplaceable but we are excited for where our journey will lead us and her willingness to consult as needed in this difficult transition.
Sadly, the Oklahoma Conference is in a conflict with a church who has sued and the Oklahoma courts have ruled on it. The Conference is citing separation of Church and State in their conflict with an appeal in the works. Often we don’t want to have this separation because we want to pray before football games or in class. Yet at the same time, we do not want the government to tell us who to worship or how to worship. As Americans, we are both free FROM religion imposed on us and we also have freedom OF religion. We do not impose our religion on other people and we do not want other people to impose their religious practices on us. There is a separation for a reason. I ask you to pray for voices of reason and freedom to be heard in all the painful conflicts regarding the separation of church and state.
You should have gotten your church newsletter this week and if you didn’t please call the church and let Glen or Macy know and we will get you on the list. You can also find information about many of the new groups starting in August on our website. It is amazing how many new things we are starting!
Love,
