Dear friends,
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven” – Ecclesiastes 3:1
Fall is finally arriving and with it many exciting activities in our church. As we continue to grow in this liturgical season of Pentecost, I pray that we will hear and follow our “purpose under heaven” as individuals and as a community.
As part of our 325th Anniversary events, Homecoming will take place on October 5. We look forward to seeing friends and family from near and far. Interestingly, as I was reading the story of The Monacan Indians, I noticed that Homecomings are one of the two annual festivals that are currently held by their ancestors to bring the community together to feast, dance, exchange news and engage in various games. To that end, we have extended an invitation to the Monacan Indian Nation and I truly hope someone will attend. Music will be provided by our very own Michael DeHart. Please join us for this festival gathering.
The Manakin Stew prepared by the Men of the Church with Tom Hillsman as our stew master will be offered on Friday, October 10. New this year is the opportunity to pick it up hot from the pot and enjoy it for dinner on Friday. This pick-up will be done at the cooking location in Midlothian.
Our Family Forums have resumed with two opportunities each month to participate. We meet at 9 AM in Denny Hall to enjoy a presentation and fellowship time. This is a great opportunity for our 8 AM and 10 AM worship communities to come together.
I am excited about our EYC (Episcopal Youth Commission) activities that are lining up for the year. Each will have a component of out/in reach, fun and Biblical basis. I am thankful for Katie Harrison’s leadership and the gifts that she is sharing with us. They will be leading our Family Forum on October 26th. Come and hear what they want to share with us.
Beautification efforts continue to be made to the grounds and we give thanks to Jean Hillsman and the Salisbury Garden Club for their work on our entrance beds and planted pots. The Memorial Garden will be taking on a bit of a new look as the overgrown bushes will be trimmed and some removed to open spaces for additional plots. Halsey Dillard continues to keep good care of this area and we are appreciative of her gifts.
Outreach activities continue to be a core mission for us. We will start our Thanksgiving meal collections in October for the Powhatan Food Pantry and will have the shelter feeding program at the end of the month. These are terrific opportunities for community participation and support.
These are just a few of our exciting offerings this fall. I hope that you will keep apprised of these through the Messenger newsletter, weekly eBlasts and bulletin notices. If you are not receiving all of these forms of communication, please let us know. This is our time and season!
Blessings,
Gini+