And so it begins...
Hello Faith,
My heart is full as I reflect on the Ash Wednesday service and our official beginning to Lent. If you were unable to attend, you may still pick up a wooden cross to wear on Sunday. The first of our new groups will begin Sunday evening with the virtual Zoom group at 7 pm led by Jonathon Garrett. If you would like to participate, email or text Jonathon and he will send you the link to participate. Seungrok and I will both be leading groups on Wednesday night. This Sunday we need registrations so we can order books for these classes. You can sign up online or at the Service Station.
Never before have I begun Lent with my eyes tuned to the news of an invasion of a democratic country as I watch the horrors unfold in the Ukraine. I feel so helpless as I watch over and over again the destruction of the cities and the lives that have been lost. Several of you have asked how to help. The United Methodist Committee on Relief has a designated fund for the Ukraine. Click HERE to be taken to the page that has links and information for giving. We have chosen to give through UMCOR because 100% of the funds are given directly to the need. May we all pray that world leaders will find a way to stop this invasion.
Our own missionaries will be commissioned on Sunday for the Spring Break mission trip. Thirty of our teenagers and six adults will spend the week working in Memphis Tennessee. We will be working with non-profits that help the most vulnerable members of the community. This is a city that I love and have been to several times. We will be taking the students out for famous barbecue, to the pyramid that houses the Bass Pro store and to the National Civil Rights Museum while we are there. It is located at the hotel where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. I have been through the museum twice and it is a powerful experience. I feel blessed to be going as one of the adult leaders and look forward to getting to know our youth personally. Mark has asked me to serve all week with the junior high students and I am needing you all to pray for my patience. It has been a long time since I had junior high kids at my house.
I have an early morning appointment with the Dr and I hope some relief will be coming soon and I will feel better. We are asking you to sign up for the Blood Drive this week. Our goal is 25 people willing to save a life on March 13th.
Peace,
