“Summer – A Time to Grow”

Dear Friends,

“Come away to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31) was Jesus invitation to his disciples after a very busy period of teaching and care giving. In the rhythm of the church year the summer months offer a more relaxed pace. It isn’t as if the activity of the church stops from mid-June until after Labor Day, but the pace is slowed and there is time to reflect on the program year past and plan for the year ahead. For many, both church members and staff, summer is a time to truly get away – to vacation homes or favorite vacation spots. Just as Jesus encouraged his disciples to get away, we also need to find a quiet place in the midst of busy or stressful periods. Maybe it isn’t physically “getting away.” Sometimes, what we need is a quiet place at home for prayer or reading or time for the enjoyment of
being with family. Whatever your need may be, I hope that you will find a summer rest that renews and restores.

While summer offers an opportunity for times of
Sabbath rest, activity continues here at church.

• On Sunday, June 22nd, the participants for our
Youth Mission Trip were commissioned and the
following Saturday, they will leave for a week-
long mission experience in Hobbs, New Mexico.
Under the leadership of our Minister of Children and Youth, Glenn Root, we will be sending over twenty youth and adult advisors to participate in living out Jesus’ call to love our neighbors as they help with home repairs in one of the poorest areas of our country.

• The training of our first class of Stephen Ministers
continues. Fourteen Stephen Minister “trainees” have begun a fifty hour Christian lay care giving program. We will continue to meet through the summer and early fall, with the hope of having our first group of Stephen Ministers commissioned in late October. When they have completed the training program, they will be
assigned to one-on-one care giving relationships.
Our summer schedule includes weekend sessions (Saturdays or Sunday afternoons) once a month and an additional weekday evening. We are having fun together, while learning new skills and building relationships with one another.

• While regular Sunday School classes have ended
for the year, our Summer Sunday experience for
children pre-K through 6th grade begins on
Sunday, June 29th and continues through August.
Our theme:“Walking With Jesus…in Jerusalem”.
Children will enjoy weaving, pottery, baking, and fishing activities as they learn about the simplicity and hard work of a typical day in Bible times.

• The Family Life Center has plans for a trip to the
Portland Seadogs—New Britain Rock Cats baseball
game on Sunday, July 13 and a Theater and Dinner outing on Saturday, August 23, 2008.

May your summer be filled with peace.


Margaret Jay