Recent events, both far away and close to home, once again bring to mind how quickly life can change. Those quick decisions we sometimes make can affect one’s life, and the lives of many other people, for years to come.

Judas, for whatever reason, chose to betray Jesus with a kiss for a bag of silver. He would later regret his action but it was too late. Events were set in motion that changed the world and all of God’s creation.

Martin Luther was caught in a bad thunder storm, made a vow, and the course of history was changed throughout Europe and ultimately around the world.

A nurse is concerned about the connection between physical and spiritual health. She talks to her pastor about serving as a volunteer parish nurse for her congregation. The lives of many people are touched and helped as a result. In addition, the ministry of the congregation is changed and expanded.
Employees of a major company, on which tens of thousands of workers depend for jobs and millions of investors depend for pensions, make a decision to rush a procedure to save money. An oil well blows out changing the landscape and economy for a whole region.

Someone glances down to change a CD or send a text message while driving. She drifts off the shoulder, overcorrects, and flips a car. The resulting accident kills a friend. A young man accepts a dare, tries to jump onto a moving train, and falls to his death. A young woman says just this one time won’t matter, becomes pregnant, and faces life changing decisions. The exhausted hunter catches a glimpse through the trees after a long unsuccessful night of hunting. He shoots an instant too soon only to realize an instant too late that it was not a deer.

A couple glance at each other across a room, their eyes meet and something connects. They fall in love, marry, have a family, and new lives and stories begin. That beginning is filled with eager expectation but sometimes brings with it sorrows and unexpected endings.

Friends gather in a circle around a bonfire to talk and have fun. Someone decides on the spur of the moment to try to add something to the fire and there is a terrible accident. A few days later family and friends will gather in another circle around a grave for a last farewell to a young man.

On Sunday, July 4th, we will have our annual celebration of Independence Day with thanks to God for our blessings and prayers for our nation, its leaders, and those who serve it. There will be lots of red, white, and blue clothes. Following worship we will have our annual picnic, weather cooperating. (In the event the weather is too hot or too wet we will eat inside.) At our picnic this year we will take time to remember a life and dedicate the new picnic shelter to the Glory of God in loving memory of Jonathan Efird.

Even as we do that other families are struggling with the consequences of a decision made in an instant. While that decision was affected by substances which confuse the mind the responsibility for it remains. As brief as the action was the effects will linger in the lives of many families for decades.
Please be with us Sunday to join in worship and praise of God, celebrate our freedom, share in fellowship, dedicate our new picnic shelter, and pray for one another. And please, continue to pray especially for those individuals, families, and friends who live with the lingering effects of momentary bad decisions. Above all, live your life as if each moment is precious, because it may be your last, and let Jesus guide your path.

In Christ’s love and hope,
Pastor Joseph

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JUNE, 2010

As we have just celebrated another Memorial Day, I just wanted to share an article with you concerning the History of Memorial Day. We need to recognize the Veterans that have served our county in the past and pray for those still serving today. We appreciate all their service fighting for our freedom.

Flags were available last Sunday, May 30, to place on the graves of veterans buried in our cemetery. If there isn't a flag on the grave of your relative or someone you know that was a verteran, please let me know, especially if there is no marker to indicated he/she was a veteran.

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THE HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY

By the end of the Civil War, Americans came to realize the most devastating event in the history of the United States. It is estimated some 620,000 Americans were killed. Nearly everyone in the country had known someone that was killed during the war. While the Union side came to be known as the victor, both sides came away feeling devastated.
Memorial Day was originally conceived as a day to memorialize the soldiers who lost their lives in the Civil War. It was first called "Decoration Day", in reference the decorations that were laid on tombstones, and hung from buildings.
The first time Decoration Day was first started is not exactly known. Officially, the date is known as May 30, 1868. However, the practice of memorializing Civil War dead, and decorating their graves goes back earlier.

The earliest known evidence of such observance goes back to various women's auxiliary groups in the North and South, when ladies organized events to honor their war dead by decorating graves. The earliest recorded event took place on April 25, 1866 in Columbus, Mississippi when a group of women formed an association to decorate the graves of civil war soldiers, starting with those who died in the Battle of Shiloh.

The towns of Macon, Georgia, Columbus, Georgia, and Richmond, Virginia all claim to be the birthplace of Decoration Day, having first celebrated it in 1866. The town of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania claims to have celebrated the first Decoration Day in 1868. Carbondale, Illinois claims to have celebrated it first on April 29, 1866. In all, some 25 cities claim to be the birthplace of Decoration Day, most of them in the South.

To settle the dispute, President Lyndon Johnson issued a proclamation in 1966 naming Waterloo, New York to be the official birthplace of Memorial Day.

The origins of Waterloo being the birthplace of Memorial day goes back to Henry C. Welles, a town druggist, who apparently conceived the idea in the summer of 1865 by mentioning it to a friend. Sometime later, he mentioned it again to General John B. Murray, a civil war hero, and plans were finally put in place to organize an event, which was held on May 5, 1866. A similar event was held again a year later on May 5, 1867.

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, the first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, proclaimed May 30, 1868 as the official day for decorating the graves of civil war dead. The town of Waterloo, New York, as well as several other towns joined together to celebrate the first official Decoration Day on that date. Interestingly, Logan was the guest speaker at the decoration event that took place on April 29, 1866, in Carbondale, Illinois. It appears that experience led to his proclamation.

Why Logan chose May 30th as the official day is also interesting, since the prior Decoration days in Waterloo were held on May 5, and the earlier Decoration event in Carbondale was on April 29. A possible explanation to this goes back to a French emigrant woman named Cassandra Oliver Moncure, who in 1866 organized a Decoration event in Virginia and picked May 30th. She explained that May 30th is the "Day of Ashes" when Napoleon's ashes were returned to France from St. Helena.
By the end of the 19th Century, cities all over the country were celebrating Decoration Day on May 30.

In 1971, Congress and the President passed a law that officially coined the name, "Memorial Day" and officially marked the last Monday in May as the official day. Many of the Southern States, however, have adopted their own dates.

On December 2000, Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act, which created a new commission, the "White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance". Its goal is to "promote the values of Memorial Day by acts of remembrance throughout the year and to encourage Americans to demonstrate their gratitude by giving back to our Nation".

By: Steve Paul Johnson--© 2004, Interment.net

MAY, 2010

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We live in a time of lots of noise and emotion. Politics is loud and angry. Debate is loud and angry. Even in the church things sometimes get loud and angry. The internet, for all the good it offers, is more than a little responsible for the tone of debate. People post anonymous comments about products, ideas, and people. Because of the level of hostility and personal attacks some sites have restricted comments or gone to “moderated” comments which require approval before they appear. One TV station which recently changed apologized and said they wanted a free exchange but the nature of some posted comments forced them to start reviewing all comments before they were posted and requiring that all posters be registered even if the actual comments used a nickname or alias.

Emails are sent that often have little basis in fact but are taken as the truth, sometimes even falsely saying they were checked out by “Snopes,” a fact checking site, with the idea that you won’t bother to check yourself. Sadly, sometimes those rumors (or even outright lies) are spread by faithful folks who believe them. Apparently one of the motivations for that militia group that was arrested in Michigan was a “scary” email that was not true but which they believed.
For some of you who are a little older, this goes back to before emails. There was a widespread rumor that a major national consumer products company had a symbol that was anti-Christian or satanic. The rumor was so widely believed the company had to start a major media effort to counteract it. Several national church leaders and many local pastors joined with them to fight it. In the end they even had to resort to threatening lawsuits to stop it. Another early email rumor (and regular mail) had to do with atheists preventing the broadcast of Christian programs through a supposed bill in Congress or new FCC retulattion. This led to people writing members of congress and the FCC about a supposed law or regulation that did not exist. (At the time some thought it was started to make Christians look foolish.)

The ELCA last summer changed the rules for ordaining pastors to allow homosexuals who were in a relationship to be ordained. (They could always be ordained if they were celebate.) The Assembly also voted to recognize homosexuals relationships in some manner through congregational ceremonies. Despite the recommendation of the Synod Bishops that a two-thirds majority be required, the ELCA Church Council (a large body on which the ELCA Constitution allows only six Bishops to serve) voted to allow passage with a simple majority. Since then the discussion has been intense and sometimes angry on both sides. (I shared some of the comments I have heard in an earlier “Musings.”)
So far, across the ELCA, over 200 congregations have voted to leave. Hundreds more have reduced or stopped giving Benevolence support. A national ELCA executive has suggested removing from the roles any pastor or congregation who supports CORE (Lutheran Coalition for Renewal). CORE is proposing a new national church body which they plan to create at their national meeting in August. That body is likely to be not that different from the ELCA theologically but will place a much higher value on Scripture. Many of the ELCA’s leading theologians and Bible scholars have been active in the work of the steering committee that has led CORE.

Not all the folks upset are involved with CORE however. At least one congregation (perhaps more) has joined the Missouri Synod and a number of pastors and congregations have affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, a very congregationalist body. I would also share that not all who oppose the changes will leave the ELCA, some plan to stay and simply ignore the decisions. For the time being that will probably be effective. However, given the intensity of emotion on the part of some supporters it may be a problem in the long term, though unlikely in North Carolina as long as we have Bishop Bolick over our Synod.

Back to the topic I started with--There is certainly room for anger in life at times but we must beware lest it lead to sin or even hatred. Recently I shared in a sermon that at the “Lamb’s High Feast” we will be together with people of all different types who share our faith in Christ. Not only different languages and races but different expressions of faith. All who know and trust Jesus will be saved regardless of their denomination or the name of their church. Does that mean the details don’t matter? Of course not, I think they matter very much! There are beliefs and practices I believe to be wrong, though not damning. I grew up in a different denomination and became Lutheran because I believed it came closer to expressing the faith of Jesus and the need to trust in God’s grace rather than in our ability to help save ourselves.

What we believe and profess matters, how we worship matters, reaching out to the world as Christ’s arms and hands, legs and feet, mouth and ears, matters. Loving as Jesus loved matters. Surely we can pray for, and with, one another even as we seek to discern where God is calling us to be in our faith journey. Even if we believe “they” are wrong we can pray that “they” may be enlightened. One of the Ten Commandments has to do with bearing false witness which can be expressed in many ways - including attributing evil intent to words or actions of others. Luther argues that we should instead interpret things in the best light for the sake of the other. That is not always easy but Jesus never promised us easy.

Praying that we may always strive to see Christ in the face of one another - however much we may disagree - I continue to trust in Christ’s love and grace.

In His service,
Pastor Joseph

FEBRUARY, 2010

Dear friends in Christ,

Looking out the window it is a beautiful winter day! The church building looks “picture postcard perfect” as they used to say. It has warmed up more quickly than called for with a bright sunny day so there should be lots of melting. As is always the case winter weather brings problems with the beauty. There have been some tragic accidents, lots of fender benders, lost days of work and school, rescheduled medical procedures, falls, etc. But there have also been snow cream, sledding, snowmen, snowball fights, snow angels, etc. As always life is a mixture of good and bad, tears and laughter.

We often wish for perfect people and perfect events but life is not like that. Once there was a perfect time and place yet Adam and Eve were tempted to look for something more. Once there was a perfect man yet he was rejected and ultimately crucified. We often look back and convince ourselves that some person, place, event, or time was perfect. Or, we think if only this person, place, or event would change or the future would come life would be perfect. In reality it is how we see and react to things, our attitude, that determines our happiness and satisfaction. That old Rolling Stones’ song “Can’t Get No Satisfaction” is pretty accurate.

It may seem odd but for some people perfection becomes the enemy of success in life. They are driven to perfection but are never able to achieve it so in the end often fail. What they do is never good enough so assignments never get completed or turned in on time and may never get turned in at all. They have a hard time recognizing their limits and working to the best of their ability within those limits. It becomes a challenge to help them because, for example, a teacher wants a student to perform to the best of his or her ability. However, it is essential that he or she complete the work in an acceptable time frame. That same difficulty makes its way into jobs. Oftentimes it seems to be associated with insecurity and fear of failure or rejection.

Perhaps not surprisingly, this can become a problem for the Christian. We’ve all heard the phrase “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” However, some people find it hard to accept that. They become so overwhelmed with guilt or shame that they are unable to live out their faith. The weight of sin becomes such a burden that they start to believe they are beyond God’s forgiveness and grace. They may drift away from, or reject, the church, and even the faith, because they are so weighed down with guilt. That is why “Confession and Forgiveness” is such an important part of our service. I have a friend who married into the Lutheran Church having grown up Baptist. While he would often complain about Lutheran hymns he likes our service and Confession is his favorite part; so much so that he would also complain if there was ever a service without it.

Martin Luther very much understood this. His journey to faith included a time of feeling he could never please God. During this time he also became very angry with God. When he finally understood God’s grace it was as if a tremendous burden was lifted. This need to experience God’s grace is also one of the reasons Luther thought private confession should be available, though not required, for the Christian. In the “Occasional Services” book there is an order for private confession and absolution provided.

How about you? Do you feel comfortable in your journey of faith? Do you know folks, in or outside of the congregation, who really seem to need to experience God’s forgiveness? The season of Lent will start this month. Ash Wednesday will provide an opportunity to begin the season with an extended order of confession. Each Wednesday throughout Lent we have the chance to gather for Holden Evening Prayer following a simple meal. This very simple and beautiful service is one of the highlights of our worship together. Please plan to be with us each week as we seek to grow closer to God, better understand His love, and encourage one another in our faith journeys -- imperfect but forgiven.

In Christ’s love and service,
Pastor Joseph

December, 2009

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we end one church year and begin another we have the opportunity to give thanks - and we have so much for which to be thankful. Our forebears found occasion to give thanks to God in the midst of very challenging circumstances. We are again in the midst of challenges as the world’s economy struggles to emerge from this severe recession. Despite the difficulties we remember all the blessings we have. As Americans we have freedom to worship, to work, to travel, and to express our ideas. Those are freedoms many in the world lack.
As a congregation we are blessed with much for which to be thankful. Not least, we give thanks for those who founded it; and those who years earlier helped organize the Savitz Church that marked our beginnings in south Rowan County. Throughout all the years since there have been faithful and generous people who gave of what they had - time, talent, money, and land - to carry on the work of the church. They gave us a beautiful worship space and a functional area for education and fellowship. Their generosity is mirrored in those who continue to witness to the Gospel. This generation through gifts and work bought the bus, provided the playground, rebuilt the Youth and Family Center, and will soon provide a new picnic shelter. It is shown in the lives of those to give time, talent, and money to teach, provide music for our worship, care for our facilities and property including the cemetery, offer youth ministry, lead WELCA and the circles, prepare the men’s breakfasts, plan and organize regular meetings for the Happy Age Seniors, teach us how our physical health relates to our spiritual health, reach out to the community through social ministry and evangelism, encourage and support one another in times of illness and loss, and untold other ways. On December 13 the tradition continues as we will have a chance to vote on a covered handicapped entrance for improved safety and convenience in bad weather. This comes about through the hard work of the Parish Nightingales and the generosity of our members.

On the heals of Thanksgiving we come to the beginning of a new church year. Advent begins as we prepare for the coming of Christmas. Advent themes include hope, peace, joy, and love. Through special music and changes in our worship space we seek to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. The Advent wreath marks the passage of time with the addition of a candle each week. Each week also adds more ornaments to our Jesse Tree which displays symbols of God’s saving acts throughout history. The Chrismon tree uses simple lights and handmade symbols of Christ to help us stay focused on the true meaning of the season. Our choirs offer us special music of the season and on December 20 will present a very special musical program. The Sunday School department is preparing a humorous musical to tell the story of Christmas at our early service on Christmas Eve. Then, at the later service we will use carols and candlelight as we celebrate our savior’s birth. This gift is the greatest gift of all - a gift that leads to eternal life. This gift, above all, is cause for thanksgiving and celebration. As we get ready we are preparing not only for Christmas but for Jesus return.

As we move from the old year to the new I do want to express a special thanks to those who served on our Council this year, to those who agreed to stand for election, and to those elected who will serve next year. Your work is not always fully understood or appreciated and you sometimes face unfair criticism but your ministry is essential to the life of the congregation. If I sometimes fail to thank you enough it is not because I don’t appreciate your faithfulness and sacrifices.

Praying that God will richly bless each member and family and our shared ministry.

In Christ’s hope and service,
Pastor Joseph

We wish you all a most joyous and holy Christmas and pray the coming year will be truly blessed. In Christ’s love, Pastor Joseph, Pat & Randy Tallent

OCTOBER, 2009

Dear friends in Christ,

These are challenging times in life and for the church. We are in the midst of a global recession that is the worst since the great depression. The experts say we have begun to recover. However, they also note that jobs usually take a year or more after recovery starts before beginning to increase. As for those who depended on investments for their retirement, who knows when or if they will fully recover.

There is lots of talk about global warming -- whether as a natural process, or as a result of human actions, or more likely some combination. While it may bring some positive results there are potentially some very dramatic negative consequences. On the other hand, there is little disagreement that trying to address it will be time-consuming, expensive and may cause additional loss of jobs.

Rudeness seems to be epidemic in America and perhaps in all of western culture. Politics has gotten especially ugly with constant personal attacks. The health care debate has been a prime example with lots of charges and counter charges based on emotion and misrepresentation. Both sides often seem more concerned with winning than with actually improving things. All this happens despite the fact that most of them agree that some sort of change it necessary not only for the health of our citizens but for the long term health of our economy.

Aside from the economy, the climate, and health care there are other major issues. The huge difference in pay between those at the top - whether athletes, entertainers, or business tycoons - and everyone else creates real problems in society. Gangs and drug cartels are increasingly violent and that violence often spreads to innocents nearby. Terrorists continue to be a threat and appear almost impossible to prevent. Nuclear weapons have again become a threat and seem especially attractive to small dictatorial countries.

“Wow pastor, all that seems pretty depressing!”

“Wait, I haven’t finished.”

Within our national church we just finished a national assembly. Lots of things happened there including efforts to respond to the world wide epidemics of Malaria and HIV infection. We voted Full Communion with the United Methodist Church.

As I shared last month they also voted on several matters regarding human sexuality. It is those votes which have resulted in so much controversy. There were, and are, many arguments being made by supporters that this should not be a problem in everyone getting along and staying together. Their primary view seems to be that this is just one of many ways we can disagree. Among the votes was one which said those who disagree should have their views respected

I have friends who both supported and opposed these actions. Since the Assembly I have been upset to hear those who opposed it described in very harsh ways as homophobic and “hateful liars.” Because of this apparently widespread view I want to clarify, I hope, the reason for the strong opposition. The people who opposed it were not some fringe group but include current and former Bishops, seminary professors, theologians, and pastors as well as many thoughtful lay people. Also opposed are many African-American and Hispanic pastors and congregations. In addition many mission partners and Lutheran churches in other countries urged the assembly to reject this change.

The primary reason for the opposition has to do with the interpretation of scripture. While there may be some who opposed these votes solely because of the sexual issue most of the opposition revolves around how scripture is viewed and used. If it were simply a matter of a fundamentalist literal view which idolizes the Bible as God’s word there are lots of churches that people could go to and avoid the controversy. However, these are people who see the Bible revealing God’s Word, Jesus Christ. They believe it must be seen in light of modern knowledge and culture in the world but also believe it has a clear message. They also believe Lutheran theology and hermeneutics can be very helpful in understanding that message and following it against the world.

“So pastor, is there anything hopeful you have to say?”

“Well, I don’t have any easy answers if that is what you are looking for.”

There is a lot of information in favor of the ELCA vote available through the North Carolina Synod web site, www.nclutheran.org. The Lutheran Coalition for Renewal (CORE) just held a national convocation and has a web site with much information explaining the opposition at www.lutherancore.org. Another group of churches, which will hold their national gathering in October, is Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ, (LCMC) whose information is at www.lcmc.net.

In the midst of all that is happening in the church and the world I do continue to have hope. My hope rests in Jesus Christ. This world is God’s creation and His will is what will finally come to pass. Life brings with it lots of messiness; things are rarely as simple and clear cut as we would like. There are troubles that result from sin and troubles that are simply part of our existence in a broken and imperfect world. At the same time, as followers of Jesus we have the chance to respond to those troubles and make a difference. Jesus calls us, in baptism, to be His witness to the world. We know the outcome in the end of course. For that reason we can live in the hope of life eternal in God’s kingdom. As important as our faithful journey is, salvation ultimately comes from Christ not from anything we do. That, dear friends, truly is the good news.

Thanks be to God!

Living in hope and faith,
Pastor Joseph

August, 2009

Dear friends in Christ,

Looking at the changing world and our changing community I have been thinking a lot about our future. In looking to the future an understanding of mission and a vision for where we are going are essential. What is the “Mission” of Mount Moriah Evangelical Lutheran Church? George Barna, a pollster, researcher, and writer argues in The Power of Team Leadership that the mission of all Christian churches is the same: “The mission of the church is to facilitate meaningful worship, evangelism, discipleship, service, stewardship, and fellowship -- or, more succinctly, to facilitate life transformation through which people become evermore like Jesus Christ.”

Barna goes on to define congregational vision: “Vision is focused guidance that helps you determine the unique way in which you have been called to fulfill that mission.... Vision tells you what you should do, in specific ways, to produce results that honor God by fulfilling the special role He has carved out for you.” I invite you to think about our vision.

If the congregation is to be a church, an “outpost” for God’s kingdom in the world, it seems to me it must always be striving to fulfill its mission and its vision. Whenever it fails to do that it gets into trouble. The temptation is always there for it to become a social club or an entertainment center or a social service organization; all of which are good but none of which is, of itself, a church.

Dr. Stanley Hauerwas, at the time a professor at Notre Dame, and Dr. William Willimon, who was Dean of the Chapel at Duke, in a magazine article for The Christian Century two decades ago, warned, forcefully, what can happen if we lose that sense of mission: “Most professing Christians, from the liberals to the fundamentalists, remain practical atheists. They think the church is sustained by the services it provides or the amount of fellowship and good feeling in the congregation. This form of sentimentality has become the most detrimental corruption of the church and the ministry.”

While I think they overstate the case I do believe that risk is real. Anytime we start to think the church (whether our congregation or the larger Church) belongs to us we are in danger. The church belongs only to God. This is not to say we shouldn’t think of it as “our church,” a Christian fellowship or family, just as we think of our family or our school or our town. That is to say, it is ours to the extent that we are the caretakers or stewards for this place and this generation. It is the place or community to which we belong in our earthly journey. The danger comes when we start to think the church, either locally or globally, exists for any reason other than to help people know Jesus and change their lives. The change we strive for is that people become more like Christ, setting aside our earthly nature for a spiritual nature.

Knowing the best way to do that and making the right choices are not always easy and we can make mistakes. It is a lifelong journey and we are constantly in danger from the forces of evil and our own sinful nature. But if we always keep our mission and vision in mind for everything we do and every decision we make the danger lessens. Every worship service, every Sunday School class, every ministry we think of starting, every activity we undertake, every plan we make, should help us transform lives for the sake of Jesus Christ. We strive to do that in gratitude for the immeasurable gift of God’s grace and mercy. This is true not only for our congregation and the larger Church but for every individual Christian -- for each of us in our daily life.

I find doing that can be very difficult. It is easy for ego or pride or stress to distract me from the mission which is why Luther’s idea of a daily baptism, a daily death to sin, is so important. He encouraged us to close each day with a prayer for forgiveness as well as thanksgiving for the assurance of God’s grace, dying to the sin of that day and going to sleep in peace. Each morning we have an opportunity to begin again and should start the day asking God to guide and direct all that we do. We look on that new day as a rebirth, a new life in which we have the opportunity to serve Christ in a more faithful way.

May we all be strengthened to fulfill the true mission of the Christian and the Church, changing lives for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Living in Christ’s grace and hope,
Pastor Joseph

JUNE, 2009

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

As we come to another June the heat of summer has begun. May and June bring Mother’s and Father’s Days along with high school and college graduations. Once upon a time the coming of summer meant a slack time for many churches but not so much anymore. Each May we have our picnic in the park (when the weather cooperates!), Confirmation, and recognition of graduates. June brings Youth Camp and Vacation Bible School - both of which depend on the commitment of time from many members. With the end of the school year many folks plan their vacations before the heat of late summer sets in. Each July brings our celebration of July Fourth with a special service and a picnic on the grounds as well as our annual ice cream social.

Added to the things that come along each year the Parish Nightingales sponsored a talent show and a health forum in May. The talent show was exceptional (for several reasons!) and will be long remembered by all who attended. For those who couldn’t come, or would just like to enjoy it again, the Efirds are working to create a DVD by putting together videos from three different recordings that were made.

This congregational busyness comes in the midst of ongoing challenges in the economy and especially in our local area. This year’s graduates face a tough job market in which they must compete with large numbers of unemployed. It seems that one day’s good news is replaced by headlines announcing increased oil prices (due to speculators) and more potential layoffs as the auto makers confront bankruptcy and force local dealers to close. The proposed state budget threatens thousands more layoffs in education, health care, social services, and other areas. Each additional layoff affects other businesses as well - retail, restaurants, autos, travel, and so on.

That ripple effect can happen in our spiritual lives as well -- both from busyness and from outside events. Even important ministries, like V. B. S. and Youth Camp, can seem to be a burden because lives are so busy. It seems a bit ironic that we carry such strong shared memories of a time when the church was the center of much family and social life but now become frustrated that it makes so many demands on our time. However, the importance of nurturing our children, and ourselves, in the faith is just as important now as in those “simpler” days.

Anxiety and anger over the economy and job loss - or potential job loss - can affect our relationships with family, friends, and even God. It can produce resentment, jealousy, avoidance, and other behaviors that further isolate us from one another and God. Times that are difficult are times when we especially need each other and God. A congregation should be a place where we can turn for a sympathetic ear, a sounding board, a caring touch, and the support of prayer. In the midst of all that comes don’t allow yourself to drift from God and from this family of faith. We are a fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ and need to hold one another in our hearts and minds.

Take advantage of the opportunities this summer to learn, serve, and share in fellowship. Above all, stay close to one another and keep prayers in the center.

In Christ’s love and service,
Pastor Joseph