Pastor's blog

What a whirlwind of activities this year has been. I/we have sincerely appreciated all of the help and support we've received from all of you! From the Capital Campaign (WHICH WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL, REACHING OUR GOAL OF $200,000 BY OCTOBER 2ND) to the 50th Anniversary celebration/homecoming with 175 people there for the Pig Pickin' - we did it!! Sadly we had to put the new sanctuary on hold, but other congregations are stepping up to help us so we'll see where it goes!!

Just a quick note to say that God is AWESOME! He answers my every need and takes care of things even when I'm not aware! I hope this Christmas season everyone is able to stop a minute and think what it would like for us without God in our lives. I am thankful every day that I can call on Him in times of trouble and know he'll help me work things out and praise him when they do!

This week we had 15 at After School at the Chatham Forest Apartment office on Tuesday! The older children help the younger ones and although it's crowded there, we have nice tables to work on and the children come right off of the bus into our program and it works! We've had 33 registered so far (some are tracked out so the attendance isn't consistent) and a high of 20 students.

Our 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the church in North Carolina was a huge success! We had folks from Charlotte, Cape Fear, Kernersville and Cary all come together on Saturday to enjoy each other and share many fond memories. We had display boards from the four areas as well as what used to be the Region and our newly emerging Hispanic Congregation. The day was spent sharing, visiting, and enjoying good music by our Cary Congregation Praise Band, led by Doc, as well as a Hammer Dulcimer group to which Viola belongs.

See the pictures to see the success of our Labor Day Reunion in the mountains, especially our Praise Band and its ministry. They're now being sought after by most of the congregations in our Mission Center! We were blessed to be ministered to by Craig and Brenda Lenfestey who led our Reunion, Derrick Williams, Missionary Outreach Coordinator from Chicago, Karin Peter, President of Seventy, and our Apostle Linda Booth who was only able to be there for Sunday. Classes and preaching were unsurpassed as we soaked in precious words from those who minister full time for our Lord.

Where did the summer go? After our amazing trip to California to see two sons (Don in LA - East Hollywood, and Steve in San Diego) we geared up for the 12th Annual Chatham Forest Picnic and Vacation Bible School (see pictures on the second page of "past events") We had a wonderful time at the picnic until it rained and I heard Alex, who was in charge of the balloon toss, say - "just throw them at each other" to the children who were paced off to see whose balloon could last the longest!

Shey called (on my birthday!!) and reported that she received an A and a B on the two courses she took in summer school!! After she finishes the 2nd session in a few weeks, she'll be a rising senior at Fayetteville State University. Wonderful news!!

We were blessed with the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper on July 3rd and the Baby Blessing of Xavie Jedidiah, son of Kirsten and Kevin. During the service, Caleb shared from his heart about why and how he knows that Christ is with him and how that frees him to live. In Caleb's words, "If you're down or sad, you know he's there - I'm glad that he's in my life." The Praise Band led us in their ever popular ministerial song, "I Love you, I love you, Lord" after the baby blessing. I felt so moved by the events of the day that I remember with joy the feeling of the Holy Spirit that was there.

This is getting to be a great Cary summer! Our six senior highs returned from camp in Deerhaven, Florida on Sunday. Two of them gave me one word, "awesome" to describe their experience. When I inquired further, they both said it was the people and the place which made it so special. Caleb will share with us this Sunday a little of his experience there.

The past two weeks have been filled with wonderful events which have touched my heart - and I know the hearts of others! First on June 4th we had the grilled dinner which was a huge success! It made over $1,000 and a great time was had by all! Don and Donna with the able assistance of Patty, Viola and the Youth served a great dinner of grilled salmon and/or barbecued ribs, while Dennis provided beautiful dinner music. To top off the dinner, Otis spoiled us with his cheesecake and yummy chocolate cake!