Dear friends,

Thank you so much for the years of support and friendship that you have given me and especially for all your good wishes on my last Sunday. Your gifts were wonderful. The home communion kit is something that I will use often and will be especially meaningful since it is locally crafted. The fish tile will be hung in my apartment and then eventually (I hope) in my office, along with the cross-stitch angel that you gave me in December. Peggi, thanks for the book. I promise I will read it and I look forward to discovering its meaning.

My years with you have been a wonderful time of worship and music. Thank you for allowing me to shape the music program and present a variety of styles, always to the glory of God. Working with the choir has been a joy. I know it will be a long time before I stop automatically looking for more anthems for you.

My moving day to Cambridge is August 27th. I don't know what it will be like to be a full-time student. Please continue to pray for me as I will continue to pray for you.

Much love,
Madelyn

[ Webmaster's note: Madelyn was our music director and organist--although we've got some great musicians filling the gap--she is sorely missed... ]

Notes from the Clerk

Church Meeting 

At our last Session meeting, the Session voted to have an informal congregational meeting immediately following worship on Sunday, June 3rd to discuss the direction of the church and to get feedback from our church family and friends as to the direction you would like the Session to go.  We would like to hear what your expectations are of the church and how you feel the Session and Deacons can help meet your expectations. We would like to discuss the finances of the church, capital improvements we need to address and how we are going to finance them. etc. We would like to conduct this meeting in a fairly informal atmosphere and include a luncheon as part of the meeting.  More information will follow regarding the luncheon.

Rummage/Yard Sale 

I would like to organize a Rummage/Yard Sale on the church lawn on Saturday, May 26th with the proceeds of the sale to benefit the church.  I am not able to do all of it myself so I am looking for volunteers to help organize and/or work the day of the sale. We will also need items to sell so if you would like to contribute to the sale and help the church, please let me know.  (The Session voted that the monies raised, will help offset the cost involved with the Christian concert we have scheduled for the Friday night of the Home and Harvest Celebration in September.) Without volunteers I will not be able to make this happen, so please consider donating some of your time.  Thank you.

In His Service,

Sarah W. Edwards, clerk

Inside the Church we are celebrating the season of Eastertide, and the Gospel readings focus on the Lord’s post-resurrection appearances.  It’s a time for rejoicing, for Alleluias and Hope and the triumph of God’s Love over death and everything negative.

Yet in our world, in the last two weeks, we have experienced the tragedy at Virginia Tech and the Nor’easter flooding in New England, and everywhere we turn neighbors are sick and children are at risk.  The calendar says Spring is here, but in spite of the defiant shorts-wearers the daffodiles haven’t bloomed yet. 

So, how do we put the resurrection and the reality together?