Thanks and Praise
Our retreat at Toah Nipi next weekend offers a respite from our usual routines and concerns, and a time to seek and enjoy God in the beauty of his creation. Pray for those who are leading this retreat, and for all who are coming. Are you one of them?
We were blessed to have one of our missionaries, Jason Carpenter, with us last Sunday. Jason and his wife Linda have finished their teaching work in the Nuba Mountain region of Sudan, and are starting in a new assignment in Uganda, East Africa. The Carpenters generously gave to our church all the household goods they had stored here in the U.S., to be sold to benefit our Little Folks Fellowship Nursery School. Please pray for them and their 3 children as they follow Christ into this new field of service.
During the summer our church received the unexpected gift of a gently-used baby grand piano, now in our sanctuary. Since then, the moving expenses - also unexpected - of $1,000 have been met, thanks to the contributions of several people. We praise God for all these good gifts.
Needs and Concerns
Matt's mother, Eleanor, died September 10 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after a long illness. May Matt and Marge and their family be comforted by their hope in Christ.
Several pastors and other clergy in our Presbytery have experienced the death of one or more family members in recent months: Rev. Rod MacDonald, Rev. Wayne Parrish, Rev. Sally Newhall, Rev. Rodney Petersen, Rev. Jean Southard, Rev. Karl Gustafson, Rev. Kevin Ford. Please pray for them as they grieve, entrusting their loved ones to the Lord.
The deaths of so many thousands of Iraqi civilians: men, women and children, as well as the mounting casualties among U.S. and Iraqi troops, testify to the evils of this war, and to the urgent need for measures beyond military might: negotiation, protest, and above all, fervent prayer.
Announcements
OUR CHURCH FAMILY RETREAT is coming up next weekend! We have the weekend of September 28-30 reserved at beautiful Toah Nipi Retreat Center in Rindge, New Hampshire. With the dazzling autumn foliage as a backdrop, we'll be asking God to teach us about "seasons" in our own lives, and how we might cooperate with him in those seasons of growth, stability, dryness, discovery, and more. Our speaker will be Scott Walker of the Threshold Project in Jamaica Plain. Childcare will be provided. Please take one of the information sheets on the back table, and sign the poster in the hallway. We hope to have 20 to 25 people going.
THINKING OF MEMBERSHIP? Pastor Bart plans to begin a four-to-five-week Inquirers Class on Sunday, October 7, for those considering joining this church. Please speak to him to an Elder if you're interested.
YOUR NAME IS . . . ? As we begin a new school year, and welcome visitors, it will help us to get better acquainted if we wear our nametags. Please pick yours up (or make a new one) at the door. Thanks!
Photo of Toah Nipi taken from a happy retreater's page at Flickr
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