Well well well….at last …. Happy Spring everyone!!! It finally got here. Only four weeks before the official first day of summer, but it’s here none-the-less and I’ll definitely take it. Spring’s arrival is just in time, too, because, believe it or not, we’re heading into Memorial Day Weekend. As a little side-bar….. it wasn’t always a nice three-day weekend …. Up until about 50 years ago, well actually, 49 years ago, it was always on May 30th. Then a 1968 enacted law kicked in, and Memorial Day plus a couple of other national holidays were all moved to the three-day weekend format starting in 1971.
While the long Memorial Day Weekend has become known as the unofficial start of summer, here at Holy Trinity I always think of the start of summer as the day we move to the single service, which this year is in two weeks. June 9th. Mark your calendar. Church will start at 9:30, followed by the Semi-Annual Congregational Meeting led by yours truly, and then, the picnic. This year Tommy Monareh has graciously agreed to lead the picnic team, so please be on the lookout for announcements asking for assistance in setting up, cooking, bringing food, etc. etc. At this point in time, there doesn’t appear to be much on the meeting agenda other than an update on the financial reports, so we should be able to get to all that good food and fellowship relatively soon after worship. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!!
Please remember that the week before, on June 2nd, we’ll have a special coffee hour for Pastor Tim as he celebrates the 10th anniversary of his ordination. The actual date of his 10th ordination anniversary is May 31st. There’s a memory book in the gathering area where you can write a congratulatory message, a thank you or a memory of an activity or something you've shared with Pastor. The book will be there this Sunday and next as well. Please join Pastor for this special day.
Finally, I’d like to offer a few words about this holiday weekend coming up. Yes, it is nice that a good number of us will have a three-day weekend, and many will have family gatherings, barbeques, perhaps a day at the beach or a park, or some other activity. But for many others it may be a time of sadness remembering the loss of a loved one while in the service of our country, which is what the day is about. From my view, Memorial Day seems to have lost some of its meaning as a day to pause and give thanks for those women and men of our country’s armed forces. Please take a few moments in church on Sunday to say a prayer for those who gave of themselves, or Monday go to a nearby Memorial Day ceremony to show support for our troops and to thank those who have served and sacrificed.
Go in Peace
Dave Smith
Council President