November 2018 - Pastor's Newsletter Article

Pastor's Ponderings – November 2018

Well, once again we're preparing for the Church's Annual “God's Portion Sale”.  This year's sale is on November 17th and will be another fun and festive event.  Please mark your calendars and make plans to come and take part in this fun and important fundraiser for the Church.  The committee is working hard on gathering items for the auction but the success of the auction really stems from the donations of auction items by the congregation and upon the attendance and participation of the church membership.  Please come, have fun, and help this long-running (72 years!) program be successful!  Thank you all!!

November is always a very, very hectic month and please take note of all the things that are coming up and please try to partake in as many as you can.  First off we have the Ministerial Associations Community Thanksgiving Worship Service on November 11th.  This year it will be held at Union Church at 3:30 pm.  Next, we have the God's Portion Sale setup on Friday, November 16th, I don't believe a time has been set yet, so please stay tuned for an announcement on the time for setup.  Then on Saturday, November 17th, we have the God's Portion Sale and the Lunch beforehand.  The lunch starts at 11:30 am and the Sale follows at 12:30.  This year we will have a new auctioneer, Justin Brant will be doing the calling for us, make sure to thank him for helping us out!

On November 18th, we'll have the annual Thanksgiving Dinner right after Worship, and then after we've finished eating we'll go into the Sanctuary and do the 'Hanging of the Greens' and decorate the Church for the Christmas Season.  Thanksgiving Day is on the 22nd this year, the earliest it ever is on the calendar and it's my birthday as well!  On the 27th, the Annual Remembrance Service will be hosted by Lampe's Funeral Home at Saint Mary's Catholic Church at 6:30 pm, I will be performing part of the service along with all the other local ministers.  On November 29th, we will be having our November Soup Supper, serving from 5 to 7.

Please note that we won't have our normal Thursday Night Worship Service on Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd.  Which would also be our normal night for the 'Supper Then Service' so we won't have a 'Supper Then Service' in November but we will resume this event on December 27th.

We also have an Elder's Meeting on November 4th, and the Men's Meeting on November 10th, so if you are part of either or both of these groups make sure to plan for those meetings as well.

I'm looking forward to November, it's one of my favorite months of the year, (not the least of all because it's my birthday month!) it's the start of the Thanksgiving to Christmas Season which is just such a great time of year.  People are feeling rushed and stressed, but at the same time we're all thinking about our loved ones... try to remember while you're out shopping for that 'perfect' gift that the important thing isn't the gift but showing your loved one that you do love them.  As I get older the gifts that are more special are the simple things and more importantly spending time with those I love.  Gail and I are very excited that her family is once again coming to spend Thanksgiving with us and our two children will both be here as well.  That's really all I could want or hope for in the end...

In closing, October was a very sad and difficult month for all of us here at Woodlawn.  We laid to rest our dear friend and someone that we all loved so very, very much... Evelyn Johnson.  I confess that it was a very difficult service to write and to perform.  But, it was an honor to preside over the remembrance celebration of such a wonderful, beautiful, and loving woman.  Evelyn is singing and playing music along with the angels now... praise be to God!  All of us will long remember Evelyn and the long and beautiful music ministry that she lived here at Woodlawn and Lake City.  Make sure to extend a hand of comfort and grace to Evelyn's family... God bless them each and every one.  Let me share with you one of Evelyn's favorite verses Psalm 118:24 along with a few of the verses that precede this verse. 

Psalm 118:14-24
14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
15 Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”
17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has chastened me sorely, but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank thee that thou hast answered me and hast become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.
23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Be a blessing to someone today!!!  Pastor Roy