Weekly Bible Studies begin with focus on Purpose Driven Life

On Sunday night we held the first of our Purpose Driven Bible Studies at church. Mark Rogers, Bonnie Ambruso, Lisa Lapointe and Oliver Bray joined the pastor as they walked through the first of six sessions. We watched a video lesson taught by Rick Warren and then discussed it and how it impacted our own lives.

We will be having two other sessions each week at different times. If you missed this one, you can catch the next one on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Patricia and Steve ohlund or at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday at church. The same material will be covered at each one.

Cal

New life celebrated onSunday

We celebrated big time on Sunday as we baptized two individuals and welcomed them and two others into membership of the church. There was lots of special music and a message that reminded us of God's love for us.

Luis Pabon and Ashley Stewart met with the Deacons last month and shared their stories. They told how God had spoken to them and invited them to accept his love and to follow him.

On Sunday they put their faith into action by entering the waters of Christian baptism. The choir sang the chorus of "Come Be Baptized" as the candidates moved into place. As Luis and Ashley came into the baptistry, Rachel Lord sang a verse of a hymn for each of them.

Pastor Lord shared a bit of their story with the congregation and then asked each one if they accepted Jesus Christ as their lord and savior. After the profession of their faith, he baptized them by immersing them in the water.

The manner of baptism was the same as that used by John the Baptist in scriptures. The dunking symbolizes our repentance, the death and burial of our old sinful self and the resurrection of our new being.

After both Luis and Ashley were baptized, they were given a red rose as a symbol of God's love. They were also reminded that the thorns were there to remind them that life may not always be easy but God would be with them now.

Our Praise team shared a special song after the baptism that was written by Steve Contois. A little later our choir sang a bright anthem entitled, "Be Joyful and Sing to the Lord." Curt Brockway served as our worship assistant and he led the service while the Pastor was getting changed and then he came forward to officially welcome Pam and James Smith in to membership along with Ashley and Luis.


The sermon was entitled "You Are Not An Accident" and it was the first in a series of messages that we are doing based on Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life. In it we heard echoes of Psalm 139 as we looked at the call to Jeremiah that told us that God had appointed him to be a prophet before he was even born. We were reminded that God loves each of us and has a plan for us as well.

After the service we hosted a coffee hour in honor of our new members. It was a great morning.

Cal

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Spaghetti Dinner Raises over $750

On Saturday night members of our Mission team provided a spaghetti supper to raise funds for our trip next year. Rev. Michelle Madsen Bibeau organized the event and Amanda Duntz, George Rezendes and Lisa Lapointe gave up their Saturday to cook and prepare the bulk of the meal.

Amanda worked on the salad and Lisa made the meatballs. George helped get everything set up and worked on a little bit of everything. Michelle cooked the brownies and made sure the rest of us kept busy. Her hardest job was keeping me out of the kitchen so the others could work. So I went out and dressed the tables.

Mark Soloman was also on hand and he fired up the dishwasher and made sure everything was working properly and that all our dishes and serving equipment was clean and ready to go.

We were joined later in the day by Sharon Fishkin, Carol Calkins Mark Kane and Jake Shanks. They finished up the prep work and served the diner to the seventy to eight people who came out to support our cause.

When the donations were counted up, the event raised over $750 to wards the trip. It was a good day. Anyone wishing to make a donation can either put it in the offering plate at either of the churches or mail it to First Baptist and designate it to "Mission Trip 2009" in the memo line.

Here are a few photos to give you a glimpse into the fun we had.

Sunday School is for all!

On Friday nights the Lord Glory Methodist Church is meeting at our church for Christian Education this Fall. They hope to develop a Sunday School for their children down the road. Right now they are training the teachers and getting ready for the next step.

Last night I had the honor of addressing their teachers and sharing my thoughts on why Sunday School and Christian Education are important. I had to think about what I was going to say and it helped reinforce what I believe. It also reminded me why I push the Sunday School at our church. I think all of our children ought to be enrolled. I also think more adults ought to set an example and be in classes as well. It isn't only about learning the Bible and what it says. Sunday School also helps us integrate our faith into every day living.

So what do you say? Why not join us this week?

Here is a picture of the Lord Glory teachers and me to the right.

Cal

Feeding the hungry families in our community

This morning I was blessed to be present at the Wildwood Christian School's chapel service. This Fall we were chosen as the recipient of their Annual Mission project emphasis. The kids will be raising money for our food Pantry and working with us in the Interfaith Luncheon.

At the Chapel service I received a check for $400 from one of the students and then helped give out awards to those participated in last week's walk-a-thon. The kids raised over $1400 for the pantry. An overwhelming percentage of the kids participated in the walk last Thursday and they were excited to be putting their faith in action.

One little girl donated the proceeds from her piggy bank. She had been saving for two years and the total amounted to about $50. Her parents asked her if she was sure she wanted to use it for this and she said absolutely, without any reservations.

This is good news for us. Last Spring we reached a crisis point when our pantry started costing more money than we were bringing in through our Deacon's offerings and food donations. It appeared we were going to have to shut it down and send the 7 - 10 families elsewhere that we support each month. We prayed about it and talked about it and this has come as the answer to prayer.

In a totally unrelated conversation with the folks involved in the Missional Church project, we discussed developing partnerships to do ministry in our community. Then this happens. I think God is trying to tell us something. We don't have to do it alone.

The other good news concerning our pantry is the fact that Jeannine Pestey is getting excited about a fund raiser for it as well. She has organized a day of scrap booking to raise funds for it. On October 18 we will open up our Fellowship Hall for a group of hobbyists who will spend the day working and sharing in their interests. All the proceeds from this event will go to support the food pantry.

So it is true. "Ask and it will be given."


Cal

Getting ready for a special day

This morning I met Adele to talk about this week end's worship service. Every once in a while we collaborate on which hymns to pick and how the order of service should flow. Because we have a baptism planned, there will be some special elements in the service. The choir will sing "Come Be Baptized" as Luis and Ashley come forward. The Praise team will also share a special song written by our own Steve Contois.

We chose three hymns that go along with everything happening. One of Adele's favorites is "To God Be The Glory" and that will be one of them. (See! I do let her get her way sometimes :-).

I think it will be a nice service. We are also beginning our 40 Days of Purpose theme and I'll be preaching on subjects highlighted in Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life. My sermon is entitled, "You Were Not An Accident" and it will be the first in a series of six on the theme.

We will also have books available for those who want to read more on the subject and special Bible studies for those folks that want to go even deeper. The Bible Studies will be held on Sunday nights at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. and on Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. for the next six weeks beginning on Sunday. Each session will begin with a reflection by Rick Warren and then jump off to a discussion on the themes of that week.

You might want to get to church a little early this week because each of our new members (Ashley, Luis, Pam and James Smith) will be inviting a few friends so we will probably have a pretty good number of people present.

Karen Barber is organizing coffee, cider and light refreshments after the service. Give her a call if you want to help or bring along a little snack to share.

Cal

Good times: Music at FBC

Music at First Baptist is fun. Last night we had our weekly choir rehearsal and there were lots of laughs and lots of good feeling as we practiced the anthems we will be singing in the coming weeks. I don't know if every choir has as much fun as we do, but they should.

The group works hard every week but they also enjoy getting together with each other. That's good because being part of the choir demands a commitment. It means rehearsing regularly and being available on Sunday mornings from September through June. Last night we celebrated the birthdays of Nancy Allen, Helen Walker and Lori Lord during our break. Yeah, we take breaks too so we can have a hot or cold drink and a snack.

This year we have two new members so far. Shawn Rucker and Cindy Costa have jumped on board. We can use more help too if anyone reading this is interested. You don't need to be a member of the church to join. You just have ot enjoy singing God's praises.

Tonight our Praise team was practicing at the church. Thwey are going to sing on Sunday and they were working on a special song. The group usually plays on the fourth Sunday of the month and brings a little different flavor to the service. We have two guitars, Steve Contois and Cheryl Dutrumble, a bass guitar, Fred Green Sr., two vocalists, Gwyn Green and June Deptulski and a drummer, Penny Sargent. We are looking for a key board player and some more vocalists. If you are interested, please let us know. We don't pay anyone, but the Praise team has the appreciation of the whole congregation.

Cal

The Food Pantry

Our food pantry got a big boost in the last week. After suffering through a summer slump where we had little food available to help the families who came by looking for a few groceries, we received word that two new initiatives that will help stock the pantry are well underway.

First Jeannine Pestey is organizing a fund raiser using her connections with the scrap booking community. On Saturday, October 18 a number of people will gather in our fellowship hall to work on their scrapbooks, receives tips and buy products that will enhance their hobby. Our food pantry will benefit from the dues they pay and the proceeds from the day.

Second, Wildwood Christian Academy has adopted us as their mission for the year. Last Thursday the kids held a walk-a-thon and raised over $1300 for the pantry. They will go shopping soon and fill up our cupboards. They will then donate the excess cash to our Deacons Pantry Fund to provide food down the road. This effort will continue all year long as they meet for class and talk about community service.

Over the last few years we have regularly been helping seven to ten families each month with a bag or two on non perishable groceries. We have gotten to know these families and often had the privilege to pray with them. We have also had food available for members and friends of the church family when they needed it to get through a rough period. for the most part the pantry was supported by members of the church who brought in donations and by a few individuals who made it a part of their regular offering. Now we will have a few other partners and we can continue this important ministry.

So thank you to all who give and make this possible, especially to our new partners this Fall.

Cal

Mid-week prayer

Every Sunday morning we take a few minutes during our service to lift up our joys and concerns to God in prayer. It has evolved over the years into an important part of our time together. I've been told that some people look forward to this time especially after a traumatic week. They know that they can come and be heard by God.

The truth is that prayer isn't limited to a few minutes on a Sunday morning. Of course Jesus said, "Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I will be also" and that validates our belief that praying in the midst of corporate worship is most effective. Yet, we also believe that Jesus hears our prayers every day. You and I can talk to him any time, any where and he will hear and respond to us. So on a Monday we can be just as ardent in our prayers for each other. With that in mind I want to ask for a few prayer requests.

I received a note early Sunday morning that Michael Wisniewski had passed away. Michael is Lynn's brother and the father of Joshua, Kayla, and Michelle Wisniewski who have been coming to church with Lynn and Audrey. It was a sudden and shocking blow to the family. Please keep them all in your prayers.

We also think of Bob Booth in our continuing prayers. He starts chemo therapy again today. He is at Backus for the treatment and will be heading back to Haven Health Care Center on Crouch Avenue by the end of the week if all goes well. Remember Marge in your prayers too. She spent two nights at Backus last week. She is back up and on her feet again now.

Lift up Michelle Lord in your prayers. She had good news from the doctor this week. Two of the areas where they were watching cancerous growths have disappeared. She is praying that this type of good news continues.

We think of the Matteau family. They are reeling in the wake of the tragic death of their son last month. Now they are facing criminal charges in his death. Becky Matteau is Kelly Bolin's sister. We pray God will walk with them through this difficult time.

Bob Duntz was at Backus Hospital last week after experiencing a build up of fluid in his legs. Two of our members are looking for work. Zelda Earle Fellows and Yolanda Charles have resumes available if you know of anything they might be suited for. Meanwhile pray that a door will open for them.

Remember Ricardo and Doris Mayol as they fly home to Mexico on Tuesday. Pray for their family and for their ministry and the people God has called them serve.

Pray for Luis Pabon and Ashley Stewart as they come to the waters of baptism this coming Sunday and Pam and James Smith as they join them in becoming members of our church family.

Finally, please pray for our church family as we embark on the Forty Days of Purpose Campaign this Sunday. Pray for those who follow along through the sermons, by reading the books and by participating in the Bible studies. Pray that all of us will be touched by God and gain a new sense of purpose and deeper meaning in our lives.

Cal

Feeding the hungry

George Rezendes and Nancy Allen were in the kitchen this afternoon cooking up a big meatloaf dinner for over sixty guests at the interfaith luncheon. They had mashed potatoes, green beans to go along with it. Amanda and Kathy Duntz, Zelda Earle, Sophie and Bell all worked in the hall serving up the food. As usual, Shirley was there helping out in the kitchen.

I caught some of the action on film (digital) and thought you'd like to see what great minisry takes place every month on the third Sunday. If you would like to get involved, speak to Amanda Duntz or Cynthia Strouse.

Cal

Celebrating Mission

This morning we had a real treat as we welcomed Doris and Ricardo Mayol into our midst. Doris and Ricardo are missionaries in southern Mexico. They have a dual role down there. They often travel to the remote villages in the hills and work with the Mayan people. Many of the indigenous people distrust the government and often hide from outsiders. Yet, the Mayols have established a rapport with them and are ministering to them in concrete ways.

The Mayols also teach at the Seminary and help train pastors to go back into the hills to start churches and special ministries among the people. In Sunday School Doris and Ricardo shared some stories with our Young Adult class. In worship they share even more of what their ministry is doing in the lives of the people they meet. It was powerful stuff and we could feel the presence of God in our service.

Cal

What I did on my summer (late) vacation

A number of people asked me about my trip to Australia. They read my epistles or saw the two articles in the paper and it piqued their curiosity. So I thought I would share with you a little slide show I put together.

My daughter Sarah is a third year student at the University of Connecticut but she's studying at MacQuarie University this fall. That prompted my trip. It was provided the opportunity for me to go and visit a place I heard a lot about as a young person. My pastor and mentor, Rev. Dr. John Brooks was from Brisbane and his nephew, Neil, is living in Sydney. We had the opportunity to catch up with him and have dinner with him and his family.

As I set off on the trip, I stopped in to see my oldest daughter Becky. She is teaching in New York City in the Teach for America program. She loves it and I got to see her in action.

It was a great trip but I am glad to be back.

Cal

Adam and Katy are married

On Saturday I conducted my last wedding of the season at the church. Adam Karen and Katy Seder exchanged their vows in a beautiful service. Kevin Mariano aded a trumpet to the processional march and Steve Seder walked his daughter down the aisle. It was a beautiful day and we pray a great start to a long and happy marriage.

Among the many guests were Dick and Cynthia Strouse, Kate and Chris Canada and Ben Strouse. They are pictured below.

Cal

World Mission Conference

This weekend our American Baptist Churches of Connecitcut hosted the World Mission Conference. The setting was Suffield, Connecticut. The historic Second Baptist Church on the green welcomed over three hundred guests from around New England to come and meet nine of our American Baptist Missionaries.

Our Missionaries shared their stories of God's surprises: stories of how God is working to bring light and love to many places around our world through the work that we support. Worship was inspiring with great music and testimonies of God at work. (Can you find Curt Brockway and me in the photo to the right?) There were also opportunities to learn more in-depth about the mission work being done around the world and about opportunities to support or to serve. Some participants even ate foods from around the world, getting an introduction, not only to the foods, but also to the cultural significance of sharing meals with others.

The missionaries included Duane Binkley and Karen Smith from Thailand, Hanna Massad from the Baptist Church in the strip, Katherine Niles from the Republic of Congo, Deliris Carrion Rosa from San Salvador, Jorge Damasceno from Great Britain, Madeline Flores-Lopez from the Dominican Republic, Steen James from Haiti and Doris & Ricardo Mayol from Mexico.

It was a great weekend and there were so many inspiring stories. Curt and I attended the session led by Hanna Massad as he told about a young man named Rommie. Rommie was a faithful member of his Baptist church. He had converted from Islam and he was targeted by a terrorist group because of this. He was abducted and killed when he would not renounce his Christian faith. This is the kind of danger that Hanna and his members face every day as they are caught up in the battle between the Muslims and the Jews in Israel. Yet their faith is strong and vibrant and they are rreaching out to their community with God's love. They minister to women and children, providing education and food and so much more. Hearing his testimony was very powerful as a reminder of what God can do if we open our hearts to him.

We also heard from Karen Smith who shared the work that is happening through the New Life Christian Center in Thailand. We saw a video testimony from a young woman who was freed from domestic slavery by the workers at the Center and given a new life. She is in school now and learning about the love of god. She now has a bright future.

Rev. Daniel Martino was the Bible study leader at the Saturday morning worship service. He shared a moving message that got the day off to a good start. The whole thing was a lot of fun and a great opportunity for all of us to get up close and personal with some real heroes of our faith.

Cal

Special guests this week at worship

Hi. I'm back from vacation and ready to lead us through a great season of discipleship, personal growth and worship at First Baptist. Everything begins on Sunday as we welcome Doris and Ricardo Mayol to our Church. They will be taking part in Sunday School opening, the adult class and in worship. Come here about their ministry to the hill people of southern Mexico. The fun begins at 9:15 a.m.

Rally Day 2008 at FBC

Fall has arrived at First Baptist. Well, not really. But the Fall schedule arrived in full force this morning. We welcomed fifty six kids and adults at Sunday School. Sandy Stone set out a platter of bagels and munchkins, punch and coffee for everyone. George Rezendes welcomed everyone and went over our weekly schedule. We took our group picture and then went to classes.


Here are a few pictures from Rally Day. This is just the first Sunday. Kids and adults are welcome to join us any time.

Our worship service moved back to the 10:30 a.m. hour and our choir was back in full force. We had 110 people in attendance and I closed off my series of sermons based on the book of Romans. We finished the service with the Lord's supper and a circle of fellowship. It was a good day.

Cal

Two more weddings in the family

This weekend I officiated at two weddings. It has become a trend. On Friday night I watched as Zelda Earle and Bruce Fellows exchanged their vows at church in a small family ceremony. Zelda's mom and dad walked her down the aisle. They exchanged vows that they wrote themselves and lit the unity candle. It was a nice service. Bruce's sister Caron stood up for him and Zelda's friend Richard stood up for her.

Zelda and Bruce decorated our fellowship hall for their reception and we all had a nice time afterwards.

On Saturday, Stacy Saporita and Kenny Stevens were married here at the church. Stacy's mom, Connie Jensen, was her matron of honor and her daughter, Gariella, was the flower girl. Both of Stacy's brothers, John Saporita and Joe Jensen, served as ushers and also met her and her dad halfway down the aisle and walked her the rest of the way. Patricia Ohlund sang "Ave Maria" and Karen Barber made up the floral arrangements.

It was a nice wedding. Afterwards the crowd went to the Knights of Columbus Hall in Taftville for the reception. I sat with Connie's sister, Nancy, and her mother and we had a great time. Here are some pictures from the other night.

Cal

Update on the kitchen project

Just before noon last Wednesday, I got word from Dick Strouse that we got our first bid back for our new kitchen. It wasn't good. We had called Mattern Construction, the same company that did our major construction process for 200th anniversary, and asked them to put together a bid on preparing the kitchen for our renovation project.

Their charge was to gut the kitchen, shore up the sub-floor and run the plumbing and electrical that would be needed for the new kitchen. They were also asked to price out a hood and fire suppression system for our commercial stove in case we decided to keep it.

The Trustees will talk about it at their next meeting and the kitchen committee will meet again to rethink some of their decisions. Meanwhile, Cliff Vanase, who volunteered to be our clerk of the works, will be getting a few more bids on the job. It may be that the project may cost more than any of us guessed.

Our hope is to redo the kitchen over the winter. Once we have a price we like and have determined the scope of the work, we will begin a capital campaign and start asking our members and friends to make gift or pledge to the project. At this point it looks like we will be looking for over $100,000.

Stay tuned. I'll write more when I know more.

Cal

Looking at heating costs this winter

On Wednesday night I went to a meeting at Central Baptist to meet with representatives from various churches in town to talk about oil prices and to see if there was anything we could do to get a better price this winter. Rev. Michelle Madsen-Bibeau had made contact with several oil companies to see what they had to offer. The end was result was not very promising.

None of the oil companies would offer us a volume discount. They would only offer us the same thing they were willing to offer any other business. It didn't matter if we guaranteed them 6,000 gallons or 40,000 gallons. We ended up feeling that we may as well take the information and try to get the best deal possible for our own churches.

At First Baptist we are looking into the possibility of replacing our oil burning furnaces with new efficient gas burning furnaces. Norwich Public Utilities has regulated rates on gas and is very reasonable. They also offer no interest or low interest loans to do the conversion.

I'd love to hear your comments on the oil companies and the thought of conversion to gas. I'll pass them on to the board of Trustees.

Choir anyone?

Choir rehearsals started up again on Tuesday night. As people made their entrances. I got more and more excited to see everyone. I like summer but it has its down side. When the choir takes it recess for the season, many of the members take a more relaxed approach to church. Between travel and vacations, family visits and work around the house, attendance at worship often dips a bit.

Tuesday night was like a family reunion. As each person walked through the door our excitement and energy rose. We also welcomed two new members to the choir. Shawn Rucker and Cindy Costa took us up on our invitation and joined us. New members always help ramp up the energy of the whole group.

We practiced a number of pieces and prepared our first anthem of the season, "God of Glory." It was good first rehearsal. We are hoping that we might even get a few more new members as we roll through September.

Your sphere of influence follows you

Last Monday morning I had a funeral for a man named Frank Duffy. Frank died of a tragic accident and I got the call to do the service. Why? Because I had done a funeral for a friend of his who died suddenly a month ago. Frank's wife was at that service and she appreciated what I said at Dave's service and immediately thought of me.

The truth is that this woman did what so many of our friends do. When they are overcome by life's problems, they look to those who have been there in the past. Your friends will look to you for answers. Your faith, your church, your awareness of God's love are what they will remember and look for.

We sometimes think that we don't have anything to offer people because we are not theologically trained. The truth is that what our friends are looking for are people like you and me who have had a relationship with God. I think about the story of the woman Jesus met at the well in the Gospel of John.

After her encounter with Jesus she told her story over and over again to everyone she met. Only God knows home many people's lives she changed with her story of acceptance and love. So don't be shy. Share Jesus and what he did for you everywhere you go. Then begin to enjoy the ways that God uses you.

PS This was third biker funeral I had in my ministry and it made me think about Jesus and the way he related to people outside the usual influence of religion. I met a number of good people who believe in God but never felt welcome inside a church. Maybe we need to rethink the way we greet people at church.

A great Fall lies ahead of us

On Sunday morning we closed off a busy summer with worship. We had nearly eighty people on hand as our Praise team sang and I spoke about withholding judgment and letting God be God. I encouraged each of us focus on our own walk and to try and honor God with all we do.

Attendance his summer has been very good. Although some have been traveling and others have taken a break from the hectic pace of life and slept in on the weekends, many have made it a point to worship regularly.

I preached a series of sermons on the book of Romans this summer and I hope to have them available this week for those who are interested in reading them. Meanwhile we will be gearing up for a great Fall at church.

Sunday School opens on September 7th and we are expecting a good crowd on opening day. We have classes for all ages, including an adult Bible Study. The adults will be looking at what it means to be church as they study the book of Acts.

Rosie Main, Sandra Lucien Rachelle Weimer, Janet LaFlamme, Doris Calkins, Laura Kreger, Kristen Deptulski, Curt Brockway and I will be serving as Sunday School teachers. George Rezendes, Lori Lord, Cynthia Strouse and Zelda Earle will be helping out.

On September 21 we will have Doris and Ricardo Mayol with us for worship. They serve as American Baptist missionaries in southern Mexico. Our folks have been to the northern border area to work in churches. The Mayols will share their experiences working in the hills and villages near the southern tip of the nation. It should be a great day.

On September 28 we will launch our 40 days of purpose and walk together through Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life. On that Sunday we will witness the baptism of two of our newest members, Luis Pabon and Ashley Stewart. Then I will preach a message entitled, "You Are Not An Accident!" This will be the first of six weeks of pointed messages that deal with topics in Warren's book. During the week we will have several Bible study opportunities to discuss the book, the sermons and corresponding scripture passages.

On October 19 we will invite old friends back for a special day. We will look back at our church's history and also mark my becoming the longest standing pastor of First Baptist Church. We will talk about the ministries of folks like Rev. Walter Schoepfer who came in 1957 and saw a great resurgence in the ministry. Our Sunday School and youth ministry programs were bursting at the seems. Some of our leaders today grew up under his watch.

We will remember Rev. George H. Strouse Sr., a missionary at heart, who came and made our city the focus of his evangelistic messages beginning in 1913. We will celebrate the ministry of Rev. Percy Kilmister who inspired a generation of leaders in the 1930's and walked with us in a time of great stress in our nation. We will reflect back on the ministries of Rev. Vernon Price in the late 60's and early seventies, Rev. A.S. Brown at the end of the 19th century, Rev. Herbert Wise in the early years of the 20th century and those pioneers and founders of our ministry, Rev. John Sterry and Rev. William Palmer. It will be a great day and I hope you mark your calendar.

So stay tuned. The clock is running and I hope to see you all this Fall.

A new generation of faithfulness is spotted.

I am sorry to be on the "old guy" kick but I have another one for you. I just received a link to a news report that featured Kate Strouse Canada and her daughter, Lily. Kate is a community organizer and a proud parent. She has taken her faith to the next level and is making a difference for people in her community. In this report she talks about the toxins in flame retardant materials and how it affects children.

I am so proud to know this young woman and to say that I watched her grow up. This is one more of the joys of long term ministry. You can see the seeds that were planted in your ministry take root and sprout in a new generation. I'm sure that Kate will also plant a few seeds of her own in Lily's life and that will make God smile.

Cal

Here is the link if you would like to see and hear Kate and Lily Canada. Cut and paste it into your browser.

http://www.wbaltv.com/video/17394025/

The joy of special occasions

I have had a number of weddings this year. I think that is a good thing. It suggests that maybe the announcement that marriage is an outdated option in modern life, was a bit premature. People are still making a commitment to one another. People still believe it is important to have God's blessing on their relationship.

This past weekend I had two services. The first was at the Norwich Inn & Spa. A couple from the southern part of the state wanted to be married at the Norwich Inn & Spa and they received my name from the front desk. (I think that is cool!) It was a small ceremony that had to move inside because of the weather. At 2:35 Geoffrey Cypher and Sherry Hospidar were married. Sherry's four year old daughter showered us with rose petals during the service providing us with a light moment. After wards the couple and their guests went to lunch and I headed off to get ready for my second wedding.



Wayne Morse Jr. and Kimberly Perry were set to be married at 5:00 p.m. at a friend's house in Griswold. As opposed to the first wedding where I had only met the couple once before, I have known Wayne since he was a little boy. I watched him grow up in our Sunday School and advised him in youth group meetings.

Wayne's parents were so proud of him. He has grown into a fine young man. He chose a delightful young lady to be his bride. The sun came out about 4:00 p.m. and everything was a go on their end. The back yard was bright and alive with color. Mums lined a path to the little area where the couple would exchange their vows.

Whenever I stand up for a couple that includes someone I watched grow up, I thank God for long term ministry. I get to see people move through life and get to enjoy watching them graduate from school, get married, start families and get established at work.

I am already watching a third generation grow up as I move through my 24th year at FBC. I look at pictures of Lily Canada and I can't help but think of meeting her mother as a cute 9 year old in my first days here at church. It does make you feel old, but it is worth every minute.

Well here are a few pictures of Wayne and Kim's wedding. You'll see the whole group, the couple with Wayne's parents (Wayne & Cindy) and Wayne's grandparents (Harry & Dot Calkins.)

Cal