Dearly beloved,
Last week Kathy and I traveled to Florida for a quick visit to an old friend, Fr. Ray Unterburger, in Melbourne. Fr. Ray is the rector of St. Paul’s Church there. Just two short weeks ago, he was diagnosed with a particularly virulent cancer that has overtaken his liver, pancreas, spine, and now is exhibiting in lesions on his brain. He is not expected to survive this life much longer and is under hospice care. I covet your prayers for him, his wife Cheryl, and the whole family as they deal with this situation. Fr. Ray was a parishioner of mine back in the 1990s when I was Canon Pastor of St. Alban’s Cathedral. It was my privilege to shepherd him through his calling to the ministry and send him and Cheryl off to seminary in 1999. It was a blessing to see him while we were all still able to enjoy one another’s company and to share a final “I love you brother.” While I mourn what is inevitable, I do rejoice knowing that he will shortly be in the arms of our loving Savior and be able to share in the blessedness of everlasting life and peace. Because of the trip to Florida, I was unable to get a newsletter out so now it is time to “catch you up!” Construction UpdateQuite a bit has happened in the past two weeks on our expansion project. The big thing, of course, is that the block foundation and basement walls went up. While I am writing today, the cells in the concrete block are being filled with flowable concrete, finishing all of our foundation work. (see the picture above) The county inspector has signed off on all of our work so far. Major thanks to Bob Brooks who has been here every day making sure all the details are within code and keeping our project moving forward. I have posted many pictures on our parish Facebook Page, as well as in the news feed here on our website. Be sure to track the progress at both places: All Saints Website News and Parish Facebook Page. Votive Stand “Upgrade”The votive stand at the rear of the church has been modified to make it a bit less imposing. The two rows of large candles (which we have not been using) were removed. Our own Norman Miller did this work by leveling the steel rails on those two rows and then building an oak shelf to cover the new rails. The Irish High Cross that had been sitting behind the stand now fits beautifully on the shelf. Many thanks to Norman for his fine work for adding beauty and functionality to the stand. Here is a picture of what it looks like now.
Last week Kathy and I traveled to Florida for a quick visit to an old friend, Fr. Ray Unterburger, in Melbourne. Fr. Ray is the rector of St. Paul’s Church there. Just two short weeks ago, he was diagnosed with a particularly virulent cancer that has overtaken his liver, pancreas, spine, and now is exhibiting in lesions on his brain. He is not expected to survive this life much longer and is under hospice care. I covet your prayers for him, his wife Cheryl, and the whole family as they deal with this situation. Fr. Ray was a parishioner of mine back in the 1990s when I was Canon Pastor of St. Alban’s Cathedral. It was my privilege to shepherd him through his calling to the ministry and send him and Cheryl off to seminary in 1999. It was a blessing to see him while we were all still able to enjoy one another’s company and to share a final “I love you brother.” While I mourn what is inevitable, I do rejoice knowing that he will shortly be in the arms of our loving Savior and be able to share in the blessedness of everlasting life and peace. Because of the trip to Florida, I was unable to get a newsletter out so now it is time to “catch you up!” Construction UpdateQuite a bit has happened in the past two weeks on our expansion project. The big thing, of course, is that the block foundation and basement walls went up. While I am writing today, the cells in the concrete block are being filled with flowable concrete, finishing all of our foundation work. (see the picture above) The county inspector has signed off on all of our work so far. Major thanks to Bob Brooks who has been here every day making sure all the details are within code and keeping our project moving forward. I have posted many pictures on our parish Facebook Page, as well as in the news feed here on our website. Be sure to track the progress at both places: All Saints Website News and Parish Facebook Page. Votive Stand “Upgrade”The votive stand at the rear of the church has been modified to make it a bit less imposing. The two rows of large candles (which we have not been using) were removed. Our own Norman Miller did this work by leveling the steel rails on those two rows and then building an oak shelf to cover the new rails. The Irish High Cross that had been sitting behind the stand now fits beautifully on the shelf. Many thanks to Norman for his fine work for adding beauty and functionality to the stand. Here is a picture of what it looks like now.
Mother’s Day LuncheonThe men of the parish are preparing a special luncheon for all the ladies of the parish this coming Sunday, May 13, which is Mother’s Day. Please be sure to stick around to enjoy the feast! Craft Market 2018Its hard to believe but it is that time again to start planning our annual Craft Market, which happens in October. We will have our first planning meeting for this year’s event this coming Tuesday, May 15 at 9:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall. Please do come out and join in the planning! Wednesday Bible StudyIn our Bible study, we are working our way through the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. There are 12 Minor Prophets and we find them at the end of the Old Testament, after the Book of Daniel. This week we will begin looking at the Book of Joel. It’s not too late to join us! Tuesday Book StudyOur Tuesday Book Study is discussing a biblical fiction work: Cain: The Story of the First Murder and the Birth of an Unstoppable Evil. Please read chapters 14-23 for Tuesday’s class.
Annual Parish PicnicMark your calendars now! Our parish picnic will be on Saturday, June 10, following the 11:00 a.m. Holy Communion. We will gather at the Blackburn’s home in Fletcher.That is about it for today. God bless you all and I will see you on Sunday.Fr. Erich
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