Last month I promised I’d tell you all about our upcoming event – designed just for you! It’s time for us to ‘assemble ourselves together’!
During the pandemic I personally believe our senior population has suffered from isolation more than anyone else. Being confined to ones room in care facilities and several feeling they cannot leave their home due to ‘underlying conditions’, many are feeling loneliness never before experienced. But, soon, God willing, that will be behind us. In fact, we are now able to gather in groups outdoors! And WE WILL!
Mark your calendar!!
Sunday, June 27th BBQ Dinner (Our Treat!) Grace Community Fellowship 5:00 pm On the lawn – under the tent!
(Weather permitting – we are allowed to meet indoors if necessary)
Menu BBQ Chicken, salad, fruit and baked beans Plus handmade pies with ice cream
(Menu provided for special diets. Please indicate during registration)
Entertainment Special music and favorite hymns…and you can participate!
Fellowship Let’s get re-acquainted!! (After a long year fellowship is the ‘cream of the crop’ of this event!)
Please register by clicking the registration link ASAP. If you are unable to do so, call the church office and leave a message. Registration closes on June 17th. Attendance is by registration only.
Ask your small group to excuse you if this is your meeting time
And here we are with another month coming into our lives. Have you noticed how we seem to be busier than ever and the time just goes so fast? I heard a cute little saying years ago. “Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.”
I’ve decided I have a love/hate relationship with my weekly med case. At the end of the week I look at the empty case and think, “Wow, another week gone. What did I accomplish this week? Did I fill my time with ‘me’ or with service for the Lord? Did I even ask Him to guide my steps to the right people at the right time?” I’d like to share a quick testimony of the Lord guiding my steps this week.
I received a phone call asking me if I could drive an ‘acquaintance’ friend to her dentist appointment. It would have been easy to say, “I’m booked all day. Sorry.” But, fortunately, I didn’t. I actually looked at my schedule and thought, “Yes. I’ll drop her off and have time to run my errands before I pick her up again.” I praise God I didn’t say no.
I arrived at her home only to find that she had fallen at 10:00 pm the night before and was lying on the floor all night in her nightgown with no blanket, no socks and no heat in the house. After immediately finding she was coherent and covering her with a blanket, I called 911. Her injuries were minor in the big picture but very painful with both her knee and shoulder hurt. With an overnight stay in the hospital she’ll continue to heal at home.
I need to confess I really didn’t want to add to my schedule that day. I had errands in the morning and two appointments in the afternoon. I don’t remember praying about whether or not I should take her to that appointment. In fact, I’m sure I didn’t. But praise God I didn’t say no. Sometimes God forces us to add things to our calendar because He knows the big picture. This is called ‘service’ to others. Peter tells us in I Peter 4:11 “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” Believe me; I got home that night very tired. The errands didn’t get done but the blood stains were cleaned up and my friend’s home was back in order. And God gave the strength for the day. To HIM be the glory!
Each of us serve in various ways as the Lord directs our paths. I encourage you to ask God, “What plans do you have for me today, Lord?” He had given us the gift of ‘time’ in these senior years. What a wonderful gift to use for Jesus!
Perhaps you don’t feel you can serve physically in many areas but pray about giving financially to this month’s cause. GCF supports Dove Medical Center in several ways, including the Quilters of Grace sewing and donating baby quilts.
Dove Medical Center, a non-profit organization helping unwed pregnant women, is hosting a Nurses Challenge in May. I quote in part: “We have two full-time nurses, Margot and Sheila, on staff….We could not provide our services if it weren’t for our nurses. They conduct the pregnancy and STI testing, share valuable prenatal knowledge with our patients, and perform the ultrasounds. The services we offer are free of charge to our patients. However, when our nurses meet with a patient and perform an ultrasound, the cost to us is over $200.
Our hope is to raise enough money for 100 ultrasound appointments in 2021! There are many ways to get involved. You can make a personal pledge, ask your church or Bible study to cover an appointment or invite friends to help!
I told you we would introduce a member of SWAP Team with you each month. However, we will hold off this month and you can look forward to meeting Charlene Burch next month.
Enjoy May! Tis a time for planting seeds, seedlings, flowers and veggies. Or just admiring God’s creation coming alive all around us!
Happy in His service,
di….
PS. If you have a prayer request be sure to share it with the SWAP Prayer Team. The link is provided on our SWAP site at gcfweb.org/seniors.
