Simon’s Says
It is very likely this will be my last al fresco Coffice Hours, but given it is nearly mid-November, I’ll take it!
And by ‘nearly mid-November,’ I mean it is November 11, Veterans’ Day. I will always remember from my elementary school days that the armistice was signed at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. And so it will be at 11:00 I will stand with Chester’s veterans at the War Memorial to offer both a prayer and a blessing at their annual Veterans’ Day observance.
My Dad was a veteran. He served in the US Marine Corps in the late 1940s. Fortunately for him (and for our family) he served between the Second World War and the Korean War, so he did not see combat. Still, the effects of his time in the service remained evident through his lifetime: he was a hard worker, dedicated, resourceful, and he loved his country. One illustration will always remain with me: when the factory where he worked most of his life closed, he was out of work for a year, and he despised the forced time off. So when he found a new job, he put his all into it, and when he retired ten years later, his boss marveled that in those ten years, Dad never missed a day of work. So to all who served our nation in any manner, thank you, and bless you.
By now you should have received this year’s Stewardship letter along with a card for your pledge to support our church’s mission and ministry in the coming year. It asks us to consider a 5% (or more) increase in our pledge to the church, because as we all know, the price of everything has increased in the past year. The proposed budget for 2023 will be available in the narthex beginning this Sunday, we will dedicate ourselves and our pledges next Sunday Nov. 20, and the following Sunday Nov. 27 will be our Congregational Budget meeting where we consider and vote on the Trustees’ proposal. (Nov. 27 is also – can you believe it? – the first Sunday of Advent!) Hope to see you there.
Here are the links to this week’s bulletin and service: