Proms on the Mount Airy Charge

Brian Daniels and Kayla going to the Galileo Magnet High School Prom. Brian and Kayla were members of the Senior Prom Court.

Kelsey Adams and Zac going to the Gretna High School Prom.

Dan Nuckols and Rachel going to the Gretna High School Prom.

These are some pictures of some of our teenagers from the Mount Airy Charge going to their 2010 Prom. I honestly do not know why I never thought of doing this in previous years, really wish I had.

A Poem for Haiti

An old friend of mine, Tom Surber, wote a poem about Haiti that I would like to share with you. I first met him when we were in the third grade together. Lost touch for a lot of years. Glad to be back in touch with a long time friend.

The photos show stark devastation,
Where there was little now there is less.
But the look in the eyes of my brothers and sisters
shows a strength there I might not possess.
They are scared, they are injured and angry,
yet so many are clinging to hope.
Is it because they have no more left to lose
or is it a faith they refuse not to use.
Such faith amid so much destruction,
I only hope that our faith is just
As strong as our brothers and sisters,
when our God begins to test us.
That God is testing us now I am certain.
A lesser, but a test none-the-less.
There is such faith in the eyes of our brothers and sisters,
We need to answer their faith without rest.

Exploding Azaleas

I absolutely love the azalea bushes in front of our house. We planted them when we first moved in and they are huge. Joanne is always after me to trim them back, but I just can't do it. The bigger they get, the more incredible they look in the Spring. One of them is actually growing up over the front porch. They are growing together and the colors are blending.

We have 4 vary large one growing right up against the house. They are actually blocking the downstairs windows, but who needs those windows anyways. We have six medium sized azaleas around the sidewalk and down the side of the driveway.

This evening Joanne and I planted 12 more azaleas; 4 white, 4 pink, 2 red, and 2 lavender. Most of them in the back yard. I hope to live long enough to see them get as big as those in front of the house.

I look forward every Spring to see the azaleas bloom. It's like watching God with a brilliant paint brush going to work.

Haiti Program with Timberlake UMC UMW

Joanne and I had the opportunity to share about Haiti with the United Methodist Women at Timberlake UMC, where I served as Visitation Pastor before coming to serve as pastor for the Mt. Airy Charge. The ladies were very gracious, even though I ran well over our alotted time. I have always found it hard to stop talking when speaking about something that is important to me. Joanne kept trying to get me to finish, but I was totally oblivious. These are a few of the photos we used in the program.

These pictures are from children's program we did when we took some of our teenagers to Haiti.

Just in case you were wondering if it was warm in Haiti. The thermometer had been in the shade until we took this picture. 

Thomas and Taisie, our first grandchildren, were much younger when we visited.

Thanks to the Timberlake UMC UMW for allowing us to talk about something that is important to us. Hopefully, it was informative and motivating.

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter

Holy week was a flurry of activity. It started with the Maundy Thursday service at Republican Grove UMC. Joanne did sign language to the song "Messiah". We also had a dramatic reading of "The Old and the New: Passover Lamb"; with Betty Jo Dawson, Patricia Fisher, and Heidi Dawson. Maundy Thursday remembers the Last Supper of Christ with his disciples, we remembered with Communion.

The Maundy Thursday service was followed with a time of refreshments and fellowship. The fact is, it was more like supper than it was like refreshments, but I am not complaining at all. It was a very good evening.

Our Good Friday service was conducted at Providence UMC. Our Tenebrae readings were called "Facing the Shadows". The readings were dialogues of indivduals who were part of the Gospel story.

The Shadow of Betrayal~Judas: Carl Wayne Adams

The Shadow of Inner Agony~Salome (The Mother of James and John): Anita Adams

The Shadow of Desertion~John: David Adams

The Shadow of Denial~Peter: A.J. Nuckols

The Shadow of Accusation~Mary Magdalene: Stacey Wyatt

The Shadow of Mockery~Thomas: Bill Wyatt

The Shadow of Death~ Mary, the Mother of Jesus: Lisa Nuckols

The Carpenter: Brian Daniels

After each reading a candle was extinguished, until after the final reading and the entire room went dark. At that point the service is over and everyone leaves in silence.

The Good Friday service remembers the day that Jesus died upon the cross. It is meant to cause inner contemplation before Easter. The bulletin for the service ended with this: "Even in the midst of this darkness, God is with us. Go with peace and hope. Amen."

The Easter Sunrise service was held at St. Andrews UMC at 7 AM. It was a special morning and the worship was particularly meaningful.

After the Sunrise service we had breakfast at St. Andrews UMC. This is one of the days in the year that the guys get to do the cooking. Personally, I think the ladies just think we men can't mess up scrambled eggs.

We not only had the eggs, but also breakfast casseroles, muffins, fruit, ham biscuits, sausage biscuits, and more. My main concern was that we had coffee and we did! I have a hard enough getting my body going at 7 AM, I needed my coffee - high octane.

After the Easter Sunrise service, we continued to the regularly scheduled Easter services at Republican Grove UMC and Providence UMC.

This was Cortney Dawson's first Easter Sunday and she was ready for the day.

At Providence UMC, we had some folks sick and some out taking care of them. They may not have been with us in body but they were in spirit. Brian Daniels did triple duty; in addition to receiving the offering and reading the scripture, Brian also played the hymns on CD. It was his first time working the machine and he did a fine job.

Something you learn in a small church is that it's not about numbers. It's about what God is doing in the church. He was doing a work this Easter Sunday in all three churches of the Mt. Airy Charge. He continues to draw us closer to each other and to draw us out to the community and world around us.

Christ is Risen!

Thanking Mary Margaret Crews

Mary Margaret Crews has been a dedicated member of Republican Grove UMC for many years. She has served as Lay Leader, Pianist, Treasurer/Financial Secretary, Church Trustee, Charge Trustee, and on the Pastor Parish Relations Committee. In a small church a few people, willingly and without complaint, serve in many capacities and wear many hats.  

Mary Margaret, for a variety of reasons, has found it necessary to no longer serve as she has for so many years. Doots Abbott, on behalf of the entire congregation of Republican Grove UMC, presented Mary Margaret with a card and gift of thanks.

Thank you, Mary Margaret.