BLOG.ANTIOCH-UMC-GAINESVILLE.ORG

Randy's Ramblings - October 2009

Antioch UMC — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:39:00 GMT

We begin this month with the celebration of World Communion Sunday. I love this day because it reminds me that we are not alone. God has children all over this world breaking bread and sharing the cup of redemption. We are not competitors but family. As we break bread on Sunday at Antioch our brothers and sisters across the county and across the world will be breaking bread along with us. As we offer prayers of confession and thanksgiving the larger Church will be doing the same thing. And as we affirm our faith in God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our brothers and sisters here and in every place will also affirm the faith in which we stand. Let us remember to pray for the Church. There are believers in places where persecution is great and where it is very dangerous to be followers of Jesus. This Sunday we will celebrate our connection throughout the world. Let us remember to lift up God’s Church in every part of our world.

During the month of October there will be an emphasis in our worship on stewardship. Now, I know that when one mentions stewardship many people start thinking the church wants money. To be sure we have some financial needs at Antioch. We have been in a campaign to get us “Back in the Black” and will continue that campaign until the end of the year. But, stewardship is about much more than money. It is about our commitment to God and to the Church. It is even about our commitment to ourselves and to our families.

Stewardship is about what we bring to worship on Sunday morning. There is a hymn we will sing on the first Sunday, “What Gift Can We Bring.” The message this hymn communicates to me is that the gift may be thankfulness. We should be thankful for the past and for those who have gone before so that we can gather in this place to worship and serve and we should express that thankfulness in our acts of worship. The hymn suggests that we should give thanks for the now and for the future, for the Word and for the mission to which God has called us. Have you ever thought about the stewardship of your thanksgiving?

There are many other tokens we might bring to our worship. We may bring joy, an embrace for others, and a prayer for God’s blessings. You may bring a song to worship to give unto the Lord or an enthusiastic and contagious smile. We have been given many gifts by God and stewardship is the generous sharing of those gifts.

So, as we proceed through the month of October and as you hear sermons about stewardship expect to be challenged to give, but to give a portion of all the gifts God has given you. God expects our time, our talents, and yes, even our tithe. God also expects us to share our joy, enthusiasm, and our thankfulness for the opportunities we have to worship and to serve.

See you on Sunday,

Randy

Randy's Ramblings - September 2009

Antioch UMC — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:54:00 GMT

As August came to a close we finished our emphasis on the Prayer for Antioch. We prayed the prayer together all summer and we spent an entire month focusing on the prayer during the worship. I tried to offer my best efforts at a theme interpretation and to present a challenge to pray earnestly and then to actively wait upon God to provide direction for our actions. Now as we move into the fall months and begin other endeavors let us not forget the prayer. It is my hope and continued prayer that God will prepare us to move forward together into the future.

God is at work hearing and answering our prayers for Antioch. I am excited to report that our first youth and children’s gathering for this season was a huge success. We had five children and five youth for supper, devotional, and activities. Thanks to Butch and Cheryl for providing the boat and ski-do for the youth and to David and Brent for volunteering to help chaperone and lifeguard. Rita, Rebecca, Sabrina, and Amy did a great job providing safe water fun for the children as well. Thanks to all for being God’s answer to prayer. September and October will hold some exciting opportunities for our youth and children. I hope you will make sure the young folk in your life will have the opportunity to take part in this adventure.

Preaching through the prayer in August reminded me just how much I enjoy theme focused worship. We will begin November with the theme of justice and wisdom and then in October the focus of our worship will be stewardship. I do appreciate our worship leaders. We are fortunate indeed and we are blessed to have Danny and Brandon lead us each Sunday. I am looking forward to the choir taking their places again this month and leading our singing. I am very much indebted to Donna Corbin and Gloria Davidson for helping to plan our worship and prayerful choosing hymns and anthems.

The first weekend in September will bring us the last Monday holiday of the summer season. Many of you will be traveling over Labor Day. I will miss you and I am praying that you will have a great time of relaxation and fun and I pray that God will keep you safe. I will look forward to seeing everyone in you pew as we settle in to worship and serve God together at Antioch.

See you Sunday.

Randy

Randy's Rambilings - August 2009

Antioch UMC — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:07:00 GMT

Through the month of August our focus in worship will be prayer, specifically, the Prayer for Antioch.
We have been offering this prayer each Sunday for several months now and God has been responding to the faithfulness
of His people. Our summer has indeed been a very blessed one with more activities and opportunities for worship and
service than most of us could keep up with. There will always be things we need to work on to improve and make better.
All of us can make a list of areas our church can improve. That is the nature of any group of human being. Because
we are not per-fect our church will not be perfect, unless God does something for us that we cannot do for ourselves.
There is a good spirit of support and participation at Antioch and I believe we are on the cusp of a spiritual breakthrough.
It is a break-through however, that God must bring. So we pray.

August has five Sundays. I am planning to preach four ser-mons based on the Antioch Prayer and rooted in Scripture.
It is my prayer that these sermons will help us understand better who we are as the chil-dren of God in this place.
I also hope these sermons will help us to rely on God’s grace for the now and the future. The fourth sermon will
focus on the last line of the prayer which ends with these words; “With grateful hearts for your amazing grace,
we wait. . .” The thought has occurred to me that we need to ex-plore just what it is that we are waiting for and
how we are waiting for it.

It is likely that we will find we are waiting for something different. Our priorities for our church will not
always be the same. Some things that are important to one person may not be as important to another.
That brings me to the last Sunday in August. On our last Sunday focusing on prayer I want us to give serious and
prayerful thought to those things we wait for God to bring to us and I want us to explore how we are waiting for
God. Do we have expectant hearts and ready minds to embrace the call God may bring to us? Are we willing to take
the actions and make the commitments God may call us to make?

I am not sure what form that closing service will take but I hope it will be interactive and challenging and I hope
we will all find ourselves in one mind and one spirit as we resolve to follow God’s direction for our church.
I am excited about the coming days and our worship together. May God bless and guide all our efforts.

Randy

Randy's Ramblings - July 2009

Antioch UMC — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:17:00 GMT

Evelyn and I are as excited as we can be to launch our second year at Antioch. We give thanks to God for the joy of serving among the people here. July will begin with a very special and unusual worship experience. On July 5th we will gather under the big oak tree for a praise and worship service. We’ll sing the old songs and a new one or two led by Ryan Hulsey and his guitar. Hopefully some other talented folk will come and help out as well. Following worship we will enjoy hotdogs and burgers right off the grill. This will be a great family day for us, but it will not be complete without you and your family. I hope you will bring a lawn chair, a favorite picnic dish and join us for the day.

I am also looking forward to Camp Meeting July 20 – 25 at the campground. Rick Goodspeed from The Springs UMC will be preaching each evening and Scott Hearn from Grayson UMC will be leading the morning services. I promise you will hear some great sermons and some of the best gospels singing you’ve ever heard.

Can you see why I am excited about starting the first month of my second year at Antioch? We’ll begin with a family picnic and end with Camp Meeting. I want to encourage you to be aware of the great cost of the freedoms we share in this great country as you celebrate the 4th and the birthday of this nation. We are free to gripe and grumble or to praise those who lead our government and to do so in a public forum. We come and go as we please restricted only by our abilities and resources. Most of all we have the joy of worshipping in whatever fashion we choose. The freedom we enjoy is neither free nor cheap. Freedom has come at a great price and the maintenance of that freedom continues to be at the expense of many young lives. Perhaps it is the great cost of freedom that prompted Saint Paul to write: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Gal.5:13).

May we always and in every place enjoy our freedom by serving each other in love.

Randy's Ramblings - June 2009

Antioch UMC — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Hang on folks here we go into June. We begin with VBS, Gap, Annual Conference, another GAP, and that’s just the beginning of Summer at Antioch. This month will complete my first full year with you these events are the last of the "firsts" for me. I am truly excited about all the activities and about the chances we will have to share the love of Jesus.

We will have the great opportunity and awesome responsibility to tell boys and girls about the love of Jesus at VBS and to show them that love in our actions and attitudes. During the GAP camps young people will come to share Jesus’ love in word and deed as they go out to build ramps, mow grass, and repair houses. Sonya tells

me we have two capacity weeks ahead of us and that means that as the host for GAP our church has the opportunity to share the hospitality of Jesus with about two hundred youth from all around North Georgia. Wow! What an opportunity for Antioch!

During these weeks in June we will have the opportunity to witness to more people in person than at any other single time during the year. My prayer is that God will help us be up to the task. That by the grace of God we will be the reflection of the love, compassion, and hospitality of Jesus.

Two Sundays in June will be devoted to the celebration of GAP camps and the youth who come to work will be our worship leaders. On the other two Sundays of June we will worship in Campmeeting style. We will add a little extra singing and bring out the gospel hymns from the Campmeeting song book. No robes or formalities, just old fashioned singin’, prayin’, and preachin'. We may throw in just a little testifyin’. All this to help get us ready for the real Campmeeting coming up in July.

Friends, it is going to be a great Summer. I hope you catch my excitement and that you will be sure to be present for all the festivities. If you have been away from Antioch for a while, June is a great time to come home again. Bring family and invite friends! Come and worship. Come and serve.

Randy

Randy's Ramblings - May 2009

Antioch UMC — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:56:00 GMT

I recently met with our Budget and Finance Committee to review our progress on the 2009 budget for Antioch. We are continuing a trend that has been going on for much too long a time now. Each month we are spending more on our ministries and operating budget than the gifts we are receiving. At the start of 2009 we had approximately $ 28,000.00 in the reserve. Today we have approximately $20,000.00. In four months we have spent approximately eight thousand dollars of our reserve. If we continue this trend we will soon be operating on week to week, cash in, cash out basis. The question around the table for the Finance Committee was; what do we do?

We chose to take a positive approach to this problem. We know that everyone who makes up the church at Antioch loves God and loves this church. Every one of us wants to see our church grow and continue the quality of ministry and worship that we experience each week. So here is our plan. Beginning this Sunday, May 3rd and for the rest of the year we will be in a campaign to get us “Back in the Black.” The goal we have set is to have all our commitments funded and to have the same reserve at the end of 2009 as we did at the start. It is important that we have the same mind and enthusiasm to get Antioch back in the right direction. To help us be in unity in this campaign will have several special events as we go along to help us reach our goal. In mid May we will have a fellowship lunch following a worship service to allow us to visit, eat, and talk about ways to reach our goal. Each month or two we will plan some special event to help us stay united toward the common goal of moving our church forward.

There is another thing that needs to happen at Antioch. Our pews are far too empty on Sunday mornings. As your pastor, I want to challenge all of us to make every effort and even go that extra mile to be in church every week. We are nearing vacation season and most of us, including me are planning some time away. Pease enjoy your vacations, but when you are back be sure to reconnect with us in worship. All of us have friends and family who are not going to church anywhere. May I suggest that you visit or call them to invite them to join you on your pew this Sunday?

Finally my brothers and sisters, I want to acknowledge that we are living in very difficult economic times. Your gifts to Antioch are personal and private. What you do in support of Antioch must be between you and God. So please pray for God to guide you and then follow as God leads. Thank you for being faithful.

Randy’s Ramblings - April 2009

Antioch UMC — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:48:00 GMT

If you will notice in other places of this month’s Journey you will find that a lot of activity is beginning. On Easter day we will celebrate with a sunrise worship followed by breakfast, followed by Sunday School, followed by our regular morning worship. What a day it will be for us! The activity of Easter signals for us the start of a very busy spring and summer at Antioch. Soon we will be gearing up for VBS, GAP, and then for Camp Meeting Days. Just as the resurrection produced in the disciples an enthusiasm to share the good news, so Easter prompts us to be aware of our blessings as followers of the living Lord Jesus and to be faithful in telling the story.
Through Lent we have been in a season of prayer for our church and for our community. I believe that prayer truly makes the difference. Perhaps the change that prayer brings about will be more evident in us than in what God is doing. It is my hope and my prayer that our attitudes and our activities will be more reflective of God’s plan for Antioch. God has given us every person we need and every resource we need to do everything He has called us to do. Through our season of prayer I trust that God is revealing to us what it is we are called to do in this community, in our town, and in our world. Now we must pray that God will give us the courage to move out and do what He has gifted us and called us to do.

Now, I want to ramble on to another subject. A few days ago the clergy of the North Georgia Conference gathered in Atlanta to hear Bishop Watson share a need that is upon his heart and then to challenge us to help meet the need. The Central Conferences are made up of churches in other countries of the world. Some of our churches in Africa are experiencing dire poverty and consequently the clergy of those churches are in serious need. I do not have the space here to share all that we heard but I do want you to be aware that this year at Annual Conference our churches are challenged to send an offering that will be used to help the clergy in Africa. Each year, at Annual Conference there is an offering received called The Bishop’s Initiative Offering. This year Bishop Watson has chosen to use that offering for the clergy in Africa. During the next few months more specific information will appear in your bulletins and the Journey.

May God bless you and I will see you Sunday.
Randy

Randy's Ramblings - March 2009

Antioch UMC — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:21:00 GMT

The late Southern Baptist layman and Christian comedian Jerry Clower was telling the story about his passion for witnessing to people and telling them of God’s grace. Mr. Clower said; “God’s done flung a cravin’ on me to tell the story.” I get real excited and a little bit nervous when lay people tell me “God’s done flung a cravin’” on them to do something. This has been happening recently around Antioch. One person called another and said that God had impressed them that we need to call the church to prayer. I was called and the idea was shared with me with some excitement. I too, caught the enthusiasm and gave my support.
The idea was carried to the United Methodist Women’s meeting and then to the Administrative Council. I shared it with the Pastor / Parish Relations Committee. Wherever the idea of calling our congregation to a season of prayer was shared it was met with great enthusiasm and excitement. The idea took shape and is now ready to be presented to the whole congregation.

Members of the UMW and other individuals have written short prayers which attempt to give voice to our concerns about worship, attendance, evangelism, stewardship, etc. A composite of these prayers has been written and will be presented on Sunday, March 8th during our morning worship. Anyone who wants to write and submit a short prayer is encouraged to do so. The individual prayers will be used each Sunday through Lent and maybe even into the season of Easter. On Sunday, March 8th everyone will have the opportunity to take several copies of what is being called the Antioch Prayer. Keep a copy near you all through the day and as you have the opportunity offer the prayer on behalf of our church. Soon you will have memorized the prayer and all through the day you can pray for our church. Imagine, every day, all day long all of us will be praying the same prayer for God’s blessings and direction for our church. The Bible says; “I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matt. 18:19-20. God only knows what transformation may come if all of us join together in prayer.

I know some are already praying. This is not the preacher’s idea. This comes from you, the laity. And it comes because some of you are already asking God to bring renewal to our church. May it be so! Amen!

Randy’s Ramblings - February 2009

Antioch UMC — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:15:00 GMT

I have been reading a book lately; in fact, I am now reading through it for the second time because it has provoked me to rethink my concept of church and church growth. I have always believed that in order for a church to grow there must be programming. A growing church must have a creative and active ministry for children and youth. The growing church must provide a dynamic Bible study opportunity and a strong mission focus. I still believe a progressive church must develop these and other programs to be healthy and growing, but this book is helping me to come to a new understanding of how to get from here to there.

The book is The Simple Church, written by Thom Rainer. He suggests that instead of becoming a more complicated institution the church should endeavor to simplify. Rainer says the church needs to focus on three things; what brings people in, what develops there Christian faith, and what sends them out to be witnesses for others. In my reading and reflections I was confronted with the following question, what one thing do we do at Antioch that brings people into our fellowship? Think about it for a moment. Can you come up with an answer? Why would our neighbors want to visit and worship at Antioch? Rainer suggests that a church should answer this question and then focus on making that one thing the greatest strength.

I have been pondering this for a month now and I have come up with an answer or two, but I want you to wrestle with the question. Could it be the richness of our worship experience? Is it the warm hospitality that people feel when they visit for the first time? Maybe it is our compassionate spirit that makes people feel wanted no matter their perceived status in society.

Sometimes when a church is trying to develop into a growing congregation the discussion becomes negative. I have known congregations that seem to always be talking about things they have failed at doing. Some say we could grow if we had this or that. God has given Antioch all the people and all the resources we need to do what God has called us to do! I want us to focus on the positive and make those positive things our best strengths. You attend Antioch. You love Antioch. What brought you here and keeps you here will bring others and keep others here. So let us think together and pray together for wisdom and for the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Let us develop that one thing that brings people into our fellowship and then we can develop ways to nurture and to train them so they can go out as faithful witnesses of God’s grace and love. Remember, God has given us all the people we need and all the resources we need to do what God has called us to do.

Randy's Ramblings - January 2009

Antioch UMC — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:11:00 GMT

Happy New Year to everyone! May God bless each one with health and happiness as we begin this new adventure together. There are many things on the agenda for 2009 and we will be getting right to work. Our Administrative Council will soon hold the first meeting of the year and will welcome returning and some new members. I want to express my deep appreciation to those who have led our church in the past year and who have now come to the end of their term. We will miss your leadership in an official capacity but know that you are there to help when needed. I especially want to thank Ken Parker who has led our Finance Committee for the past four years. Ken has also been a great influence on our youth and continues to lead the GAP camps each summer. I also want to say thank you to Nancy Hulsey who has served faithfully as our Financial Secretary. Nancy is the one who makes sure that giving receipts go out in a timely fashion and she has been great to send thank you notes to those who have given to special causes and to memorials. Although Nancy is leaving the Finance Committee she is simply moving over to serve on the Pastor/ Parish Relations Committee, so she will just keep working. We welcome to the Finance Committee Bob Bedeski as chairman and Roni Grizzle as secretary. Of course we will continue to be led in the area of finance by our most capable treasurer, Vivian Smith.

Several of our Trustees will be rotating off this year and we will miss them. My grateful appreciation is extended to Mike Smith who has chaired this group and to Butch Davis and Dot Kent who have served so faithfully. We welcome to the Trustees, Charles Coffee, Robby Hulsey, and Glenn Davidson. Sonya Parker has served as our Family Coordinator and has now completed her term. Evelyn will be stepping into that position. Some others who will be leading us in 2009 are; Ernie Reaume, educational director and member of the Lay Leadership Committee, Donna Corbin and James Russell are joining the PPRC, Sue Cook and Emily Hulsey will be serving on the Lay Leadership Committee, and Kathleen Villyard and Evelyn Strickland will be joining the Parsonage Committee. It is very likely that I have left someone out of this list and if that is you or your loved one please forgive my oversight. I do truly appreciate all who have served so faithfully.

The Acolyte program will resume this month on first and third Sunday nights. Soon I will be announcing opportunities for small group Bible studies. I want to offer Disciple One and Christian Believer. Some of you have participated in one or both of these studies and perhaps one or two of you might volunteer to be a facilitator for another study. For those thinking about taking one of these courses, I would suggest that you do Disciple and then Christian Believer. Evelyn and I want to continue to emphasize fellowship and will be hosting more Dinners for Eight as well as some church wide fellowship opportunities throughout 2009. I have Happy New Year and I will see ya on Sunday.

Randy

Randy's Ramblings - December 2008

Antioch UMC — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:07:00 GMT

It is the season of Advent. It is the time of waiting with great anticipation the coming of the King of kings. Advent is not a time to get ready for Christmas. It is not the same as the shopping season. It is a time for us to make preparation for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Advent is a time to search our souls and to repent of those sins which have kept us from being all that God has called us to be by God’s grace. In many ways Advent is a time of new beginning.

The flowers have faded and the leaves have fallen, many living creatures have retreated to dens and hiding places and all of nature is in its winter sleep. It is at this very time when all else is dormant, the Christian church comes alive with celebration. The Church celebrates the coming of the Savior and the anticipation of the God answering our prayer; “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It is a time to start our lives over with the renewal of faith in the promises of God. Throughout this season of Advent our Gospel readings remind us to be faithful in our watching and waiting. Jesus makes it clear that at a time when it is unexpected the Kingdom will come.

At a time when we are wondering what we will give to our loved ones and what we might be given for Christmas, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Kingdom of God might break into our lives fresh and new? It would be the greatest gift we could receive and it would enable us to be a greater blessing to those we love.

Now to all our good friends and loved ones at Antioch UMC, may God bless and keep you one and all and give to a most blessed and happy Christmas.

Randy & Evelyn

Randy's Rambling's - Novenber 2008

Antioch UMC — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:45:00 GMT

Since childhood the month of November has been exciting for me. It is the month of anticipation. By now there are enough ads on TV and in print to make us aware that Christmas is getting close. For many adults this is cause for some anxiety, but I still get excited as these special days approach. November brings an increase in activities at Antioch as well as in our households. Soon we will be gathering for Thanksgiving dinner and we will be preparing our sanctuary for Advent. As we begin our preparations there are a few things in particular that I want to keep before you.

First, our children will begin on the first Sunday of November to rehearse a Christmas pageant which they will present in December. Rita Edge has agreed to take the lead in putting this pageant together but she will need some help from the rest of us. We need our parents to help us by making sure our children get to rehearsals and by helping them to learn their parts. We need other adults to help with the presentation so parents can enjoy watching their children during the pageant. Remember no child is too young and no child is too old. We will make every effort to use everyone who wants to participate.

The second activity I want to keep before you will actually take place in December, but it will be early in the month and so I will pass it on to you now. On the first Sunday evening in December, Evelyn and I want to host our congregation for dinner. This will be our Christmas gift to all of you. We have done this in other churches and found it to be a lot of fun, and it provides an opportunity for good fellowship. Please make plans now to join us in Truslow Hall on Sunday, December 7th at 7:00 p.m.

In the meantime I pray you will know the joy of the Lord and find much to be thankful for this month.
See you on Sunday,
Randy

Randy's Ramblings - October 2008

Antioch UMC — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 23:03:00 GMT

A Christian believer comes to faith by the power of God's grace. God has loved us forever and grace has surrounded us in this life since the day we were born. What we call 'being saved' happens when we are awakened to that grace and accept God's love for ourselves. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism believed strongly that salvation is a beginning point and not an end in itself. Just as natural birth is the start of our life on earth, salvation, or 'being born again'is the start of our life in the Christian faith. A new baby must be nurtured and fed in order to grow. We teach our children so that their minds are developed toward maturity. In a similar way, the believer's life must be nurtured and fed and we must study so that our minds may develop toward a maturity in Christ.

Regular worship is one way that we are nurtured. Sunday School allows us interaction with other believers and an opportunity to study together. It is easy to fall out of the habit of regular worship and it is very easy for many of us to miss Sunday School and opt for attending worship only. I want to encourage you to strive to grow in your faith just as you strive to grow in other areas of your life. We would not miss meals nor would we allow our children to regularly be out of school. Most of us have made time for special training so we can be better in our job.

A well structured life is important but to be well structured in our living we must not neglect our faith. Each Sunday we gather for Bible study at ten o'clock and we worship at eleven o'clock. If you are not joining us regularly please take time to consider the importance of developing a strong and healthy faith. Soon we will be looking for twelve people to begin a thirty four week Bible study called Christian Believer, an interactive discussion style Bible study. If you have never taken a course like this I would urge you to consider it. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you at Antioch this Sunday.

Randy's Ramblings - September 2008

Antioch UMC — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Have you ever noticed how each season has a certain “feel” to it? Oh, I know summer feels hot and winter feels cold. But there’s more to it than that. September brings to me a burst of new energy. The weather is changing, days are shorter, mornings beckon with a certain crispness that invites us to begin a new day that is sure to bring new adventures.

So it is with church activities. Autumn signals the end of vacations and a return to school and a more regular routine. At church we are back to our schedule of Youth meetings and Acolyte training. The United Methodist Women are resuming their regular meetings and are planning mission projects for the fall and winter months. Of course, there is the focus on administrative chores (not my favorite church activity) as we prepare for Charge Conference in October.

Yes, there is a “feel” to the season. It feels like a really good time to start going to Sunday School and to be in worship each week. It feels like a good time to join he choir or volunteer as a layreader on Sunday mornings. It feels like a really good time to renew our commitment to giving, not just our money but our time and talents as well. I am excited about this season at Antioch. Evelyn and I will continue to host gatherings in our home and we will continue to get acquainted and build friendships. September brings good feelings and I want to share them with each of you.