Countdown

Dear Friends,

We are in the "home stretch" of the sabbatical now, and I am turning my thoughts toward our ministry together. Doug and I spent last week traveling--first, with my parents after the latest round of Dad's chemotherapy; then with Chris (our son) and his wife, Heather in Raleigh; finally with Aaron and Mary in Chester, VA, where Aaron is stationed for Captain's School at Fort Lee. We worshiped with the saints at Chester Presbyterian Church Sunday, and met with the Music Director/Organist and the Chair of the Worship Committee after church. It has been such a great experience to spend time with Christians all over the Southeast. People who are involved in planning worship have been greatly appreciative of the opportunity to "talk worship." This is such a central part of our life as followers of Jesus--everyone seems to want to talk about about how we can worship in a more authentic and engaging manner.

This week, I will be getting ready to be back to the "usual" at Northside. I can't wait to hear from you all about what has been hapening in your lives since I have been away. I hope you will all come by to get me up to date. I'll be back in my study on Monday, August 28, and back in the pulpit Sunday, September 3. I have so much to tell you all!

See you in a week!

Peace,

Linda

Home, sweet home

Dear Friends,

Our week at Massanetta Springs is over, and it was outstanding in many ways.

First, the music! The adult, youth, and children's choirs, and the handbell choirs made me so thankful that God has given us music, and voices and gifts with instruments to praise God with, and to delight our senses with the beauty of melody.

Second, the preaching! So many excellent preachers opened God's Word to us during the week.














Finally, the HEAT! With temperatures reaching 97-98 degrees from Monday to Thursday, we literally melted in the un-air-conditioned Hudson Auditorium every morning and evening. It surely takes great love of music to stand jammed together in a very large choir and sing with fervor!

I hope you enjoy these pictures from the week, thanks to some of the dedicated photographers snapping photos during our events.

We are home now, and hopefully will have a quiet week of catching up on laundry, household chores, and a visit from a very special friend from Florida.

Grace and peace to you all,

Linda

Having a Hot Time!

Dear Friends,

The Massanetta Springs Conference Center's Music and Bible Conferences are interesting and fun, but we feel like boiled shrimp in the heat! We have been in the upper 90's most of the week, and Hudson Auditorium, the site of all the preaching, is not air conditioned. We've been roasting as members of the congregation, but my heart goes out to the folks who are leading--the preachers, worship leaders, and the choirs! They have to work hard in the middle of all that heat! Yesterday, the new moderator of General Assembly, Joan Gray, met with us to discuss the meeing in June, and current issues facing the church.

It has been nice to see several of our hometown crowd here: Liz Allen (who is on the Music Conference planning team), Constance and Quinn Hull, Ann Marie, Sylvia, and Maria Conner, and Ann Marie's mother-in-law, Jackie. We've had a little mini-reunion. It shows me how much I miss you all.

Sunday we worshiped at Trinity Presbyterian Church, and met yesterday with their worship committee chair and parish associate, Polly and Jim Cushman. Their church structure is very different--they use house churches to structure the mission, study, and fellowship of the church. Today I meet with their pastor, Ann Reed Held. I think the people in that church are the absolutely FRIENDLIEST people I have ever met! I can't even describe how much they went out of their way to welcome us after worship. Dick Bethune is a member of that congregation, so it was nice to see him, too.

We will be here for a couple more days, and then head home Saturday. I am ready to be at home for a while.

I pray that you are all well, and that Christ is empowering the church's mission and ministry to continue during this long, hot summer. It is only a few weeks until Doug and I return to your midst, and to the time when we "crank up" for the Fall.

Grace and Peace to you all,

Linda