The last service at East Lake United Methodist Church was a celebration, and greeting old friends was a joy. I plan to write more about it this week, for those who are interested. For now here are photos of the altar with fresh flowers from the crepe myrtle in my yard between the two lit tapers and the pair of windows next to the pew where my mother seated us children, conveniently located near an exit door in case we acted up during church. When my brother Jim arrived this morning, he hugged me, reminded me it was exactly two years today that he had liver transplant surgery, and went straight to "our" pew beside these windows. His family filled most of the pew: Jim, his wife Carol, their son Jimmy with two of his children (River and Sam), and Carol's father.
Wow, what nostalgia, you must have had a great day!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had the opportunity to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a nice last service. And, how special that your brother is there and healthy!
ReplyDeleteMartha Belflower Yeomans, my roommate for part of our time in seminary, posted this comment on Facebook: "Thanks for sharing, Bonnie. I look forward to hearing more about the church and the celebration."
ReplyDeleteI'll try to post more about Sunday's celebration today.
Hi, Bonnie. Sorry to be out of touch for a while---Benjamin was in the hospital with a fractured vertebra and Ariel's been quite sick with mono.
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing to have had your brother and his family there---you certainly have much to celebrate. And so wonderful that you sat in the same pews you sat as children---sounds like your mother chose her pew wisely. :-)
Beth, I'm sorry to hear that both of your kids have been down. My brother and his family sat in our old pew, but I was behind the pulpit. More to come, maybe even tonight, if I can stay online long enough. I want to link all of you to an online article, with photos, about Sunday's church closings.
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