Hello Grace Family!
I am having a hard time believing today is the first day of November! October went by so fast! But then we lost a week because of hurricane Milton as we prepared our homes and businesses, waited for the storm to go through our area, and then put everything back together. It was a lot.
And then we begin setting up the pumpkin patch. And what a glorious pumpkin patch we had this year. It was so beautiful. I always enjoy walking through our patch and watching all the families taking their yearly pictures. The kids laughing and giggling their way through the maze of pumpkins trying to pick the perfect one to take home and carve. And with the pumpkins comes our fall festival where we partner with Edgewood as they raise funds for the school and the funds we receive from the crafters all went to MILA to support the school.
The pumpkins also help us with our trunk and treat and we had so many families on campus this year. It was wonderful to see all the costumes and again listen to all the children playing on the playground after they had trick or treated around all the trunks. I can’t begin to tell you how many thank you’s I heard from the parents as they realized everything was free. The firemen even did a pumpkin drop this year! So. Much. Fun. And if you were paying attention, you would have seen that Snow White was wandering around with the cutest poison apple ever!It has truly been an October filled with fun and lots of opportunities to love our community.
I want to take a moment to offer up a huge shout out to all who helped with all the activities this past month, all our pumpkin sitters, set up helpers, fall fest organizers, pumpkin patch decorating specialists, but especially to Niki who organized our pumpkin patch and made sure it ran smoothly throughout the month. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
And now it is November 1st. Today is All Saint’s Day. It is the day we remember all those who have died in the past year as wecelebrate their lives and the impact they made in this world. On Sunday we will reflect on the great cloud of witnesses that have paved the way in the past for our time in the present. It is a time when we can say thank you as we honor all those who have died this year in our own community. This year we will honor 36 individuals. It is a holy moment in the life of the church.
The sermon text for Sunday is Hebrews 12:1. I hope to see you all there as we look to the future of Grace and honor all those who have gone before. As you prepare for Sunday worship, I hope you reflect on the saints in your life. Who were they? And why were they so important to you? Finally, what was the impact they made on your life?
Peace,
Pastor Beth