by Bill
With their new Akaloo books in hand, the children of Old Pine have been working their way through the Bible, learning quickly many stories and lessons. As we move into November, the exciting survey of the Bible ends, and a more intensive study begins.
The Younger Children this month will begin to concentrate more on Jesus, asking themselves “Who is God’s Son?” Whether the answer is a baby or my friend, the road to Bethlehem will reveal itself. For the children in grades 1 and 2, the question of the month switches from “What does the Bible teach me?” to “What does God teach me?”. Stories and lessons of forgiveness, love, joy and peace light the way to a deepening understanding of God. And the children in grades 3 and 4 will soon start to talk about the mysterious Holy Spirit, playing games and doing fun activities that celebrate how God’s Spirit comforts and strengthens us and brings us together to form the Church.
Advent begins on the final Sunday of November. On that day we will have our first All Kids Bonus Day and rejoice that Advent is a time for us to prepare the way for God’s Kingdom. It should be an exciting day to end an exciting month. If you want to help out with Sunday School, please contact Bill Searight (bill@oldpine.org). If you want to view our schedule, visit http://www.oldpine.org/the-church/sundayschool/.
See you in Sunday School!
by Debbie
This is the final “From the Pastor” column I’ll write for The Column. How do I sum up 14 years of ministry with Old Pine? I’m not sure that I can. The memories are rich: picnics and potlucks and flea markets, meetings and counseling, visits at home and in the hospital and nursing home, retreats and classes, discussions and silence, weddings and baptisms, singing and praying and preaching, candles and the creche, lilies and poinsettias, burials and remembering the saints who have died, seminary interns, budgets and visions, Pearlington and Habitat, Saturday for Seniors and Jazz Vespers . . . the list goes on and on and on.
Woven throughout these memories is the Spirit of God - always blowing new life into the Old Pine congregation, always calling us forward to follow. Old Pine is a congregation that follows the Spirit’s leading and responds to the Spirit’s prodding. You venture into new mission opportunities, you expand in education, you explore in worship - all the while, following the Spirit.
God’s Spirit is now leading you to a new place - unknown for now and unrevealed. Trust the Spirit - remember how the Spirit has led you in the past and trust the Spirit to lead you now. There are great opportunities and adventures waiting for you - opportunities to share the wealth of your resources with those who need them - adventures in deepening the strength and vitality of this community of faith.
You are a special community. God has done great things here, and will continue to do great things here. Thank you for the opportunity to walk with you these last 14 years. It has been an honor and a privilege. You have received the gifts I offer, challenged me to grow, forgiven me when I stumbled and together we have rejoiced in the good work God has done in and through us. “My” ministry is really a misnomer - it is “our” ministry.
May God continue to bless you with faith, courage, and joy. “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
by Debbie
We’re home now. . .
The internet connection at the PDA camp went down for a day or two so we couldn’t finish the blog for the last day or so. When the connection was restored the schedule didn’t permit time to write in the blog.
We did as much dry wall work as possible at Terry’s house - mostly we took out poorly installed drywall screws and set them correctly. Harriett was a taping queen and drywall mud was flung on the walls skillfully, carefully, and everywhere possible. We wanted to acccomplish as much as we could.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Tom worked to install a new faucet and sprayer (like the sprayer in the OPCC kitchen) in the kitchen at the PDA camp. He pulled it all apart, only to find that the current faucet had been installed with leftover pieces - so all the water piping needed to be replaced - not just the faucet. Sigh.
Rod worked at Kitty’s house, installing a water heater, finishing up some plumbing work and installing the correct, water and mildew resistant drywall in one of the bathrooms. He discovered he did not have all the parts needed to install the water heater - he was missing the pan that sits underneath the water heater - and the plumbing work needed more than he could provide. Sigh.
Debbie and Heidi also worked with Kitty - moving dirt from the front of her yard to the back of her yard, so she can spread it along the side yard and underneath the house, and spreading it around her septic tank. When they arrived at Kitty’s first thing in the morning, to unload those couple sheets of drywall that Rod was going to install, Debbie, Heidi and Rod met Kitty and Henrietta. Henrietta (we later learned) is Kitty’s mother and is 83 years old. She was shoveling the dirt, placing it underneath the house. That was when Debbie and Heidi decided they could shovel the dirt. Henrietta still teaches, full-time, at Head Start. She has a class of three-year olds. The Director of the program asked her to stay on, after Katrina, because “these little ones need a grandmother.” Kitty agreed and is still there. Today’s three-year-olds would have been infants during Katrina, and the younger ones have been born post-Katrina. The next generation has begun.
On Thursday we quit work a bit early and went into New Orleans for a Katrina driving tour, developed by a member of the PDA staff, dinner, and, of course, beneigts at Cafe du Monde.
We had a wonderful week. Thank you for sharing it with us, through this blog. We return to Philadelphia having helped a few people take a few more steps toward being back in their homes. And we return as changed people. We will look at disasters and poverty and hleping out a bit differently now. I hope we’ll be more willing to lend a helping hand, understanding that even a little bit helps. Little bits added all together make a huge difference.
July 12th, 2008 in
Pearlington |
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by Debbie
The floor is finished! Yea! A tedious puzzle project, replacing a section of laminate flooring after a leak was frustratingly slow. With perseverance, patience, and more than a little frustration – the project is finally finished. It’s not often that a work team gets to see a project through to completion. It was a special moment. At the end, before they left, Mary asked to have a prayer with the team. It was more than a special moment – it was a holy moment.
The drywall team got to work – some installing, some setting screws that a previous group of volunteers had installed. It’s frustrating when you need to correct someone else’s mistakes – until you remember that someone had to correct your mistakes after the first drywall you installed. . .
We all download the pictures we’ve taken during the day – to one computer. Then we gather around and watch a slide show – remembering the day together. It was hot today, and the work was hard. We were all tired at the end of the day. Ah, but as I write, a game of “Catch Phrase” is organizing. I have a feeling the energy level is on the rise!
July 10th, 2008 in
Pearlington |
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by Debbie
Tuesday brings our second trip to the local health clinic. Friday Beth was welcomed to Pearlington by some rather angry fire ants that caused her leg and foot to swell. A trip to the clinic on Sunday morning brought the diagnosis of cellulitis - which means staying off your feet. Beth was pretty disappointed to be off the work teams but decided to stay and help PDA with some administrative work. No stinging fire ants would bring her down!
Kim must have needed some time out of the kitchen and off her feet, because this morning she, too, took a ride to the clinic only to find she also has cellulitis - but a milder form from an infected bug bite. The challenge now is to keep these two worker bees off their feet so they get well soon. Good thing there are 16 of us to keep an eye on them!
The crew working on the floor had a frustrating day - more puzzle solving than floor installation! Piece by piece the floor has been re-installed. They hit a snag when they learned that they needed to pull up some boards they had installed yesterday. AARRGGHH!
The drywall team finished the drywall and spent most of the day painting - putting on primer. By the end of the day all the whole house had been primed - ready for the color coats. With 6 people with equipment and one smaller vehicle, we needed to make two trips between the house and the PDA camp. Debbie promised to come back and pick up Robin and Mike. Back at camp, the car was unloaded - and Debbie promptly parked the car, talked with Kim and Beth, then went to lie down for a rest. A few minutes later (about an hour after leaving the work site), her phone rang. Tom said, “I just want you to know that Robin and Mike are with me.” OOPS! She had forgotten to go back and pick them up. . .
Sometimes the conditions are not ideal: cots that aren’t quite long enough for tall bodies, bugs that bite fiercely, airborne cockroaches, little relief from the heat and humidity, showers that have a roving temperature, directions that take us to places unknown but not the place we want to go, non-potable water, dogs roaming through the camp. Still, we’re happy to be here and our dinner tonight reminds us why.
The folks who own the homes we’re working on were invited to join us for dinner tonight. After dinner we shared stories of the week. Some folks - both residents and volunteers - commented on how being in Pearlington has deeply affected their lives. Residents were overflowing with gratitude for volunteers willing to spend some time here in Pearlington. One resident, Matt, said, “If it wasn’t for you volunteering, Pearlington would have been forgotten. We might as well have shut our doors and closed up.” Heather, the Camp Manager, shared a story and said, “This is what church is. This is what church does.” For her, and for all of us, the work in Pearlington embodies the gospel. This is 21st century incarnation. Yes, Jesus is here and transformation follows.
July 8th, 2008 in
Pearlington |
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