Can't Wait for the 'Encore'!

I didn't get to go to the "Encore!" concert at church last October, because I'd just had surgery and was still on my mandatory "R and R." But I sure am looking forward to attending this year's concert on Sunday afternoon! That's because last year I got to see an amazing Sunday afternoon transformation in Jim before and after he went to the concert.

Before the concert, Jim really had to muster up energy to propel himself out the parsonage door and back over to church  (I don't know how Sunday afternoons are at your homes, but at our place they are pretty low-energy). But when he returned from the concert, he was elated and energized - the music was so good, the feeling among the audience and performers so warm, the emcee so entertaining (and the refreshments afterward so good!) that it gave him a fresh start on the rest of the day, and for the whole week ahead. Now I want to experience that!

And of course, the concert is all about "fresh starts" - that is what the Bridge program does that we help to support with the concert proceeds. The Bridge program equips trained mentors from a local church, with the help of the local church Bridge Board, to work with a family in making the journey from homelessness to being self-sustaining, through housing assistance, conversation, friendship and life skills guidance and encouragement. And, amazingly, this year a special gift from an individual has been given to allow our church to partner with and mentor not one, but two Bridge families! What a blessing!

I hope to see you at "Encore" Sunday afternoon! Oh - and Sunday morning, too, of course, as we celebrate World Communion Sunday, and conclude our series on "Simple, but Not Easy:  Loving God and Neighbor." This Sunday we'll focus on a few of the many verses in the Bible that remind us how important (and sometimes not easy) it is to love the people right next to us, the people we may see every day - in our church community, our friendships, our families.