The season for Room-in-the-Inn has begun. The Breadbreakers and Young Profes-sionals Sunday School Classes hosted the first group of homeless men on Saturday evening, November 13, 2010. The men were transported to and from downtown Nashville; served a hot evening meal; given a dry, safe place to sleep; offered a hot shower; offered an opportunity to wash clothes; served breakfast on Sunday morning and provided a sack lunch to go. Paul and Pam Stonecipher coordinate the program for HCN. Pam wrote me a personal note saying everything was done well, representing a wonderful kick-off to the fall/winter months.
The All Church Thanksgiving Dinner was served at 5:00 PM on Sunday, November 21, 2010, thanks to all of you who brought vegetables, salads, and desserts, and the turkey, ham, and dressing bakers. Thanks to Joyce Clevenger, Alexandra Whitehead, Bill Lowe, Pam McNeese, Marilyn Jordan, Gay Elkins, Amber Beach, Glen Detwiler, and Beth Rouse for the turkeys and to Kristi Mabry, Donna Wood, Ruth Ann Terrell, Joy Bradley, Tiffany Mathias, Lisa Anderson, Shelly Flint, Barbara Parrish, and Betty Willis for the hams. Thanks to the Early Christian Sunday School Class for providing set-up and clean up for the event. They made the meal easy for the rest of us. I stayed away from the dessert table and ate seconds from all the dishes I ate from the first time. Every morsel of food I put on my plate was delicious. Someone made a cranberry salad that I could eat for dessert.
A tradition began four years ago at HCN for the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It is the telling of significant life stories from members of the congregation. We always go away wishing we did it more often and wishing more had heard. This year includes a senior high woman, a young adult student, and two mature dads: Sophie Zander, Eddie Witkowski, Dennis Scholl, and Marvin Maphet. There will be two services for the morning: 9:00 AM in the Sanctuary and 10:00 AM in the Center. Like the first Sunday of November, we are asking third service people to worship at 10:00 AM and then flip to Sunday School at 11:30 AM. Please pay attention and plan to be present.
Advent begins Sunday, November 28, 2010, in the 6:00 PM service in the Center. Families with last names beginning with letters A-L are asked to bring a pot of soup and dessert. Families with last names beginning with letters M-Z are asked to bring a salad and a dessert. Water and tea will be provided. We will be served and seated first. The light for the first Advent candle will be brought to the wreaths. Christmas stories will be read. Banners and wreaths will be hung. Nativity scenes will be set. Christmas trees will be decorated.
When Sam Green was not able to continue practicing the Christmas music he planned for this year’s choir, Tammy Tarter and I decided to look again at the music/narration previously presented in “A Night of Alleluias.” The Adult Choir responded favorably and the concerts are now set for Sunday, December 12, 2010, at 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM. Dr. Tim Green, who wrote the narration for the music, will return as narrator. Tim is Sam’s brother.
Thanksgiving Day arrives this week. I am most grateful for relationships. I am grateful for my family. I am grateful that my daughter is getting married and planning her wedding. Like every other grandparent, I find my grandchildren to be a special delight. I am grateful for my friends. I have spent my entire life in church so the great percentage of my friends are from church. I am thankful that for every person who was mean to me, there were ten who were kind to me. I am thankful that friends can disagree agreeably. Several weeks ago, a friend of mine disagreed with something I said while teaching Sunday School. Imagine that. When Sunday School was over, he waited on me to make sure that he and I were okay. I saw him waiting. I knew what he wanted. We said words but we didn’t need to. Another man in the class wrote me an email saying he had watched and listened to the disagreement. He said he had stayed out of church for years because of all the fussing and fighting. He said he was proud of the way things were handled that morning. I have decided that somebody can say or do almost anything if you know they love you. And we know who loves us, don’t we? I am grateful for the young people at HCN who inspire me. I am so proud of them. I consider the Senior High Students to be one of the finest groups of people I have ever known. I believe God has something considerable to do in and through them. I am grateful for a church board full of intelligent, spiritual, competent leaders who give of their time and combined wisdom. I am grateful for a pastoral staff team of gifted and graced sisters and brothers. One of the brothers is stricken but healing right now. I miss him. I am grateful for the people who step up and pour themselves out so that ministry and mission continue forward while he is absent. I am thankful for people who understand giving. Church doors are open and facilities are available because some people believe that God cares about what you share. I serve full-time in ministry because people give. I am grateful. I am grateful that at fifty-eight years of age, my vision for ministry is wide and not narrow. I know my next-door neighbors and love them. One of them raked the leaves in my yard last Saturday. I know twenty-six little orphan girls in Kenya and love them. I am grateful that God is great and fresh to me. My favorite song to sing in second and third service contains these words: ‘O great and mighty One, with one desire we come, that you might reign, that you would reign in us.” I sing those words. I pray those words. I am grateful for you. When I count my blessings, I count you.
In Christ Jesus,
Pastor Howard
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