This week’s author is the Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Minister of Communications and Technology for the Connecticut Conference, UCC.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
I’m writing from Silver Lake this week — one of your apostles to the young, if you will. In my own conference, we’re exploring how we can set a rhythm for our days, for our lives, for our spirits. It’s just the first day, so we’ve got lots to explore.
What we’re all looking forward to here — deans and counselors, conferees and staff — is the way the gospel bears fruit at Silver Lake. In just a few days, friendships form. In just a few days, minds and hearts open. In just a few days, God moves in spirits.
I will confess that we’re doing some enduring here. We call it “God’s back yard” for the extraordinary beauty of this place, but, well, it’s really hot this week. The hike up the hill from the waterfront is pretty difficult when it seems like all the water of the lake has leapt into the air as steam and is trying to get down into my lungs while they’re desperately hoping for oxygen. Cool oxygen, by preference.
So I ask your prayers for our strength: strength for conferees and counselors, staff and deans. Strength for the hill and the sunny ball field, strength for voices to sing with joy, strength for the teary times and strength to run and shout with a broad smile. And we, for our part, will be sharing with you in the inheritance of the saints. We’ll be nurturing those seeds within us and the young people in our care, and come Saturday, we’ll be able to show you: look, there’s fruit!
Wherever we are, O God, at Silver Lake or home or work, in classrooms or in cars on the road, give us strength to face the challenges before us. Give us oxygen, and water, and food for body and for spirit. May we all be able to display the fruit that you have nurtured within us as it ripens, in its time, in its season. Amen.
Please remember:
Our churches in Haddam Neck, Hadlyme, Middle Haddam, and Mystic that have suffered burglaries in the last couple weeks.
Please remember:
the Rev. Bonnie Stagg, interim co-pastor at the First Congregational Church UCC of Granby, on the death of her mother, Evelyn, on June 18;
the Rev. Susan Latourette, associate pastor at the First Church of Christ, Congregational, UCC in Middletown, on the death of her mother, Judith, on June 22;
the people of Bridgeport and Stratford affected by the high winds and tornado of June 24; and
the staff and conferees at Silver Lake Conference Center this week, growing, learning and taking joy together in God’s creation.
with joy the birth on June 16 of Aran Rajan Diloshan Sinnaduray, son of the Rev. Rushan Sinnaduray, pastor of the First Congregational Church UCC of Canton Center and his wife, Arushini;
with joy the birth on June 16 of Sadie Lynn Weikel, daughter of the Rev. Kevin Weikel, associate pastor of the First Church of Christ UCC in Simsbury, and his wife, Kelley; her father reports that Sadie will get adjusted to life in NICU for a couple more days;
Hilary Willard, daughter to Bob Willard and the Rev. Claire Bamberg, transitional pastor of the Congregational Church of Plainville, UCC, who was injured in a car accident and discovered additional health concerns;
the Rev. Noel Velez, former Minister of Hispanic Ministries in the Connecticut Conference, hospitalized in Florida;
Elizabeth Naylor, daughter-in-law of the Rev. Robert Naylor, pastor of the Second Congregational Church UCC in Greenwich, who is being treated for lymphoma;
the Rev. M. J. Hinchliff, pastor of First Church of Christ, Congregational, UCC, of East Haddam, who is being treated for cancer;
the Rev. Marcia C. Eveland, pastor of the First Congregational Church UCC of Ansonia, who has suffered a seriously broken wrist;
the Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree and her spouse, David, and their daughter Elizabeth, who suffered a stroke on December 12 and is undergoing rehabilitation;
the Rev. Nancy Allen, associate minister of Immanuel Congregational Church UCC in Hartford, as she undergoes cancer treatment;
our partners in the Kyung-Ki Presbytery and their communities on the Korean peninsula, with prayers for peace in the midst of increased tension;
the people of Kyrgyzstan, particularly in the region of Osh, where violence and rioting have left hundreds grieving and forced from their homes;
the families and friends of those who died in the flash flood in the Albert Pike Recreation Area in Arkansas on June 11;
residents of the Gulf Coast affected by the disastrous oil rig failure, the families of the workers who died, and all those seeking to contain the well and protect the coastlines;
the people of Haiti recovering from the devastation of the earthquake and the people who seek to aid them;
this nation, that it may continue its difficult work to end the practices of racism;
the Conference's partners working for peace in Colombia amidst violence;
the leaders of this nation, that they may meet the challenges of the day with insight, wisdom, and compassion;
those suffering due to the ongoing financial woes of the nation, be they struggling to meet an unaffordable mortgage, confronting the loss of a job, or working to find just resolutions to the crisis; and
those serving or living in war or conflict zones around the world, or where terrorists have struck, particularly in Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia, Israel, Gaza, and the Sudan.
To be added to the prayer list, please send an email to Rev. Eric Anderson at: webmaster@ctucc.org.
Woodstock
Ch of the Good Shepherd
P Mr. Brian C. Baeder
Woodstock
First Cong'l Ch of Woodstock, Inc.
P The Rev. James S. Harrison
CE Ms. Elinor Donahue
Y Ms. Deborah D. Kirk
Y Ms. Elizabeth Botteri
Y Ms. Jennifer John
Abington
Abington Cong'l Church, UCC
P The Rev. Bruce A. Hedman
PE The Rev. Raymond D. Hahn
Andover
First Cong'l Church
P The Rev. M. Ruth Nye
PE The Rev. Gregory G. Kendall
Ansonia
First Cong'l Church
P The Rev. Marcia C. Eveland
To read previous editions of the Spirit Calendar, visit: http://www.ctucc.org/fido/spiritcalendar/
To learn more about or subscribe to the Spirit Calendar, visit: http://www.ctucc.org/fido/
The Spirit Calendar: July 05, 2010 by Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Minister of Communications and Technology
