Dear Church Family

It takes “guts” to stand up for what you believe in.  To stand in the face of power and authority and seek justice and equality in a non-violent way is a very courageous and often dangerous position to take.  Am I talking about John Lewis who recently passed into glory.  You bet I am.  But I’m also talking about others like Daniel who was thrown into the lion’s den.  Also, Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego; who were spared the lion’s den only to thrown into a pit of fire. You’ve heard of them.  Their stories can be found in the book of Daniel.

Essentially, both Daniel and the other three “bro’s”  were standing up for what they believed in.  They were opposing imperial edicts or laws that required them to compromise their religious beliefs.  Now, I don’t know how many others in these stories stood up to this blatant abuse of authority, but probably not many.  In fact most probably did not, which is why these 4 men stand out.

There is someone else that recently stood out.  He wasn’t a Congressman or even a politician, just an ordinary guy who happens to play baseball for a living.  You may have seen him on TV when his team the San Francisco Giants played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first game of this truncated season.  In that game almost all of the players were kneeling during the national anthem in support of the “Black Lives Movement.”  But when most of the players are on the field are kneeling, it only takes one player to stand out. And for the Giants’ Sam Coonrod, there was never any question.  Here’s what he said about that decision.  “I’m just a Christian,” he said after the game. “I don’t think I’m better than anybody,” he tried to explain. “I chose not to kneel, I just believe I can’t kneel before anything besides God and Jesus Christ. I feel if I did kneel, I’d be a hypocrite.   I don’t want to be a hypocrite.”

And neither do I.  How about you?

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CHURCH PICNIC

It’s happening!  It’s coming!  It’s time!  WE ARE GOING TO HAVE OUR ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC on Sunday, August 16^th at Pitts Pond beginning at 12:00pm.  Here is how it will work:

• Bring your own picnic lunch to include beverages
• The pond and everything in it is open and available. So, come prepared to swim and play!
• The pavilion is open but has limited seating as we will be spreading out. FIRST COME FIRST SERVE.
• Surrounding grounds are available for seating. Bring your camp chairs and blankets.
• Bottled water will be made available
• WE ARE HAVING BAPTISMS!!!!!!

Please sign up so we can know how many are coming.  You can sign up on the church website, in the church office or on Sundays in the FMC.

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Announcements:

1. Office Hours: 
   1. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am-1pm. Calls will no longer be forwarded to Judy’s cell phone number. You can call the church office and leave a message or you can also reach me at 703-405-7881 (cell).  Or via email:  seapadre24@gmail.com

2. Remember in prayer:
   1. The family of Lois Farmer, who passed into glory earlier this week.
   2. Betty and Macwayne Williams and the entire Williams family in the loss of Michael Williams.
   3. Members of our church family facing surgeries and other life issues.
   4. All our frontline workers, in and out of our church, who work hard each day serving and protecting us during this pandemic.

I love you all,

Pastor Frank