Pastor's Ponderings

One of the days you will not want to miss Church this month is on March 18. There are two special reasons. The first is that there will be a ‘Farewell Brunch’ for Steve and Beth Rabourn in Fellowship Hall between 9:30-10:45. The Children and Youth Sunday School classes will meet as usual, but the Adult classes will be fellowshipping at least for the first part of the regular Sunday School hour. As many of you know, the Rabourns sold their house here in Aztec about a year ago and Steve has been at work building a new house which is now ready for Beth to occupy in Ruidoso near their grandkids and kids. Beth has been continuing to work at San Juan Rehab Hospital while Steve was working on the house, but will be leaving soon and going to work for the Ruidoso Schools as a School nurse. March 18 will be their last Sunday with us. If you would like to bring some card or remembrance for a Memory Book, please bring it by that day. Please also bring your favorite Brunch foods to share Potluck-style.

The second thing that makes March 18 special is that it is “One Great Hour of Sharing.” We United Methodists use the day’s special offering to fund UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee On Relief. UMCOR is on the scene wherever disaster strikes: Tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and in on-going relief work in high poverty areas like Haiti. I am extremely proud of the way our Church is always one of the first to help and the last to leave , putting long-term solutions in place, too. I enjoyed talking to a couple from Albuquerque several weeks ago who told me they go every year to the Sager-Brown Depot in Louisiana where UMCOR materials are gathered and shipped to disaster sites. UMCOR has just established another Depot site in Salt Lake City which will be closer for our area folks to take kit materials to. The Sager-Brown Center has housing areas for people who want to go and spend a week or two putting Heath kits, school kits or Flood buckets together for shipment as my Albuquerque friends did. This “One Great Hour of Sharing” offering funds so many projects around the country and around the world. I plan to contribute and hope you will, too.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Jeff Symonds