In the US, Veterans Day is a day set aside to honor and remember the men and women who have served in the armed forces. It coincides with Armistice Day, November 11, when World War I ended. By the time you are reading this, we will have honored our veterans in worship, and many of us will be a little teary eyed with our gratitude for their service.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The youngest veterans of that invasion are now in their 90s. We see the pictures, we hear their stories, and we must not forget. I have known some men who landed in Normandy on that day, and each one bore their memories as scars upon their hearts. To honor them is to be grateful for their sacrifice and commitment to duty and others beyond themselves.
Photograph of Normandy Invasion, June 6, 1944 (Down ramp of Coast Guard Landing Barge)This media is available in the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration, cataloged under the National Archives Identifier (NAID) 513173.
Thank you to all veterans. May God’s blessings be upon you, and may God bless those who suffer the physical and mental consequences of military service. Amen.
3 more things:
Safe Sanctuary is our commitment to protect children, youth and vulnerable adults from mental, emotional, physical and sexual assault. We have policies in place that train volunteers and staff to avoid circumstances and protect. As a part of that, we require background checks. The background checks come to me, and I do not share them with others. Within the policy are the guides that explain how the information gathered is used, but succinctly, DUIs in the past 5 years would prohibit a person from driving. Being convicted of sexual assault would keep a person from volunteering with children, youth and vulnerable adults.
Additional sound techs are needed in the Traditional worship service as one of our usual techs has answered God’s call to play music in the Wave! We need more people so that the current ones can rotate more frequently! Please stop by the sound booth and talk to any of our techs or talk to Pastor Scarlett if you would like to learn more.
Finally, my schedule. Circumstances do not allow for me to have schedule set in stone, so to speak. There are crises that call me away, and there are meetings, gatherings, luncheons and such that I attend. Even when I am here, I can be involved in meetings or classes. However, I do aim for office hours Monday through Thursday between 9 and 3. Since we have meetings, classes and gatherings almost every evening, if possible, I go home around 3 to see my kids and possibly enjoy an early dinner with my family. Wednesday mornings, I work away from the office to concentrate on planning and on sermon writing. I am off on Fridays. That’s when I do laundry, read and such. Fridays help me catch my breath!
Faithfully,
Pastor Scarlett