10/14/04 Dear Ones – God is good – all the time! All the time – God is good! Thankfully we have had some much needed rain on our part of the creation – but then not so thankfully - the big rain came this past Tuesday just as we were unloading pumpkins from the truck for the annual Youth Group Pumpkin Patch fundraiser! Oh well. A crew of about 20 plus unloaded about 1,200 good-size pumpkins – not counting the 1,000 plus very small ones. Please come by and buy your pumpkins, tell you friends and family about this great fundraiser. We surely have the best pumpkins around (these came all the way from New Mexico) and you can buy them from 11 to 7:30. Terry is still in need of workers to staff this sale – please call the office at 239-3231 or contact Terry at terry@beulahpresbyterian.com or sign up on the appropriate sheet located in the church lobby. This morning Barbara Greene is having knee replacement surgery, and I expect a call soon from Al that all has gone well. Barbara is such a trooper – she was confident and relaxed even before the nurse gave her (as the nurse called it) the “I don’t care” medicine (I think they use something called Verset – sp?). Please keep Barbara and Al in your prayers. As some of you well know, knee replacement surgery takes a bit of time and energy in recovery and physical therapy, and can be painful – but the end result is very positive. News flash – Al just called, and the surgery was “a complete success” – and Barbara is now in recovery (at 11:30 AM). Indeed God is good – all the time! I visited yesterday with Rose Lukat – Linda Denny’s Mom – who really is such a delightful person. Rose is having an IV tube put into her arm for future use. She is confident all will go well. Shannon will be praying with Rose in the morning before surgery. Cliff Stout is now at Hurstbourne Care Center, Room #27, in the Rehab building, and when I visited yesterday he was in physical therapy, sitting, peddling away to strengthen his legs. Jeannie Koerber continues to wait for a word on her temporary disability, but the paperwork should, by this morning, be all in to our benefits provider (The Board of Pensions – Benefit Plan of the PCUSA), and we hope to hear very soon. One week from Saturday (October 23) Judy and I are hosting a group of “young married couples” at our home for a get together, with the hopes of forming another ongoing fellowship group. We are inviting those who are married and are “generally” between the ages of 23 to 40, with children “generally” under the age of 11, or with no children – and we are drafting our teenage children to do some on-site child care. So if you are in this age group, please come – and let us know here at ken@beulahpresbyterian.com or phone call to our home – 266-0918. By now all of you should have in your homes the 2005 Stewardship materials, including a booklet which explains the hopes and dreams for our mission and ministry into 2005 – with projected budget details. Please give some prayerful consideration to your pledge for 2005. Commitment Sunday is October 24 – please bring your pledge card to worship that day, or mail it to the office by that day if you would please. With a reduction in overall staff costs we hope to have the opportunity it raise our mission giving for 2005, and do some needed building upkeep and repairs. Tomorrow (Friday) Andrew and I are taking a flight to New Jersey to attend (and I’m helping to lead) a wedding service for my Aunt Deb. This is her first marriage (she is 53), and she has waited a long time! Many of our family will be there, coming in from Kentucky and Oklahoma and other parts; Andrew and I are flying back home here on Monday evening. Shannon is preaching and leading worship this Sunday (on a great text – Luke 18:1-8 – check it out). She is also available for any pastoral care needs that may come up. Also – may I give to you all a heard-felt word of thanks for the Worship and Ministry Staff appreciation reception held last Sunday – for the cake, fellowship, good words, cards and gifts to me and my family - and those to Terry and Doug. As I wrote last week, Terry has been our CE Director here at Beulah for 6 years, and Doug our Music Director for 5 – and we three are blessed to serve and minister in a congregation such as you all are! Thanks to Susan Ryan, Jane Tackett, Verna Williams, Al Greene – others from the original Pastor Nominating Committee (from 1993 - 1994) and others who organized and hosted this event. This is the short and sweet news and prayer list update for today. Remember that indeed God is good – all the time. May we all know and live out this good news in these days! In Christ, Pastor Ken H |