[Written by Robin Walton]
Let’s talk a bit more about Joy
The fruit of the spirit is the focus of our summer worship. We focused on Joy on Sunday but before we move on, a few more thoughts.
It has been a busy few weeks at CMC. Rummage and Plant Sales brought many, many people through our doors and into our garden.
We pledged together to protect CMC as a safe place for all, especially our children. Speaking of children, we have had two babies born to families within the congregation in the last few months. We have responded with joy and meals!
We went off site for our outdoor service, a breath of fresh air, running in the field, playing games, eating picnics, laughing at our mini-Pride parade promo.
The Pride March was an extremely joyful event, animated by Mennonite quilts, a hay wagon and a dancing Bethany.
We had a somber and yet joyful memorial for our friend, Maris Franke. There were flowers and pie galore, the language of joy!
This week we send a delegation to the CDC Annual Meeting in Bluffton. Representing CMC are Hannah Kelley, Joel Call, Karen Mareco, Kerry Strayer, Mark Rupp, and Robin Walton. The main order of business is a Keeping MCUSA Safe program (okay, they don’t call it that!). The event starts off with a musical: 100 Years of Mennonite Women, written by Wendy Chappell-Dick. It promises to make us laugh and cry!
I haven’t mentioned yet that a group of our kids are at Friedenswald this week. Talk about joy!
To top off our month of joy we will have the Piecemaker Comforter Blessing this Sunday. Friends, we will be sending off over 250 comforters around the world. We are sending pure joy and beauty, as well as comfort, warmth, and the love of a congregation which has come together and stitched their concern for the world into a tangible gift that will actually be given to someone far, far away in places that we only see on the news. Places that break our hearts when we think of the suffering and desolation.
Yes, it has been a busy month. It has been a month that revealed the heart and joy of our congregation. It filled us with joy and the joy now will travel the world. Whether it is the individual conversation I heard that someone recently had, “Oh, you go to Columbus Mennonite, I’ve always wanted to visit there.” That person was invited to come to the comforter blessing. Or the bales of comforters being shipped to the places that make God weep, our joy is on display.
