Stephen Ministers October 2022

by Penny Brill

I have been thinking a lot lately about gratitude and being grateful.

All of us have been through a very rough period these last two plus years because of the pandemic and the effects it had on all our lives, in so many ways.

We lost ones we knew, cared about and loved. We learned to work from home, or we lost our job. We became caregivers and teachers. We lost touch with others, or we re-connected in digital ways. I don’t imagine anyone escaped some effect.

Yet, we have survived. One would think we would appreciate the basic freedoms and pleasures we lost during this time. Eating out, movies, church in person, shopping in a store... I could go on.

What I am witnessing is a loss of civility and grace toward others; a lack of understanding about what seems to be the “new normal”. There has been a very real exposure of the low pay that so many people struggled to exist on. The fact is that many of these people, including restaurant workers and daycare workers, have been able to find better paying employment. This exodus in these fields has caused massive disruptions to services we all took for granted. Supply chain disruptions, shortages, and rising costs have affected us all. It requires us to make changes in our lives and adjust our day to day.

You and I can do very little to correct this beyond getting creative and expanding our patience.

What we can do is be grateful for what has survived and show gratitude for the efforts that others are making to bring back a semblance of our “old normal”.

Stephen Ministry is a program that can help any of us back to an inner peace and control of our lives that can come from re-connecting to the power of God. His strength is available to us all. Please call the church office to learn more about this ministry and get connected to a caring lifeline.

In Christ,

Penny Brill

The Lord bless you and keep you, rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ.

~1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Stephen Ministry:

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