Hello Church

This has been a sad week. As many of you know, Dolly Parton passed away. I am never to be overly saddened by celebrity deaths. For some reason, this one feels different. I guess I felt a little kinship to Dolly because we were both from Tennessee. I grew up in a working-class family with little money. The song "My Coat of Many Colors" resonated with me as a child, wearing hand-me-downs and things my mom sewed so I would be stylish. I also remember being made fun of for being poor. Before the Imagination Library was in Oklahoma, my children were receiving books from Dolly's Library because my mother-in-law operated it in Hardin County, Tennessee. She called the library in Sapulpa to convince them to sign up for this program. So my children had books in their hands from infancy to age 5 because of Dolly. 

I have been listening to the replays of interviews with Dolly this week. I think there is something we can learn from her and her life. In an interview, someone asked how she would want to be remembered after she got to heaven. She said she wanted to be remembered as someone who was good, giving, and tried to help others. She said, "When I stand before God, I want to be able to say, 'Lord, I used everything you gave me." The Lord asks us to love our neighbors- in simple Dolly terms- love everyone. We can all try to live our lives hoping that when we are gone, people will remember we loved everyone, tried to help everyone, and made the most of what God gave us. 

Join me Sunday - which will be the last time we start at 10:45 for worship. The following Sunday we will begin at 11 am for worship. 

Shalom, 

Pastor Stacy

What I See Coming Up:

Aug. 31- finance committee meeting 2 pm.

Sept. 3- 4 pm Nominations committee meeting 

Sept 4- First Friday Friends at 9:30 am at 4 Tons of Blessings

Sept. 6- Worship begins at 11 am

Sept. 14- Retired Teacher's Luncheon