Dear Glen Mar Friends,

We are putting together candles for All Saints’ Day and planning our November series on gratitude called Bless this Mess! I am looking ahead to Advent and our series on the Redemption of Scrooge—how Christmas is a chance for us to find joy again at the manger and “keep Christmas well.” It’s a great time to join us in worship, to come back to worship if you’ve been away, and to invite friends!

Looking at the turning of the leaves around us, I see God’s blessings working out in so many ways that are “under the surface” — through this church and through you, God is doing beautiful things. And that beauty and blessing is there because God is there, whether or not we notice … but we have a chance in this season to notice, to be a part of it. And at Glen Mar, you are awesome at making the world more loving, kind and beautiful, as you share the blessings of God with the folks in your life. Tiny Tim prays, “God bless us, every one!” and at Glen Mar, it doesn’t stop there—because we are “blessed to be a blessing” to others, to our community, to those on the margins, to those who look or sound or vote differently.

Friend, you ARE the beautiful thing that God is doing in this world. Just by being you. Let’s have a season full of noticing God’s presence and sharing God’s peace, hope, joy, and love with each other and with our friends and neighbors. I consider being your pastor one of the most beautiful blessings there is.

In Christ,

Pastor Mandy