Dear Glen Mar friends,
I was re-watching the movie The Darkest Hour, with Gary Oldman’s amazing portrayal of Winston Churchill, the other night. One part of the movie centers on the rescue of British soldiers from the beaches at Dunkirk, France in the throes of World War II. The British army was essentially trapped on the beach, with German forces on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Large British vessels couldn’t be used for the rescue because they couldn’t get close enough to the beach. So, the call went out to the British public to send any vessel available that was small enough to get in close. Something like 700 small boats answered the call, and they rescued hundreds of British soldiers.
When we are tempted to think that we cannot make a difference, I think of things like Dunkirk. I also think of all the ways that Christ’s body, the Church, performs impossible miracles every day. I look at Glen Mar, and how each of us uses our “small boats” to “rescue the perishing” as the old hymn says. “Small boats,” going to Plymouth, NC in a couple of weeks to help with home repair. “Small boats” of resources being mobilized in Western NC and the Gulf Coast of Florida, clearing roads and feeding hungry people. Churches full of “small boats”, carrying hope and healing, love and a new way of being.
This Sunday, join us for a new series called “Upside Down Kingdom”—about how God calls us to live differently than we might expect—where God uses small things for big purposes, and how God’s kingdom belongs to people who are, or who are willing to become, “small.” And we’ll take a special offering for UMCOR Hurricane Relief!
Pastor Gayle has many folks for her evening class for Disciple Bible Study, and is looking for a couple more folks to join her daytime “section” of Disciple …do you have some time during the day? You will be SO glad you joined…Contact Pastor Gayle for more info.
Sign up for our annual Church Conference—that yearly meeting with our DS representative, and a time to worship and celebrate the past year and approve pastoral compensation, among other business—all are welcome, members may vote (Sat. Oct. 19, 10 am on Zoom) on Realm, or call the office (410.465.4995 ext. 203) and we’ll sign you up for the link. And if you’re not at church conference, come to church for our Trunk or Treat at the same time (Oct. 19, 10 am!).
See you in church,