01/20/2008

Life is full of surprises, and certainly I was surprised last Saturday evening when I suddenly became ill.  Thank God for Jane Bearden’s presence.  I’m told she came through with flying colors.  Thank you Jane!

 

Perhaps this past week’s events can set a positive tone for our congregation as we approach our Annual Meeting this morning.  As I experienced so dramatically this week, the church is God’s people working together to love and serve the world. I never quite know what issues will come before us as we gather for this meeting.  I don’t know who will be elected to serve on the Vestry.  There are many things that are beyond my control.  Every year we make our preparations for the meeting and more often than not, when we think we have “all our ducks in a row” something comes up that has not been anticipated.

 

Who knows what this year will bring?  One thing I do know is that when we want to work together, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, wonderful things can happen.  In many ways we have had a good year in 2007.  Financially we ended the year in a strong financial position.  People in the congregation and across the country have been very generous in their support.  This gives us one more year to get our own finances in a stronger position to support our own mission and ministry in our congregation, Biloxi, and in points beyond our city.  The Reverend Jane Bearden will be with us one more year, and thus give us time to plan the financial support of a successor.

 

When I think of where we were one year ago at North Bay, the work beginning on DeMiller Hall, and the beach property still littered with debris, we have come a long way.  Countless hours have been spent on the oversight of the work on DeMiller Hall and the clean up.  The Building Committee also has done a great deal of work, even if the plans presented were met with significant dissatisfaction and require significant reworking.  The Committee continues its work and hopefully will have alternative plans in the not too distant future.  

This is your church. Each one of us is a part of it.  I hope that each one of you will join me in our important Annual Business Meeting.  Hopefully the road ahead may bring us together, the Spirit inspire us in the building of a new church home, and our desire for a common ministry and mission in Christ’s name give us the will to financially stand on our own feet.

 

May God bless you.

Harold