No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey you are most welcome here. 
Come and worship with us.

  By the power vested in me as the interim pastor, I hereby declare that you don’t have to go to church this summer. 

  Seriously.

  There.  That’s probably what most people are hoping for before the “great exodus” at the end of the school year when so many people take their vacations or head for the cottage or off to visit family and such.  In a way, it is simply the interim pastor recognizing the reality that people take off for the summer.  But I may have another point hidden in there, too!

  You don’t have to go to church this summer, but that doesn’t mean you can give up being Christian for the summer!

  Despite my job being centered on the Sunday worship hour, I want to remind you that just because your schedule might not be centered on finding a church wherever you are each Sunday (!) it doesn’t mean that your faith goes on hold for the duration!  The broader matters of discipleship and faith really do not depend on being in your established pew in your own church.  If you are in the habit of a morning or evening devotional or time with the Bible, keep it up.  If you have a big bag of books on the beach, maybe toss in a small Bible or some religious reading. It certainly is easy to find Bible software and online Bible or daily readings  (www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/ comes to mind!).  For that matter, there are over a dozen versions of the Bible and hundreds of devotional and study books for the Kindle, iPhone, Palm smartphones, iPad, laptops, and even Blackberries!

  How you act shows your faith, too.  You don’t have to go on a community service, work camp sort of trip; you can be just a bit kinder, a bit more considerate and conversational, a bit more generous in your behavior than other people.  When other folks are crowding or demanding, be nice to the staff where you are.  Express interest in what goes on locally; learn something new each day.  Tip well; lots of people in resort towns have a hard time making ends meet even in better times.  Talk with the locals, the elderly, the overwhelmed; let them know someone cares… you and God.  Carry someone’s groceries, lend a hand, smile, be genuinely compassionate and friendly.  Your little acts of caring on a Thursday afternoon may make more of a witness to someone than if they sat in church on Sunday listening to me drone on!

  Keep up your Christian generosity.  Don’t forget to make your charitable contributions to whatever you support before you head out of town.  Sure, that includes to the church here, too.  But if you worship elsewhere, drop something in their offering plate, too.

  You don’t have to go to church, we will still have our usual recharging worship service each Sunday, and the musicians and worship leaders appreciate people showing up, the Trustees appreciate offerings showing up reliably, the ushers enjoy seeing a crowd, the interim pastor likes a couple of people to talk at, and, of course, God is in the house and welcomes each soul into God’s holy presence.  So, if you are in town, everyone loves to see everyone on Sunday at 10 am.  If you are visiting elsewhere, churches thereabouts would delight in your attendance every bit as much (and probably will have the coffee on and some munchies there, too!).

  All in all, in my own semi-humorous way, I want to remind you not to forget your faith over the summer, that you continue to love others kindly, do justice, and walk humbly with your God, no matter where you may be walking.  No, you don’t “have to go to church” over the summer, at least not any more than any other Sunday of the year!!  May you have a safe and enjoyable time, safe travels, good moments reconnecting with those you care about, and a strong and sure confidence in the presence of God’s love in all that you do.

                  In Christ,

David