Dear friends,
Moving is a traumatic experience, and leaving behind memories from 30 years of life absolutely touches the heart in all sorts of ways!
As I write this, I can state that the move was a success. Someone new is living in the house that was the home we raised Megan and Colleen in. The folks on Whalers Cove Court who were once our neighbors to be seen almost daily are now just good friends to be seen on occasion. Although in the Biblical sense, all people are always our neighbors!
In the midst of going through closets and the attic, we found my ATARI computer! Yes, I had one of those first home “computers” that could do amazing things if you understood FORTRAN. There were games to be played and data bases to create. I took a course or two with Donna’s boss to learn how to operate this amazing device.
But time has flown, and the ATARI computer no longer is worth utilizing for work projects and I can’t find the games I used to enjoy. Each of us now has a virtual computer on our cell phones.
Back in 1980 I could never have imagined that I could use my phone as a micro-computer. I would have said “no way” if someone told me that my watch could receive messages from friends anywhere in the world and that my watch would check my steps each day and my blood pressure.
All of you know that I frequently talk about my Bible app, which is on my phone, my i-Pad, my notebook, and my laptop. Yes, I have all of those! I do not understand all of the social media options that are out there. I do not connect on X but I think I am on THREADS. But I know that I see photos and messages every week from Richard in Uganda, Sohail in Pakistan, and lots of folks in New Jersey. When I post one of my poems, photos of Dax, or just my thoughts on life, instantaneously thousands of folks can see what I added to FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM here in New Jersey.
THOUSANDS … IMMEDIATELY … MESSAGES … St. Paul’s United Methodist Church is posting messages daily on social media too. And you know what the amazingly special part of social media is … we can share messages to our friends and family members that we find appealing.
That brings me to each of you who consider St. Paul’s United Methodist Church a special place to worship God, where you find a faith-driven family who, along with you, loves all our neighbors, and a church you identify as yours. We need you to SHARE St. Paul’s FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM posts on your social media!
If your friends and family cannot get to church on Sunday mornings, YOU CAN SHARE our Sunday worship service on FACEBOOK merely by hitting the SHARE BUTTON. If you are on FACEBOOK, you can share my daily, hopefully humorous message, PD@930, that includes a Scripture reading, a prayer, and updates on St. Paul’s from our FACEBOOK page. Every Friday I share a recipe and on Saturday, jokes. You can share our INSTAGRAM posts and FACEBOOK memes.
Of course if you share St. Paul’s social media that means your friends and family will know you go to church. They will know you associate with a special place where God is worshiped with joy and where we pray for all who are hurting. But are you afraid to let them know?
I hope this fall that I see more and more shared messages and shared worship services popping up on my social media, because many of you are my friends, so I see what you post.
Finally, please do not mail anything to my family at our former Smithville address. If you would like our new address, just ask me for it or you can mail things to us at 69 Woodland Avenue, West Deptford, NJ 08086. It feels strange to no longer call Smithville home, but life goes on.
Blessings,
Pastor Dave