Pastoral note, from Garrett

The Lifestages Class begins on Wednesday. Joel Kirn and the Connections Class will serve fajitas and fixin’s for $10/person. Let us know you’re coming by registering here. We will start serving dinner at 5:30 p.m. Class starts at 6 p.m. and will end by 7 p.m. Also, youth and children are welcome. Katie and Hannah are planning games to get out that “after-school need-to-run-around energy.”

The choir is taking a break this week, and then rehearsals will shift to Thursdays for the next 3 weeks. Have you ever thought about joining the choir? Now is a good time to try it out. You don’t have to sing a solo. Can you blend with the radio in your car? Talk to Randy or Daniel. Talk to a friend in choir. They’re about to start prepping for the Christmas Concert on December 6. Also, it’s not a lifetime commitment. You can try it out. 

This weekend is our annual Church Retreat. The theme is “Be Well.” We’ll be talking about the healing stories of Jesus. Jillian Shannon is our retreat speaker this year. Jillian just started work on a Doctor of Spirituality degree at Oblate Seminary. She is also teaching at three Universities here in San Antonio. We look forward to hearing from her. I’ll be in the pulpit at Woodland on Sunday and preaching on the same theme— “Be Well.” 

We have a church business meeting coming up on September 20. We are also having our annual ministries fair that day in Maresh Hall. The business meeting will be in Maresh after worship. We will vote on a slate of new deacons. Here are the nominees: Debbie Cochran, Dena Dalton, Ellen DiGiosia, Sallie Lewis, Linda Ramos, Mario Ramos, Linda Reynolds, Brian Sweet, Myung Sweet, Miriam Valenzuela, and Victor Valenzuela. And we will also discuss some maintenance work for Maresh Hall. 

LifeTimers returns on September 17 with a live New Orleans Jazz band ready to rock Maresh Hall. You know the food will be on point. Get there in time for favorites with a South Louisiana vibe.

Later this month, on September 21, Lee Prophitt and I will be hanging out, talking theology, at Wild Barley. We’ll get started at 7 p.m. This will be our 2nd Theology on Tap. All are welcome. 

Grace and peace, 
Garrett Vickrey