Autumn is always an exciting time for many. Those schools not on a year-round schedule start up. For the most part students are ready to get back and settle down to a predictable schedule. Some take the next huge life step of going to kindergarten for the first day of school. Some go from elementary to junior high / middle school, others from junior high / middle school to high school. For some, September marks their senior high year, with its many firsts, culminating in final preparations for going off to college.
Personally, I love the beautiful autumn days and the blessedly cooler nights. Forty-five years later I still marvel at the beauty of the autumn leaves, the smell of ripe crabapples along the church driveway, the clean crispness of the air.
Attending the Gillespie Family Reunion in Seguin, Texas this past July where it was 98 degrees each day and the earth was parched as a result of a continuing drought, I understood afresh why I love autumn so much. I simply don’t do heat very well. I have no energy in the heat nor the desire to accomplish much.
Air conditioning certainly helps but we run the AC at the Rectory only when absolutely necessary. Nancy freezes in AC and it raises the electric bill. It is only when it is really hot, very humid and still that I break down and turn on the AC. No, give me a sunny day with a temp of 66/67 and low humidity, and I can clean house, wash windows, do lawn work like nobodies business. I feel energized and raring to go. Give me a cool sunny autumn day and I can rake leaves all day.
Autumn is a time in the church year when things start up again in earnest. I hope you all have had a good summer, traveling, staying at the cottage, simply sleeping in and doing nothing. Now it is time to get back into the regular schedule and get back to church.
Shortly all three choirs, Adult, Bell and Youth will begin rehearsals and take up again the ministry of music leadership at St. David’s. See Paul if you want to be part of this important ministry. Sunday morning Bible Study picks up again in September, meeting in Room 2 / 5 beginning at 9:00. Each week the readings for that Sunday are discussed. See Jerry Williams for more information.
Our Sunday school program for our youth begins in September. It is very important to get our youth to church every Sunday possible so they can build a firm spiritual foundation that will shape and help them their entire lives. I promise you, if you take church and Sunday school casually, they will learn to value it casually, and that is a terrible mistake. Our excellent teachers work so hard at preparing lesson plans and teach with such enthusiasm, often sharing their personal faith. It is hard when parents take their ministry so lightly. See our Director of Religious Education, Neal Cronkite, with any questions or problems. If you can’t get your children to church on Sunday, let me know and we will find a way to get them here!
You are very likely sick of hearing me say this but it is true and it bears repeating: every one of you has a ministry here at St. David’s. Too many have made decisions to invest time and energy elsewhere. Be honest with yourself. Is a couple of hours once a week, serving God, the people of St. David’s and the community really too much? That equates to one movie a week, a mere 20 minutes a day. That is not much to give to God, your brothers and sisters, the world we serve.
September is an excellent time to get reorganized, start anew, make some good changes. One season ends and another begins. God is calling you. There is much work to be done. Listen to Jesus as He reminds us, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Luke 10:2.
You are the laborers on whom Jesus is counting.
May God richly bless and keep you.
With deepest affection,
Fr. David
The Healing Corner