Fall Kickoff

Although one couldn’t tell from the exceptionally warm weather we were having, our congregation came together to kick off the fall season.  God gave all of us another chance to wake up with breath in our lungs and our feet on the ground to come and worship Him. We started our fall celebration with our church service. Pastor McLane and Kierstie made several announcements and our service began. The church Praise Team broke into a toe-tappin’ song and everyone joyfully clapped along.

Tracee Dahm

​After all the singing our church gave the 3rd and 4th graders their very own Bible. They even got to pick out their color choice!  In the past, this wonderful honor has been reserved for our 3rd graders but, since we did not do it last year, we wanted to include the 4th graders this year. If you know a 3rd or 4th grader who missed receiving their Bible, please let Kierstie or Pastor McLane know. Moms and Dads, I was as equally proud as you to see some of the children I have gotten to know over the past year beaming during the Bible dedication. Following the dedication, we held the annual blessing of the backpacks, an occasion for all children, regardless of age or school, to have their school bags prayed over. Almost thirty children were present. This year's event held a significant meaning amidst the current climate of school violence, instilling hope and reassurance for our students' safety and well-being throughout the school year.

Pastor McLane started preaching on the book of Acts. He encouraged all of us to read chapters 1& 2 this week. I always love how Pastor McLane shares a personal story in his sermons, and I learned that he took sailing in P.E. class! How cool is that?! I’m looking forward to hearing more about his sermons on the book of Acts. I already knew that Christianity and church attendance are down, far from what they once were. As a young mother of children, I am not immune to this and probably could host a TED talk on my own personal experiences of how I have tried to get my friends to come to church. I do feel blessed because I have made friends with so many people my age since attending First Pres.

Finally, we closed our service with the Benediction and “Amazing Grace”. I do not care how many times I hear it; “Amazing Grace” is such a beautiful song. The Fall Kickoff Potluck was on!  The Deacons did a wonderful job decorating and hosting the entire congregation in the gym. Hotdogs and hamburgers with a variety of side dishes were served. I got a chuckle out of the fact that I think there were 10 different plates of deviled eggs.  But in the words of my kids, one can never have enough deviled eggs! Other side dishes included a kale salad, potato chips, and pasta salad. (Please don’t be mad if I didn’t mention your wonderful dish! I know you slaved away making it. It just escapes my mind.)  If you did not have enough food during the main course, then you were in luck because our dessert table was full of all sorts of goodies!  I spied several different types of brownies, ice cream, cheesecake, cookies, and an Oreo pudding.  (Again, please forgive me because I know I’m probably not naming everything!) The Fall Kick-off was great because I got to see a lot of families that I hadn’t seen in weeks or months due to summer activities. I also got to speak with a couple who were new and looking to become members of our church! Overall, the event served as a heartwarming and unifying start to the fall season.

Grace & Peace,
Tracee