Bishop Salmon has many one liners that I will simply never forget.  They include:

–  You can’t have what you don’t believe, i.e.:

•  If you don’t believe you could ever be loved

-you will never be loved

•  If you don’t believe you could ever be forgiven

-you will never be forgiven

–  We don’t learn from our experiences, we learn from the reflection of those experiences!

We could talk at great length on each of these wonderful one-liners, but let me focus, for the sake of the Festival of Faith, on the latter.  One of the challenges of a church alive in the Spirit is that we often go from one event to another with no reflection of what just happened.  We can be so busy planning the next thing we don’t take the time as Jesus did, to look back, audit and then give thanks for what just happened.   So, the Festival of Faith is an opportunity to stop and look at the fruits of the harvest!  We do that through a couple of ways.  We have:

•  The much anticipated slide show year in review

•  The Annual Report complete with every detail of the ministry outlined including our budget and all financial accounts of the parish

•  People who give testimonies about their own faith journey over the last year

So, come and reflect with your spiritual family.  We are better together!

As members of the St. Michael’s family, you are needed to help us elect new leaders!  As part of the Festival of Faith, we will do some family business:

•  Elect members of Vestry  (The Vestry is a body of lay members elected by the congregation who carry the fiduciary responsibility and stewardship of the church.  They are also responsible for making sure the vision of the church is funded appropriately).

•  Elect delegates to the next Diocesan Convention (The Diocesan Convention is a 2 day meeting of representatives of each parish and mission of the Diocese of South Carolina to hear the vision of the Bishop, and to carry out the business of the diocese).

So, come and vote with your spiritual family.  We are better together!

In addition to our family business we will also present highlights of what’s to come in the fall of 2012!    Hear the Vision of 2012… We are better together!

Perhaps the most important reason we need you there is to be together to pray.  As that old saying goes, ‘the church that prays and plays together stays together!’  During the 9:30am service, we will have a focus on praying for every person in attendance, as well as praying for the elections and our life together. In fact after the business portion, we will all exit the church, but then physically with each of you; we will surround the church, each person holding the hand of another as prayers ring out for St. Michael’s Church.  From praying to playing, we will then go down for a free picnic at Hazel Parker Park.  We are better together!

-The Rev. Al Zadig, Jr.+

Schedule for Sunday, May 27th

8:00  am – Eucharist Rite One

9:30  am – Pentecost Festival of Faith Service w/ hymns, readings, sermon & extended prayer time

10:45  am – Break for Delivery of children to a “Morning at the Movies”

11:00  am – Family Reunion in Sanctuary (Visioncasting, voting)

12:15  am – Family Reunion continues with everyone @ Hazel Parker Park for lunch, live music, and games.