Blackberries on Parade!

God willing and the creek don't rise we're going to have a bumper crop of blackberries in the Community Garden this year. As always, "the race is to the swift" so keep your eyes open for the moment the berries reach their peak--and then pick them for pies, jam, or just munching off the cane. They look wonderful.

We also thank Richard and Jane Pille for their donation of yet another bunch of blackberry canes which we have planted alongside the foundation of our little storage building just behind the Children's Garden. The space was largely wasted and given over to weeds; now, it will be productive and useful space and we'll have more berries next year. Thank you, Richard and Jane for your donation--and everything you do!

Faith is Like a Picture

Loquats and Mountain Bird, artist unknown

One of our members was up on Holiday Island yesterday and went to church with the Lutherans there. It was a very formal very Lutheran service, quite unlike our own worship service. In the middle of all the formality, however, was a very simple and direct sermon about faith. Our member found it quite moving.

The pastor said that "faith is like painting a picture." The painter starts out with nothing, then adds a brush stroke or two that may only complicate the picture because the brush strokes seem unrelated. Then,as more brush strokes are added--symbols for time, experience, and effort--something wonderful and sensible and lasting emerges.

The sermon took about 10 minutes to deliver but it stuck with our member all day long.

Mulch Update

Grace Lutheran Church in Holiday Island

Isn't this a clever--and attractive sign? It may be time for our sign committee to meet again! In other news...

...David Bell and Dan Krotz will organize a work team to put mulch in the Church flower beds and around the Annex and garage. The team's work will be scheduled soon after Carroll Electric drops of a truck load of donated mulch. It may be a while--we need to wait on Carroll Electric--but we haven't forgotten. Stay tuned!

The Curtain Rises on Season Four!

Tomato cages

Twenty young tomato plants were transported from the Hale's greenhouse on April 17th--two days past the last predictable frost date in Arkansas--and put into the dirt in our Community Garden. The plants, which our Little Sprouts grew from seeds, are heirloom varieties that include an old favorite called Rutgers, and a new to us variety called Sioux Land. Both are full bodied red tomatoes, typically round and of average size. They were chosen because they are good for both canning and in salads. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

The garden beds are essentially full.We have four (4) beds of potatoes--Yukon Gold and a small early red potato who's name we can't recall, 1 full row of bell peppers, half a dozen zucchini plants, a row of broccoli, six hills of climbing beans, a row and a half of asparagus, and plenty of lettuce on the way. The Little Sprouts also planted a couple of raised beds of Indian Corn which is doing nicely.

We have been blessed by good weather, just the right amount of rain, and plenty of sunshine. The soil in the garden is really showing the results of three years of care and feeding: we are almost entirely weed free and the raised bed method seems to be working well for us.

Up next is Mrs. Hudspeth's flower seed and hyacinth bean planting; Jennifer's flower beds are always the highlight of the garden and a robust attractor of bees, butterflies, and ladybugs. The hyacinth beans are also a delight and transform our chain link fence into a jungle of color.

Working in the garden this year has been wholly a pleasure. It is a wonderful place to pray and meditate and to feel first hand the presence of God. What a good thing a garden is.

A Letter from our Brother Kerry

God's blessing was so much with us this trip to India. We finished our 16th year of going and we are so thankful!! We are home 2 weeks and look back at God's grace and strength that He gave. We were able to give 39 Prayer Sheds and churches and drill 8 water wells so far this year. We gave for many goats, buffaloes, bicycles etc.

Some how, a friend in Arkansas was connected to this village pastor in India and this pastor was persistent... My friend asked if we would "inspect" while we were in India. This brother is persistent, but he send us a report and it blesses us. We have great success.

In the villages and in life, God's way is to do things "little by little" and to test our heart to find our faithfulness.

This brother came and we gave for a prayer shed and to bless 4 widows with big goats and one evangelist needed a bicycle. We gave the choice to him of which to do, church or bless widows etc. When he finished one and he sends a report with pictures, he would get funding for the second.

PTL!! The report looked good, the four widows look blessed and bicycle is given...

Our prayer is always for God's guidance to give and that we miss no assignments that He puts before us to strengthen the hands in the villages, for His glory.

As we give we always teach the pastors to use the gifts as a tool to teach the people to give--as in the "Talents" of Matthew 25, and teach the people to, as a result, build their own churches and not wait with open hand for someone to do it for them... It is then a joy to step up and, together, build a place of worship for the glory of God!!

Thank you all for your giving and for helping strengthen the hands in the villages!! The churches are definitely growing spiritually, numerically and in the blessings of the Lord!! It is a joy and exciting!!

This trip, we had the $25,000 matching gift and it was an awesome blessing!! The couple who gave it, have renewed the pledge to give another $25,000 matching gift for when we return in October!!!! PTL!!!

With so much thanks, love and prayers,

Kerry and Melody
PO Box 140402 Broken Arrow, Ok 74014 918-346-1656

Grand Opening: April 15th!

April 15th isn't only tax day. It is also the last possible frost day in our growing area and that means we'll be able to start planting with some energy. Pictured above is the little Prayer Garden we started last year. It is starting to look pretty good.

We have managed to plant a few things, including one or two of Loretta Tanner's favorite vegetables. Our potatoes are doing well, snow peas are up and running, the Little Sprouts have some corn in the ground and we've got space cleared and ready for Scott's peppers. Stop by the garden and see how we're doing!

Pastor Search Committee Meets

Diogenes by JHW Tischbein

Loretta Tanner, Jill Stice, Scott Frame, Susan Krotz, David Bell, and Ken Hale comprise the committee that will help First Christian Church Berryville recruit a new pastor to replace John Turner; John is leaving our congregation in April to devote himself to Christview Ministries. Selecting a pastor is an important "family" affair that involves a many stepped process that our Pastor Search Committee is organizing for us.

It is hard to imagine a more difficult job than that of pastor. A powerful and inspiring preacher is the most important quality desired by some members. Other members place a higher value on a pastor's ability to grow membership and run a "tight ship" administratively. Still others seek a pastor who excels at counseling, has a comforting bedside manner, or who can be counted to respond quickly and effectively to spiritual or everyday crisis. No matter what individual skill matters most to us, everyone wants a pastor who is a good and moral person, a good Christian, and a decent human being.

And because we are Disciples of Christ it is important to find a person who understands our history, our theological culture, and our beliefs and values as a denomination within the body of Christ. Thankfully, our Regional Office is helping us with the selection process and can be relied on to refer candidates who meet our special needs.

Church membership is such a powerful force in so many of our lives. We rely on church, especially in a small town, for spiritual and moral guidance, for opportunities for service, for socialization, and as the source of many of the feelings we have about ourselves, our families, our friends, and the world around us. That's why the choice of a pastor is so important: a good pastor understands that power and does her best or his best to see that it is properly channeled and used.

Sometime in the next few weeks, members of the congregation will be given a survey or questionnaire to fill out that helps them list or identify what is important to them in terms of the skills and qualities we feel we need in a pastor. Filling out and returning the survey is a significant responsibility that every member is encouraged to accept, reflectively and prayerfully. These are difficult times for small churches and much depends on our doing our best as we participate in the search process.

Our Search Committee meets on March 21st to begin the process as a group. Let us hold up our brothers and sisters on the committee in prayer as they complete this important work.