What a glorious day we had on Sunday.  We celebrated our 53rd year of Bartimaeus Temple and we were able to celebrate it with many of our friends and family.  It was so good to see so many long time friends that were back for the celebration.  Linda led us in Sunday school at looking back over the last 10 years of September 11 and looking ahead as well. Larry brought the Sermon about looking to the future.  It was very uplifting and reveling.  I hope you get a chance to listen to both of these messages on the website if you were not lucky enough to be in church last Sunday.  After church we had a terrific meal and fellowship with one another.  I really think this was one of the best Homecomings we ever had.

This week I am going to talk about “It isn’t fair”. The scripture for this week is Matthew 20: 1-6.  We have a different concept of what is fair then God does.  Luckily he is the one that matters.  We are going to talk about how we need to see things through the eyes of God and I hope we will change our concept of what it means to treat a person by God’s standard.  I think it is important to hold people responsible for their actions but we also need to be prepared to forgive when repentance is asked.  I hope you will be in Church on Sunday and lets keep Homecoming going.

As great as Sunday was it was a very sad day on Monday as one of our members passed away.  Arvella, who taught Sunday school after my mother passed away, passed away early Monday morning.  She had been in St. Paul hospital when she passed.  I remember the many Sunday school lessons she taught on Sunday as she sat on the front bench in the sanctuary on Sunday afternoons.  I remember her singing her song “It’s nobody fault but my own”.  Arvella had been going downhill over the last few months and she was looking forward to a real homecoming of her own as Jesus gently shook her shoulder and woke her up and told her now you are home for good.  We will miss her but she will be waiting for us when we get to go home as well.  Her funeral will be at Bartimaeus Baptist Temple on Monday the 19Th at 11:00 am.

Pray for Dee Dee and the rest of her family as they make plans to carry on without Arvella to inspire them. Please pray for those that are hurting right now and lets be a light in the darkness in all this suffering.  We love you so much and we can’t wait to see you on Sunday.  Our Prayer is that God will bless you and keep you and shine his countenance down on you.  We will see you Sunday!

Pastor David & Pris