The last two weeks at Faith
We’ve had a lot going on over the past two weeks, including some technical difficulties that prevented Faith Alive from coming out last week! I hope you’ll appreciate this double edition of “This Week at Faith.”
Storms
As you know, we had a very significant windstorm on Monday August 16, which blew us over with gusts up to 80mph! This beautiful Spanish Mission building remained relatively immune to the windy onslaughts, but the playground fence has succumbed to its many years as a protector of the wee ones.
As you may be able to see, the poles snapped at the ground, due to years of rust and erosion. Luckily, members of our daily 12-step meeting spent the week brainstorming possible fixes and they’ve engineered a temporary fix that will allow the wee ones to continue playing outside until we can replace it.
If you are in the fencing business (the trade, not the sport), or you know someone who is, or you’d like to help us pay for a new fence, let me know!
Community Garden
Our dear Brenda Lund has been at it again, weeding the community garden beds before the sun comes up. You should see it! She’s been diligently pulling out those grasses that lay their roots so deep. It’ll be perfect for planting season!
If you’d like to use a plot for your own veggies (or veggies to donate to our neighbors in need), contact Jan Hulin, or the church office!
Church cats
I know this is a matter very near and dear to our hearts, and they’re just so gosh darn funny that I want to make sure you know what they do every week.
Mama, our solid black American short hair got herself stuck in the shed somehow. Good thing Brenda was here weeding, otherwise Mama surely would have perished in the garage. Thanks to Brenda’s heroic action, Mama has emerged from the shed and I gave her two whole cans of wet foot to get her rehydrated.
A HUGE thank you to Brenda for saving Mama’s life, and to all of our church cat benefactors out there. If not for you, little miss Mama may not have made it through this summer!
Facility Use
This week has been a bit lighter than last week, now that the storms have remained at bay. We’re busy preparing for GRIC Urban Members Association’s annual celebration on Saturday! It’s a treat to have the opportunity to host such a beautiful celebration for our indigenous neighbors.
We’ve also got some new Facility Use Groups starting this week, including Phoenix Women’s Chorus, who has returned to Faith for their Tuesday evening rehearsals, and another 12-step NA group who will be meeting in the chapel on Fridays. Coming soon will be members of a congregation of faith called EMC Shalom Internacional - a Christian tradition that focuses on Old Testament scriptures - and yet another 12-step NA group on Saturdays. This campus that had been so still and quiet earlier in the year is now abuzz with wonderful human beings who are all committed to improving our community. What a glorious blessing!
Stained Glass
Back in 2013, Willett & Hauser came out to take a quick look at our stained glass and provide a quote for repairs. It seems we completed some of them, but not all! I recently noticed on one of my regular walkabouts that the stained glass was bulging at the seams. I assumed it was from the heat, but was informed this week again by an employee of Willett & Hauser that this is normal, yes, but it is not from the heat, and it does need to be fixed. I am awaiting the quote for repairs, and I’ll give you the full report as soon as I can!
Online Streaming
As many of you noticed and took advantage of, we now have internet in the sanctuary which gives us the capability to stream our worship services!
As of now, I am the only person who knows how to handle the streaming! I know a lot of our members are opting to stay home as the Delta variant makes itself ever more prevalent, so offering worship services remotely is imperative! We are in need of several individuals who would like to learn how to set up the live stream and turn it off at the end of the service, then edit and post on Mondays, when it becomes available.
Many of you also noticed that the sound from streaming is less than ideal. This is often the case in sanctuaries like ours, where the plan never was to broadcast services, but rather to have people in-person all the time. If you’d like to improve the sound and angles of our streaming services, please consider making a contribution to the worship fun for AV equipment.
And a Praying Mantis
This morning, upon walking up to the church office door, I was greeted by a praying mantis! I know they’re relatively rare so God must have put this sweet, precious bug in my path for a reason. So I did what any self-respecting millennial would do and I googled “Spiritual meaning of Praying Mantis.” Here’s what the internet said:
If you see a praying mantis while experiencing the grief of losing a loved one or pet, the message is that everything is ok and as it is supposed to be.
Other things that the article says are that they’re a sign of introspection and meditation, stillness, and trusting in God’s Plan.
I continue to wonder whether my friend Marvin the Mantis was meant for me as a singular human, or for Faith as a part of the body of Christ. I suppose the two cannot be disentangled, and it can be both.
Perhaps he was telling us something about how to handle our current climate of change and loss.
Or maybe it was just a fun thing to show the 2-3 year olds at the preschool!
Does the Mantis have meaning to you?