Vale May

Dear Friends,

As we continue to reflect on the words of Ephesians 2, from last Sunday, on our God, “who is rich in mercy,” and who, “out of the great love with which he loved us… [has] made us alive together with Christ,” and brought us together to be, “a dwelling place for God”; we will be saddened to hear the news that a very loved member of our church, May Clark passed away on Sunday night, 1^st August, with some of her family beside her.

As the week has progressed many people have told me stories of the open and friendly welcome, the kindness and the generosity May and Enos shared with them over the years, and at prayers this week, a person prayed, “When I die, may I and my family be remembered in the same way.” This is a prayer we could pray for our wider church family too.

There will be a service to give thanks for May’s life on Tuesday, 10^th August, at 11:30am at the church, followed by some light refreshments in the hall. If you would like to bring a plate to share, please bring that to the church on the morning. If you cannot be here in person, you can join the service on Zoom at this link https://zoom.us/j/410991017 or use the regular ‘Sunday Service link’ from the bulletin on Tuesday morning. This will take you to the service of remembering and giving thanks for May.

As we move to Ephesians 3 this week and reflect on May’s life, may the words of this prayer continue to be strengthen and ground and shape our love for each other.

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. ¹⁶ I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, ¹⁷ and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. ¹⁸ I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Amen.

Belinda