Dear First Pres,  

  Have you ever received an invitation and your first reaction was, “Yes! What a great idea. I’m going.”

    And then maybe your second reaction entered in with all the reasons you couldn’t go. In all honesty, that’s what happened to me with Neighborhood Night. I was ready to sign up, but then reasons, “excuses,” why I couldn’t go started piling up: I’m too busy, the weather is too hot, I might not know anyone, I need a night off, I have to get up early the next morning, I might not like any of the food (Right!), I don’t like playing games . . .

    And then I remembered how much I missed our fellowship and how desperate I was to connect with everyone when we were on Covid lockdown for months. I was tired of “seeing” you online and praising God through a screen. I would have given anything to sit with church friends, share a meal, and just talk.

    That’s what Neighborhood Night is – a time to rebuild and reconnect; a time to build deeper relationships and kindle new ones; a time of fun and fellowship just to enjoy one another. When I remembered how even more valuable our relationships became when we couldn’t be with one another, I couldn’t wait to sign up for dinner. I will never again take you or our church community for granted.

    I am thankful for our gracious hosts who said “yes.” Now, let’s do our part and say “yes” to their invitation.

With Much Gratitude,

Gerre