Spoke at First United Methodist Church in Parkersburg

The Fifth Sunday is a Sunday where First United Methodist Church calls a Mission Sunday, and they take up a collection for a service organization to support. They invite someone from that group to speak during the service, and then have a salad lunch afterward to welcome the guest and offer time for parishoners to talk to that organization's representative. Yesterday, Children's Home Society of WV-Parkersburg was the invited organization, and I spoke to the congregation and shared the lunch meal with them afterward. It was an opportunity to take about our mission and our services in the community, and ways the church community could be involved with us, through giving, mentoring, foster parenting and supporting the individual programs through collections of needed items. I was warmly welcomed, and saw several familiar faces from town, and acknowledged the church's past support of our agency, particulary the Gustke Shelter. Mr. Edwin Dils is a long time member of the church, and a long time supporter of the Shelter. Mr. Dils is in poor health, and prayers were asked for him during the service.