From Ponderings To Prayers: the pumpkin church (#7)

To be honest, I haven't blogged in a couple of days. There is no real reason, but I have been super busy. It's been a wild ride since Wednesday evening and I am finally settled onto my couch this Sunday evening. I promise before I turn 30 on October 19 that I will have 30 blogs accounted for.

Today there is no question what or who to blog about it. It is obvious, because of my day, that I need to share a little about Maple Springs United Methodist Church. Today was a day that we celebrated what God has done at Maple Springs. What a blessing it is to be serving during this important part of Maple Springs' history. It was a picture perfect day.

A few of the decorations for the brunch in between services.

For the past year, we have focused on having One Faith, One Future. This campaign allowed us to raise the funds needed to renovate our sanctuary and our Fellowship Hall. Today was the day that we rededicated both worship spaces. The services honored God in a big way. Our 11am traditional service had an orchestra. As we were singing the opening hymn, I was sure God was smiling down. We were honored to have our District Superintendent come and share the message with us this morning and encourage us to focus on the vision and the mission of the United Methodist Church. This morning will be one that people will remember for years to come.

A little glimpse of how our Choir glorified God!

In the Winston-Salem community, Maple Springs is known as the 'pumpkin church' and today our pumpkins were delivered. We gathered for a lunch of soup and sandwiches following the late service, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the pumpkin truck. Shortly after 1pm we began unloading. I would say we had close to 150 people there to unload. The love and laughter in the midst of the unloading is one of my favorite ministry moments. People of all ages gather and help- passing pumpkins, loading wheelbarrows and offering a helping hand when needed.

The crew before the unloading began.

A little seflie by the Queen of Group Selfies, Jennifer Chapman.

Today though, I was most inspired by my kids. For the past few weeks my kids have talked about the pumpkins coming. They have gotten more and more excited each week as we've gotten closer. But today, not only were they excited, but they were workers. They worked and worked and worked. My kids amazed me! They didn't stop, not until the last pumpkin was unloaded. And then after that, some of them stayed behind to help clean off the truck. I loved seeing their dedication to the work of the church.