One year ago, our Parkway family kept Dave and my mother fed while I battled Covid 19. Even though I was isolated in the hospital, I did not feel alone because of all the prayers you prayed on my behalf. You got us through a difficult time. This year, you are getting us through another difficult time as we mourn the loss of my mother. For every card, thought and prayer, I thank you. Once again, I feel surrounded by your love and concern. You are our family in every sense of the word. We love you, my mother loved you. When she came to live with us four years ago, one of the things that she dreaded the most was leaving her church. You welcomed her, accepted her and loved her. She in turn, loved you. I have read a lot of articles lately about why people need church. The best answer I have for that is that life happens. The only way to get through all that life brings is God. There is no better way to understand God’s love than to experience the love of the group of believers that make up a church family.
Last month, I recommended the children’s book, “What is God Like?” by Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner. At the end of that book, the answer to the question “What is God Like?” is “think about what makes you feel safe, what makes you feel brave, and what makes you feel loved”. That is what the Parkway family is to me.
As we begin a more normal schedule at Parkway, we will pick up as we left off a year and a half ago. The only immediate change will be in Sunday School age grouping. We will have an Infant Class, Toddler Class, K-2 Class and Level Up consisting of grades 3-5. Any sixth grade students who come in will go to Youth. On Wednesday nights, the students will continue to go to music and missions. I am hopeful that we can resume fun outings this fall!
As more and more of us are vaccinated and feel more confident resuming normal activities, please keep in mind that most of our children are not able to get the vaccination at this time. While the urge is to give them all a big “welcome back” hug, we must put their safety above all else. I am masked when I work with them and we do our best to keep safe distances. Please help me keep our Parkway Kids healthy and safe!