God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.
That’s how we start each service at West Suffield Congregational. We repeat these words because they are uplifting and true. Everyone in the church understands that at times life is challenging. The world can be a tragic place, war seems ever present; and peace feels elusive. Despite all of this, we affirm the belief that God is good; that God yearns for us to do better, to do good in the world, and God longs for us to set our egos and worries aside so that we can be in relationship and make the world a better place through our acts. Robert Ingersoll wrote, “We rise by lifting others.” At WSCC, we tried to live those words.
As we get ready to close for the summer, we look forward to one special event. On August 18 we are opening the church for a 10 a.m. service. Two of our members asked if they could have their marriage blessed, so we decided to craft a service around the themes of love and commitment. We are overjoyed to be able to do this; anyone and everyone is invited, and when we have the service, we will be stepping into a new sanctuary.
Thanks to some very generous donations, and the hard work of our church Moderator, Sam Wolcott, our sanctuary will be repainted, and new carpet will be laid. Our sanctuary is so beautiful, but over the years, it has become worn. Since we painted the outside of the church and put in the new organ, it made sense to us that the sanctuary should be brightened too.
We hope that on our Rally Sunday, people will turn out to see the new sanctuary. When we work together, we are always amazed at the results; we feel as though we are living: “God is good all the time. All the time God is good,” and we feel so blessed. Our last service of the summer is June 23. There will be a Lakeside picnic on the 30th at Sunrise Park (10 a.m. start), and of course, the special service on the 18th.
I look forward to our next adventure. There always seems to be one around the corner. Blessings on your day, Pastor Denise.