Hello {FIRST_NAME|my friends}, I have enjoyed this week of trying to get 'my list' accomplished before Fitz and I leave for conference in Charlotte, Friday morning. I seem to be spending a lot of time on the computer planning and contacting people about summer worship and setting up meetings for when I return. It has been too hot for me to play golf. (Altho Fitz did manage to play on Monday.) It is a mixed blessing to plan vacation after conference. I am always exhausted after conference so it is good to not come back into preparation for a Sunday service. But it also means I'll be away for extra time. Thankfully we have my friend Mandy North coming for two weeks to share all her creativity with us. (She just graduated seminary at Union-PSCE. Be sure to congratulate her.) Then Denise Wilson with share the chancel with the ACOB Players on 7/14. I'm sorry to miss all the wonderful worship. Do you wonder how my week fills up so quickly? Here's a picture from earlier in the month when I helped with the Ashlawn 'Lawns2Lettuce4Lunch' Fiesta Luncheon. Those twice/year lunches are fun. The children love eating what they've grown and come back for 5,6th, and 7th helpings of salad!  Thanks to Sandy Horwitt who took this picture and special thanks to Joan Horwitt who puts all her energy into helping children learn how to grow their own food at the Reevesland Learning Garden! (our neighborhood's gem) During this month our family got to celebrate Father's day with our neighbors from Warrenton. All three of the children (Melody, Lowell, and Marnie, our neighbor) got their parents and significant others together for a fun lunch and afternoon at our house. That day everyone was posting pictures of their fathers on Facebook so I dug out one of my dad an posted it too. Here it is on the day he graduated from seminary. I was probably 4 years old. I just realized that tomorrow is the anniversary of my own ordination to ministry. I wwas ordained right before I led Annual Conference worship in WVA. That was quite an experience, as was preaching at Annual Conference in Pittsburgh. I wonder what my dad would have thought of those events? My dad died when he was 57 so my kids never got to meet their grandad Betz. Fortunately they had plenty of days with my mom and both of Fitz's parents. Who taught them alot about growing their own food. (Free summer garden labor otherwise known as 'a week at grandad's.) I realize how important our early learning is to our health and growth as adults. Healthy food, gardening, moral living, lives of service..all these values are instilled in us as children. Many of those experiences come from our church community. Yet we NEVER stop learning. At least I hope that is true. Do your understandings of the Bible grow as you grow? Do you 'hear' the childhood Bible favorites differently now that you understand metaphors? Do you try to keep learning? This August we will emphasize RENEWAL in our worship services and many people will help plan some exciting experiences of the New Testament. We are working on a day of biblical exploring for Sunday August 4. Put it on your calendar because you won't want to miss it. I know we will all learn something new. I'm off to get in a couple more visits in before I finish packing. You will stay on my mind and in my prayers while I'm away. Please keep us in yours and I'll see you in two weeks. (7/15 in the office.) TAKE PICTURES while I'm away, please! I try to post these messages on my blog and the church website. Link to my blog If you miss us, you can always catch up here on the web, Link to our website. I also change the pictures on the web and the church facebook page. We do try to post sermons either written or audio and sometimes both. See you in July, Pastor Nancy