December Subscriber Letter
Dear Reconciler family,
In this letter I will focus on the topic of Freedom.
Jannice and I were invited to the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Richmond Grace Fellowship Congregation in Richmond, Virginia on November 8th, 9th and 10th. The weekend began with a delightful reception on Friday Evening at the home of Associate Pastor Robert Brockmeier and his wife Gilda along with their children Robert and John. There was lots of fun and fellowship. We shared stories. But most of all we celebrated our liberty in Christ.
On Saturday, I was invited by Pastors Bill Winn and Robert Brockmeier on a tour of the Old City of Richmond along with GCI President Joseph Tkach. What a wonderful and historical tour. It was highlighted by a tour of St. John’s and Henrico Parish Church. “It is the oldest church in Richmond and the mother of all the many Episcopal churches in the area” according to their brochure. The Henricho Parish began
in 1611.
There we were thrilled by the reenactment of one of the most significant events in our nation’s history. It was the Virginia Convention of 1
775. Patrick Henry was recognized as the spiritual leader of the Revolution. And we’re all familiar with the “give me liberty or give me death!” statement by Henry. And we all know the end results of this and other meetings along with the Revolutionary War. We became an independent nation. FREEDOM from the Throne of England! Liberty!
On Saturday evening we enjoyed a wonderful buffet accompanied by music and dancing! Music and dancing always seem to add life to such an event! David danced before the Lord! And so did we. DJ Kurt Schneid delighted us with diverse music.
Sunday was also very special as we had the opportunity to worship the Lord together in music and song following a delicious brunch. Worship leader Ivan Lane and his praise team stirred our souls and lifted our spirits as we CELEBRATED OUR LIBERTY, OUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST!
I gave a sermon on the topic THE ANCHOR HOLDS–speaking of Jesus our Liberator. I was introduced by ORM Richmond Area Chapter Leader Charles Adams. And Grace Communion International President Joseph Tkach in his message highlighted some of the great things God is doing in our fellowship. In a power point presentation he showed some uplifting slides of joyful brethren around the world who have the same freedom in Christ that we have.
And to end the Richmond trip, Jannice and I came to the lobby of our hotel to wait for a shuttle to the airport. We saw a distinguished looking African American man waiting also. It was about 5:15 AM and he had just missed his 5:00 o’clock shuttle. We struck up a conversation with him and discovered that he was a FREEDOM RIDER during the 1960s. His name was Hank Thomas, and he told us he had appeared on the Oprah Winfred Show
on May 4, 2011 with 177 other FREEDOM RIDERS. Mr. Thomas is a businessman and a member of the Presidential Advisory Council. That was like an EXCLAMATION POINT ON A WEEKEND THAT FOCUSED ON LIBERTY.
In John 8:36 Jesus tells us we are free! And we celebrate His birth this month!
Thank you for you kind and loyal support always.
Love in Him,
