Visit with the Harmons

Where you are, you are enjoying Spring.  Where we are, we enjoyed Spring for one day, a week
ago, and now we are back to winter. 

Easter was a great day.  When we got up about 6 am it was snowing and it snowed for about 3
hours.  We had to cancel our yearly trip up the Mount for Easter Sunrise and Communion services. 
But that was OK because we had observed Communion on the previous Thursday evening (Maundy
 Thursday).  The brief service was in the church auditorium and was well attended.  Friday was
exceptional in more ways than one.  We had a great Good Friday Breakfast (Gordon always does a
great job of preparing a full English breakfast for us).  Marion Dowding, Wendy Gregory and Pat
Williams worked very hard to make sure we all had a marvelous breakfast and superb fellowship.

Following breakfast, we walked to the Market Cross (10 am) for the Henley Community gathering
around the old cross to sing some hymns and have Scripture and other readings.  The wind was
, the chill went clear to the bone, and the service was very brief.  At 10:30 we were back in Henley
Baptist for the Good Friday Service.  Each of the churches were well represented.  Since I had preached
last year at this service, this year I had asked Graham Spicer from the Methodist Church to speak,
while I led the worship.  Father Patrick from the Catholic church read Scripture.  It was funny because
Graham had given us some Scriptures to be read.  Father Patrick didn’t bring a Bible and couldn’t find
the assigned Scripture (Numbers).  Someone told him that the Scripture was at the beginning of the
Bible (we all laughed).  Later I told him that one thing I liked about him was that he was a man that
knew his Bible backwords and forwards.  He laughed again.  Brian Jackson, church warden from the 
Church of England in Henley, led the prayers.

Easter Sunday service was well attended.  By the way, this was the kind of snow that Nadine really
enjoys.  By time to go to church, all the snow had melted away. 

2 weeks later, on Sunday morning it snowed about 3-4 inches.  But that did not deter folks from
attending church.  We had a great crowd.  I have started a series of sermons on Psalm 23 and have
enlisted a local artist to paint several paintings to go along with the theme.  Stan Adam and his wife
Joyce attend church from time to time.  When I found out he was an artist  I decided to see if he
would use his talent for the Lord (actually he was contracted by the Royal Art Museum (National
Gallery) to do 80 paintings).  Thus far, we have displayed one of the paintings.  It is of a shepherd
and some sheep in a meadow along side a body of quiet water.  Yesterday, during my sermon, I told
of an old version of Mary Had A Little Lamb.  As I introduced it (as I usually do when I use something
American), I asked if the folks knew about it.  They all acknowledged that they knew of Mary and her l
amb.  I continued, “Mary had a little lamb, it would have been a sheep.  But it went and joined the
Baptist church, and died from lack of sleep.”  I promise you, that they had not heard that version. 
After church, one of the men came up to me and told me another version.  “Mary had a little lamb,
and she had a bear. I have seen the little lamb many times, but have never seen the bear.”  Oh well,
you know those Brits.  Sometimes they have a tough time getting things right (like driving on the right
side of the road).

Three weeks ago I began an Alpha Course on Sunday evenings.  The course is going well and we have
averaged 14 each week.  Jenny Weale provides finger foods at the conclusion of the evening.  The
course is a DVD presentation by one of the main guys from Alpha.  Nicky Gumble entered Oxford and
Cambridge, training as a barrister (lawyer) and was an athiest.  While at Cambridge, he was introduced
to Christianity and now serves as a vicar (pastor) of a large church in London.  He is a charismatic
speaker and writer.  The course covers topics like: Who Is Jesus; Why Did Jesus Die; How Can I Be
Sure Of My Faith; Why and How Do I Pray; Why and How Should I Read the Bible; How Does God
Guide Us.  It is a ten week study on the introduction to Christianity.  Each attendee gets a workbook
 and after the viewing they are divided into discussion groups.  I am very happy that our church has
alllowed me to lead the class.

One other item:  A couple of months ago Nadine began to share with the church (on Sunday mornings)
a brief study of prayer.  It has been received very well and folks are looking forward to each teaching
time.  One of our men (a retired minister) has a ministry of sharing God’s Word to different countries
and people groups.  He has asked Nadine to send to him copies of her studies so he can include them
in his newsletter (it goes around the world).  They even support a radio ministry located in Annandale,
VA.  I am excited for Nadine and this new ministry she has developed.  She will tell you more about a
ladies Bible Study she is also leading. 

In God’s love,
Dick

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NADINE’S CORNER

Hi everyone,

I repeated my news on the next blog, so just have a couple of fun
from Britain to share with you at this time: