Home

   Surprises sometimes require some degree of planning.  If you were with us on Easter morning on April 4th you were witness to many surprises.  Good surprises, too!  After the Gospel was read and the sermon was preached we moved our service into the baptism of Courtney and her two sons, Dakota & Elliot.  It was a wonderful surprise!  To feel Christ’s presence in the water & the Word.  To know that God was blessing the three of them in their new lives in Jesus Christ.  What a better time to baptize then Easter morning?  To know that He is Risen, He is Risen, Indeed!  That is a celebration!

   After the baptism our worship moved into the welcoming of our new members and this is the part of the service where a surprise did require some degree of planning.  Shaun, one of our new members, came in months before and asked if he could propose to Teranie during worship on Easter Sunday.  At first, I had no idea logistically how this might work.  Could we do this?  If I’ve learned anything about Our Saviour’s over these last 3 years—we are an open, fun, quirky bunch who is willing to try just about anything in worship.  We had prayers over the group of our new members---recognizing them in the body of Christ & celebrating their presence in our community with the sponsors near them, praying over their heads with laying of hands. It was then that I asked—do any of the new members have anything they'd like to say? To which Courtney, the newly baptized, looked at me shaking her head all nervous! Her shakes indicated—no way, no how, please don’t make me speak in front of all of these people!!!  Then Shaun surrounded by his sponsors and fellow new members said, “yes, I do....” He pulled out a red rose and handed it to Teranie. All of the adult ladies in the congregation were given a white rose as they came into Easter worship.  He said, “ladies will you lift up your white roses...to me, Teranie, all these women are beautiful in their own way....but to me, you are the red rose, you stand out amongst all the other roses....” He got down on one knee & asked her, will you meet me back here on this altar, will you marry me? She cried, everyone in the pews cried. “Oh my,” she said, “yes!!” Shock!  Surprise!  It was beautiful and that is what Easter is all about—our new lives together in Christ.  For what was one dead is now alive.  Shaun then thanked the congregation for being so welcoming to them....he thanked Betty Lou & Felix Meijia and then me. Talk about an Easter Surprise, huh? That is what Easter is all about, our new life in Christ. Betty Lou Meijia said after worship (along with many others echoing the same sentiment)—that was such a wonderful Easter. We celebrated Christ Risen Indeed and....the whole thing the proposal was beautiful.  Icing on the cake!
   Then life always has a way of going full circle. After worship, Shaun asked me to go to the 4th floor of the hospital to see his grandmother who was dying. She was able to watch the proposal on video because Shaun had taped it for her. We were able to be with her & pray with this sweet old lady.  Her kidneys were shutting down....we asked Christ to be with her at this time and to call her Home when it was His time. A few days later, his grandma, Irene, was moved to the Hospice house and was called to her Heavenly home.

   In my humble opinion, this is what BEING the church is all about.  This is what being our church FAMILY is all about too.  One of the joys of my call as your pastor is that I am invited to be a part of some of the most special and unique parts of your lives.  Birth, death, graduation, marriage, funerals, hospice, hospital trips, baptisms, visits at home, dinner parties, worship, Bible study…the list could go on and on and on and on.  Thank you.

   I give God thanks for you. 

Pastor Emily