In Line With The Word

Surprises Galore!

2012-01-02T11:41:00.000-05:00

Check out a few of the surprises we shared in December!

Kristi is a single mom who works hard to provide
for her family and inspires us all. From the smile on
her face it looks like she enjoyed our little surprise.
The new tool bag with all of the goodies enclosed will hopefully
make all of those DIY projects a bit easier!

Charlie turned 70! What fun to reminisce
with a photo cake from his siblings. He was
about 7 when this picture was taken! What a cutie!

Our team also celebrated his birthday with a couple
of his favorite sweet treats...cake and candy. It was
a real winning combination!

We were surprised with a visit from Melinda's
beautiful daughter Christine! It was a treat having her
with us for a fun filled evening! I think that she
would agree!

December was a month when great memories
were shared and new memories were created!
God has blessed me with the very best friends ever!

Sally

Good News of Great Joy!

2011-11-14T20:47:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe but we've supported
Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child
since 2001. If you're not familiar with this
it's simple! Pray for the millions of children who
will receive shoe box gifts! Fill an empty shoe box
with toys, gifts, school supplies, personal items,
clothes and more and see lives changed, many
eternally! Over the years our strategy and
approach may have changed a bit but we are
as excited and passionate about this shoe box
ministry project today, as we were way back in 2001!

Anyone who knows anything about our group
knows that we love to eat and can make anything
a time for fun! Even when we work hard, we manage
to have a great time doing it! This year we were
joined by two of our Growth Groups who wanted
to show the love of Jesus to others through their
service. We were thrilled to have them join us and
check out those smiles. I think they had a great time!

We worked as teams! Charlie and Brian made
sure that the OCC cartons were assembled,
filled, labeled, taped and wheeled out to our
staging area! The guys never stopped and did
a fantastic job!

Laurie showcased her proven shoebox packing
skills for her team! She was joined by a
hard working crew who managed to pack 40-50
additional boxes! Check out this box of goodies! I can
picture the smiling face of the little one who
receives this special box filled with so much love,
can't you?

Over the years, we've invited people to "Adopt
a Box" and it has always been a huge success
allowing many people who couldn't get
out to shop to participate. They make a cash donation
and we have volunteers who do their shopping for them.
This provides us with lots of toys, school supplies,
clothes, and many more goodies for us to pack!

As Laurie's team worked on packing new shoe boxes,
Vivian's team helped us check all the shoe boxes that had
been carefully packed by people attending LAOG! Those
"Adopt a Box" donations make it possible for us to add
more to boxes that might just need a little helping hand.
Sometimes, we simply add a bag of candy! What child
doesn't like a taste of some sweet thing!

After 2 very focused hours working, we had more
than 28 cartons filled with shoe boxes, ready
for pick up!

For the last few years, an area Christian elder
care facility has been our benefactor, paying
for the cost of all of our shipping. Starting last
year, our blessings multiplied when the facility
sent their guys to pick up our contribution.
So today, Al and Marcos arrived to pick up
the boxes! Wow! They came with their pick-ups
and were thrilled to discover that they would have
to make a second trip because we had so many
cartons.

This year we also were priviledged to be
joined by another local church! What a
blessing to be able to tell them that their
shipping tab was being covered along with ours!
Imagine, in just a few short minutes,
Al and Marcos took away a total of 459
shoe boxes!

We thank God for all of you who pray, pack shoe
boxes and volunteer your time or give financially!

Here's an idea to insure that next year is an even
greater success! Why not shop all during the year! When you
spot a great sale, pick up a few items to stash away.
Back to school time is another great time to stock up!
Shop smart all year and the possibilities are
endless!

Striving to live In Line With The Word!

Mindy would be so proud of me!

2011-10-22T18:05:00.000-04:00

My friends and family know that I am NOT a pet friendly person. In fact, my home is declared a "PET FREE ZONE". So why I agreed to dog sitting is beyond me....

Anyway last weekend I watched two dogs. The instructions were so simple, I figured...."hey, even I could do this." It was easy, all I had to do was let the dogs out of their crate, have them go outside, and let them back in. If only it was that easy.

Here are my two new friends...Jimmy and Maddy! No wonder Jimmy never came when I called him...his name isn't Johnny!!!

Jimmy is a sweet beagle...he went out, came in, ate well and loved to be petted. Only once did he not want to go back into the crate. He just flopped on the floor and wouldn't move. So I slid him to the crate bit by bit. Thank goodness for hardwood floors.

Then there is Maddy....

For the first time in my life, I found a dog that was more afraid of me that I was of him. I felt so bad for Maddy (wait, did I really say that?) On Friday night, she willingly RAN outside but wanted nothing with coming back in as long as I was there. Thank goodness Brian came with me. For 45 minutes, in the pitch black and the rain, we tried to find and get the pup in the house. Not to mention the only flashlight I had was the one on my IPhone. Getting the dog in the house involved, me climbing up an embankment, sloshing through the puddles in the backyard, a dog crate outside, two brooms, and lots of patience. You just had to be there to appreciate the true comic relief in the situation!!!

So Saturday am, I was determined to make Maddy my friend. Before heading to let the dogs out, I stopped at Target to get a leash and a big box of MILKBONES!!! Even that didn't work... all I did was break every rule and feed Maddy in the crate. Maddy wouldn't even come out of the crate. Poor thing just stood there shaking.

By Saturday afternoon, I was more than confident that Maddy wouldn't be so afraid....NOT! Although at one point with lots of patiences and many, many milkbones, she got on my lap and then licked my face. UGH!!! This wasn't just a little lick...she licked my mouth when it was open. GROSS!!! Of course, I didn't want to freak her out so I didn't even jump up, run quickly to the bathroom and rinse my mouth out. Unfortunately, her excited was short lived and she quickly reverted to her panic stricken shaking!

I guess it wasn't too bad...I'm watching their dogs AND children soon....Silly People!!!

Laurie

October Fun

2011-10-15T12:11:00.002-04:00

We always have fun while celebrating special events
or serving others. Last night we enjoyed celebrating
Melinda's birthday with a delicious cake and ice cream!
Check out a couple of pictures of our birthday girl!

Melinda decided to give us a spelling test!

Though, I don't think Melinda liked her Birthday hat,
she was a good sport and kept it on until I got
proof that she actually wore it!

After enjoying Melinda's birthday celebration, we started
packing shoe boxes. It's time again for Operation Christmas
Child and we love working on this service/mission project as a team!

The advance preparation helps make things
move along smoothly and the packing great fun!

Karen was tired after a tough week at work but
certainly got her second wind while thinking about
the kids who would be blessed because of the shoe box
gift.

Our guys always step up and help where ever and
when ever needed and really do a great job too!

Once the boxes were filled , we were back
to our Crazy Love study!

We love our Friday 'mental health' night!
Visit us again soon!

The In Line With the Word team

A Helping Hand

2011-10-03T12:21:00.001-04:00

Excitement grows as the transformation of the class-
rooms off of our church fellowship hall continues!

Last week we began our work in a room that is
shared by young and old alike. It's a small room that
needed to have lots less furniture and a bit of organization.
In just a few hours we managed to accomplish a great deal.
Though we haven't yet painted this room, check out
our progress for yourself.

Our goal is to help get all of the classrooms done
in the next few months! Check back with us again soon
for more exciting transformations!

We're serving In Line With The Word!

Kids Suite Part 2

2011-10-01T19:50:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the delay in posting about the transformation of the kids suite at church. Sally and I were anxious to get the other half of the suite completed but we knew we needed help. Brian was on vacation so we recruited him to help with the room. Charlie is always a willing participant as well. We are blessed to have husbands with such servant hearts!

Finished Project

Loving the color!

And this is the work crew that spent hours removing furniture, cleaning baseboard, washing walls, patching holes, painting the walls, framing pictures, and staging the room.

Sally patching the walls

Brian working hard on vacation

Charlie is such a big help!

...and if you haven't figured it out....I know to take the pictures...then I don't have to be in the posts!!!

Don't tell the guys, but we have plans to re-do EVERY room downstairs.

As we serve...we remain

In Line With The Word

CH...CH...CH...CHANGES

2011-09-04T19:51:00.001-04:00

These piggy toes are T.I.R.E.D.!!! Not to mention the rest of the body attached to the foot and the rest of the piggy toes involved in this project!!

Our church is going through an amazing transformation under our new Lead Pastor, Paul Martin. Starting today we changed the format for Kid's World. The kiddos are being checked in directly to Kid's World and have their own worship service, large group teaching and small group sessions. It was wonderful and the little ones seemed to really embrace the changes.

This change involved creating a "4-5 Year Old Suite". Sally, Charlie, Jay and Laurie worked diligently this past week to get this suite ready for Sunday.

We removed stickers off the walls...

Moved file cabinets from room to room. Our new best friend is "Dolly"!

Jay prepped the walls for paint....

Oh my....we sure collect a lot of belongings in our rooms....

I thought Sally was sleeping on the job...but she was scrubbing the baseboard. Our other best friend is "Magic Sponges"

Charlie showed up to help paint and do whatever we asked.

Thank you Jay for spending two days painting the room for us....you're the BEST!!

We scrubbed all the wooden chairs..

Then they got a couple coats of polyurethane....now they are looking brand new!

Jay thought we got breaks....hahahahahahahaha!!! He must be union!

We even framed all our posters...no more tape on our walls!!

The Rainbows have a new bulletin board ready to go...

We cleaned up the second room of the suite until we can paint it....

After two exhausting days...it's starting to look A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

The kiddos loved their new suite today....

Room #1 of the "Suite" finished!!!

Stay Tunes for Part 2 of the Suite

Our Excellent Adventure!

2011-08-27T11:54:00.000-04:00

We're excited about our next study 'Crazy Love' by Francis Chan
but since the DVD Resource Guide hasn't arrived, we decided to
enjoy a 'play date' together. We met at Mulligan's in Sterling for
some fun! It was a tense competition between the gals and the guys!

Just kidding! We girls don't keep score and since we're quite
creative in our techniques, there is no pressure!

As always, we did run into a few obstacles. Not to
worry, they didn't slow us down or have any impact
on our scores!

Every once in a while, I enjoyed a great hole!

Check out why I'm excited....

While the girls bonded...

the guys competed!

Even though they kept score, they had lots of fun. Check
out best pals Jay & Mike!

After a nail biting contest, we headed out on the next leg
of our adventure. Jay and Melinda took us on a scenic
ride through the country back roads to Rota-Spring Ice Cream!

Once we were full with the delicious home made ice cream,
we ventured out back for a real treat! The last little guy is my
favorite!

1 + 1= 1

2011-06-21T09:20:00.001-04:00

Saturday evening, Melinda & Jay exchanged
marriage vows! No words are necessary.
The pictures speak for themselves! Enjoy!

Tomorrow's The Big Day!

2011-06-17T19:41:00.001-04:00

This time last year, we were all so excited
when Jay & Melinda told the world that
they were an item!

I can't tell you how we all felt when we saw
God's touch on their lives!

A lot has happened in a year, and
tomorrow we will celebrate as they
exchange marriage vows! Our team
of friends were happy to be able to do
something special. Check it out for your-
self!

Have you guessed yet? Have you?

If you guessed that we baked a cake for
each table for the reception, you're right!
Thankfully we have Mindy as our resident
baker! And all those years, as I grew up, watching
my Mom make wedding cakes, finally paid
off with a few ideas that helped things move along!
Check out our team in action!

We even had our very own cheer leaders!

I think that even we were thrilled with the
end results! It was another special time shared
with friends!

Tomorrow's the Big day! We can hardly wait!

Karen's Special day

2011-06-12T14:09:00.000-04:00

Thanks Karen for letting us share in your
birthday celebration! It was so nice to have
great weather finally and to be able to
enjoy some time out on our screen porch!

When I looked at the pictures from Karen's party,
I was surprised at how serious we all are! Then I
remembered that we had 3 or 4 conversations
going on at the same time. Honestly, trying
to sort through everything wasn't easy! We're
baking and decorating 20 cakes for Melinda & Jay's
wedding in a few days and were trying to iron out
the plans for our getting together Thursday & Friday.
So be sure to check back in for the next posting.
It's sure to be a laugh riot!

Class of 2011

2011-06-11T10:49:00.002-04:00

We are so proud of Kristi McIntyre who
just received her Associates Degree from
Mt.Wachusett Community College! Kristi,
a single mom, works hard to provide for
her family!

What fun celebrating her great accomplishments
with a surprise party! Kristi works a full time job,
takes great care of her kids and manages to
attend college. WOW!

This is how we normally see Kristi every time
a camera comes out! You might think that
she's in the Witness Protection Plan. Trust us
she's not!

This is our beautiful proud graduate! Kudos
Kristi! We are so proud of you!

32!

2011-05-23T15:26:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, our prayer group, family members
and a few new friends gathered to enjoy a delicious
meal and to spend some precious time 'catching up'
and in some cases getting to know one another.
The weather was cloudy and cool but we all
enjoyed a great time together and honestly were
thankful that it wasn't raining!

Let me make a few introductions!

Robin & Steve Bibeau were the first to arrive
and Robin served as photographer! Thanks Robin
for all of our great photos.

Marguerite and David Blomquist always have
a great time!

It's almost Memorial Day and check out how
Brenda & Wally are dressed! Yikes, the temperature
never hit 60!

But nothing throws a damper on this fun loving
crew! Donna & Ralph Ricker are always ready
for a good time.

Denise & Rick Shatos have become
regulars at our get cookouts! What fun having
them on board!

This good looking young couple are Tony & Renee
Benoit. Renee delights in telling everyone that I was
her teacher! It's true. More than 30 years ago!

Ginny & Jim Sullivan love good fellowship

and we love them.

Ed & Cindy Littlejohn live just up the road a bit!

Even though Cindy was home recuperating,

Ed joined us and helped Charlie with the grilling!

Thanks Ed! Feel better Cindy!

Check out this cute couple! Meet Pastors Paul

and Ann Martin! We're happy that they had

a chance to unwind and simply enjoy some down

time.

Ann's Mom, Anna Mae, joined in the fun too!

She just moved here from Iowa and lives at Life

Care in Littleton. We were all blessed to have

Anna Mae visit us and I'm so glad that she

wore her winter jacket and brought along her quilt!

Paul and Ann's daughter Tiffany and her husband
Tyler joined us. So did Paul & Ann's daughter Tara!
They all flew in from Iowa for a few days visting their
family! Tyler is home from Iraq and is recovering
from knee surgery. Earlier this year we had sent Tyler
a "Buddy Box" while he was serving in Iraq.

Tara ! Where's Tara? I can't find her picture!
Tara I really enjoyed sharing our home with
you and sensing your interest and delight in it's history!

We first met Fran & Paul LeBlanc last Fall!
So glad to have them back and to introduce
them to a few new friends!

Debi and Ken Kifer joined us for the
first time. I hope that they enjoyed a fabulous
time and will make many return visits!

We all, 32 of us, sat and relaxed! We ate great food!
Some met new people and started new friendships! It was a
day that Charlie and I will long remember!Thanks
friends!

Next!

2011-05-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

We've finished our study of John Bevere's
'A Heart Ablaze' and Kim, Mike & Mindy
are back with us permanently, so we met for
a great supper together to discuss and decide
on what comes next!

Just in case you're a new visitor to our
home teams blog, let me introduce you
to our stars! From l-r Jay, Melinda, Karen
and Kim!

And meet Laurie, Mike & Mindy!

Brian had the best seat in the house with
plenty of elbow room! Kristi ,our only member
missing on Friday night, just graduated with
an Associates Degree. We are so proud of
her and what she's accomplished!

No gathering would be complete without
Charlie, my better half! He is a fabulous
Host. Oh! And did I mention that he does
all of the cooking? Charlie, everyone always
tips their hat to you for a job well done!

After enjoying all of the great food, we decided
that our next study, to begin next week is "When
God's People Pray" by Jim Cymbala!

In Line With the Word!
Sally

A Spring Shower!

2011-05-17T10:03:00.001-04:00

We recently had the chance to share a special
morning celebrating Melinda and Jay's upcoming
wedding. It wasn't a surprise Shower so Melinda
arrived relaxed and ready to enjoy some quality
girlfriend time!

Melinda's daughter Christine and best pal Laurie planned
a fun filled morning for the bride-to-be and her family
and gal pals.

Melinda's sister Maureen joined in the celebration.
Can you tell that they're sisters? Two beautiful
gals both inside and on the outside.

Jay's family was there to welcome Melinda to the family
and his neighbors to check out who would be moving
into their neighborhood! Melinda got 'thumbs up' all around!
No surprise to those of us who know Melinda so well!

Our home team was well represented. Kim and
Mindy are like twins...never apart for long!

Of course Laurie and Melinda are like two
peas in a pod! It's fun to watch these two when
they get into 'action'. Watch out for lots of
surprises and laughs.

No get-together for this group would be complete
without food and plenty of it! We enjoyed a
tasty buffet and topped it off with dessert! Who
decided that you can't have cake with breakfast?

Melinda had fun as she opened some pretty
and frilly gifts! We'll leave it at that.

More great memories! We love you
Melinda and Jay and we take delight
in your happiness and future together!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:11:00.002-04:00

Together Again

2011-05-04T19:03:00.000-04:00

Since our team was together again last Friday
night, we were all smiles and ready to continue
with our study of the John Bevere series.

We delighted in hearing all about the small
group that Kim, Mike and Mindy were a part
of for the last semester at their church but we're
really happy to have them back home with us.

Some of us ham it up for the camera (Mike) and

then we have Kristi, our shy gal. We love teasing

her and always introduce her as being in the Witness

Protection Plan. Of course it's just a joke but she is

so fast and always manages to avoid the camera.

Some things never change!

It's Springtime in My Own Back Yard!

2011-05-03T09:23:00.000-04:00

I just love Spring and the renewal that it brings.
Yesterday, while tackling our 'To Do' list, I was
amazed to see so many signs of Spring in my
own yard. The pictures speak for themselves!
Enjoy!

Dance for the Resurrecton

2011-04-22T18:36:00.005-04:00

Gotta watch this video! Amazing!!! Just click on the link below.

My Spring Cleaning Adventure!

2011-04-12T14:04:00.002-04:00

This posting has nothing at all to do with our home
team! It's just that I had such a good time that I
decided to share a few of my pictures from
my weekend 'Spring Cleaning Adventure'!

I don't know about you but I am always amazed at
how much time and effort spring cleanup involves.
I do a really thorough job in the fall before the cold
and snow make their arrival yet I still spend days
every spring getting the yard raked before I can even
tackle spreading yards of bark mulch or repairing
all of my flower beds.

So, I had already raked and hauled brush for 2 days and
was really sore and tired but then a fun 'toy' arrived
being towed behind a pick-up!

My brother-in-law loves heavy equipment and
this boom lift is his newest toy and we put it to very
good use. We are still working to clear the severe
damage from the ice storm of a couple years ago.
Last year we cut down more than 40 trees, burned
the brush and gave away lots and lots of fire wood.
This year , when David offered to bring over the boom
lift ,we decided that it was an ideal way to
reach some of the 'widow makers' and to get some
much needed tree trimming done.

David invited me to pilot us up and down, so as you
can see, I am listening intently. It was another adventure,
not nearly as scary as the day I took my first solo flight at
Fitchburg Airport or as exciting as the day that I went
up for my first hot air balloon or helicopter ride but it
was really a different experience. Since I don't like
ladders, I was surprised how comfortable I felt.

What fun and it was so easy. Just a couple of
switches and a joy stick and we were able to
reach what otherwise would have involved
lugging big, heavy ladders, lots of climbing
and dangerous working conditions.

I'll always remember this years' Spring Cleaning
Adventure' .

Posted by Sally

Baby, Birthdays and Buddy Boxes

2011-03-23T17:12:00.001-04:00

We serve an AWESOME God! He formed this
group that I have come to love so much! We're
there for one another through the good times,
the bad times and the every day stuff that life brings!

We were all excited to be together again. Mike and Mindy
have been participating in a group study at Kim's house on
Friday's for the last few weeks, so we planned a special
Sunday afternoon date for us to celebrate together. Our
group will be back together in a few more weeks.

Food plays an important part of everything we do.
This Sunday was no different. The food was great.
Since Brian and I celebrate March birthdays, we
enjoyed being serenaded!

After a great meal, Mindy helped us pull off a great big
surprise for her honey!

Mike will become a grandfather very soon, so
we threw a baby shower. It was such fun watching
Mike open all of the many beautiful gifts for his baby
grand daughter. We look forward to meeting her
and watching her grow up as a strong a beautiful
girl. We know that Mike and Mindy will really
provide lots and lots of love and guidance.

When Mike finished opening all of the cute stuff,
it was time to pack some Buddy Boxes to ship to
Iraq. Today (Wednesday), I received a request from
Tyler Hackett for 4 Boxes! I was so excited because
we received our very first request for boxes for a
couple of gals serving. The boxes are off in the mail
and will likely arrive in Iraq in a week or so.

We strive to live our lives
In Line With The Word

The Pastor, The Rod, and The Staff

2011-03-14T06:36:00.000-04:00

Last month ( I know I'm delinquent in posting), we had the official installation of our new Lead Pastor, Paul Martin and his wife, Ann. We were honored to have Pastor Bob Wise come to our church to officiate this special moment. Not only is he our District Superintendent but also our own Amy Wise's father-in-law. (such a small world)

Pastor Wise preached on The Rod and The Staff and how important they are to a pastor. He shared that the rod is and instrument of discipline while the staff is an instrument of leadership. He then gave Pastor Paul a staff to keep as a symbol of how he should lead his flock, establishing boundaries, rescue those gone astray, and encourage the church body. (personally I am thankful he got the staff and not the rod).

Pastor Wise and the deacons prayed over Pastor Paul and Ann then he annointed them.

Ann is going to be a phenonmenal leader for the woman and families of our body. She comes to Leominster with years of ministry experience of her own, serving as a missionary and translating childrens' program into other languages. We can't wait for Ann to be here full-time!!!

Pastor Paul has already begun to be a leader of change at LAOG. Now don't get me wrong...he's not changing things just for the sake of changing them. He is implementing changes that will allow LAOG to effectively reach the lost of our community, our city and the world. We are going to be a body of believers that will make Christ relevant in the 21st century!

We are encouraged! We are thankful! We are blessed!

Thank you Lord for sending Paul and Ann Martin to Leominster Assembly of God.

Our Movie Adventure!

2011-03-08T13:27:00.001-05:00

Last Friday, we took a brief 'field trip' to see
The Grace Card. If you haven't heard about it yet
or seen it, we would encourage you to find
a movie theater in your area and check it out for
yourself!

I'm not sure if the smiles are because we're together,
because of the movie or because of the great movie
theater snacks? You decide! I'd like to think that it's
all of the above!

We arrived early and had a chance to sit and relax
before they started rolling all of the coming attractions,
including another movie that we'll likely go to check out
for ourselves Soul Surfer coming out early in April!
Though we loved our night out watching a great movie,
we were very disappointed to see only about 2 dozen
people in the theater on a Friday evening for a wholesome
Christian movie. Since, we tend to complain that there
is nothing good to watch, I think that we have a
responsibility to support the good works produced.
What do you think?

We always manage to find time for some fun
and lots of laughs. Melinda and Laurie are
usually among the culprits leading the way for
us to follow!

I give The Grace Card 2 thumbs up or 5 stars!
I don't want to give anything away, but in a nutshell,
"everything can change in an instant and take a
lifetime to unravel."This movie is about the power
of forgiveness, the rebuilding of relationships and
the healing from wounds by receiving and extending
God's Grace! Check it out! You won't be disappointed!

If you've seen this movie, please post a comment
with your opinion or review!

It's Official!

2011-02-26T11:48:00.000-05:00

Last night we got to celebrate two special people and
two special events. Jay is another year older and of course
is another year wiser.

That explains why this week he asked Melinda
to marry him! Of course she accepted!

We're all thrilled! Congratulations Melinda and Jay!

Missing Our Friends

2011-02-13T12:55:00.000-05:00

Hurry back to us soon Kim, Mindy and Mike.

Kim can find anything to be a VBS prop

Mike' s in training to be a grandpa

Mindy taking time for sun and fun

His First Visit!

2011-02-12T09:44:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we welcomed our new
pastor at LAOG and last night he stopped in for a
surprise visit and enjoyed lots of laughs and some great
conversation. It was a nice chance for everyone to
get to know one another a bit better. We used to joke
when Pastor Harv stopped by for a visit, that we
prayed that I wouldn't get fired as our group leader
and our group wouldn't be disbanded! You see, we
really don't fit into a mold. While we came together to
draw closer to God and one another, we make sure that
we have plenty of fun doing it. As Jay puts it, Friday night is
our mental health night and I think that Pastor Paul got
a sense of that.

It was a fun evening though quite a bit quieter
than usual since Kim, Mike and Mindy are off
for a few weeks, doing their very own small group
study with friends who attend Crossroads Community
Church! Laurie was home nursing a cold!

We have come to realize that we really aren't
complete when even one of our group members
is away! We have become like a family and have been
through a lot together these last 2 years, both happy
and sad times. How wonderful to know we're always
there for each another. Life is good!

A Happy Anniversary

2011-02-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

It's almost impossible to pull off a surprise for
Laurie but we actually were successful this time.

A healthy sense of humor is certainly a requirement for
everyone in this group.

It looks like Laurie's really loving this special moment
while Brian is focused on sharing Mindy's world
famous Ribbon cake with us all.

Check out these 'love birds'.
Happy Anniversary Laurie and Brian!

Posted by the In Line With The Word team

Off to Iraq

2011-02-05T09:41:00.000-05:00

No! Our home team isn't heading off to Iraq but our
first 'Buddy Boxes' in 2011 are packed and ready
for shipping to Iraq. But let's start at the beginning!

Last night everyone arrived with bags filled with everything
needed to fill our first 5 boxes for this year. We hope to fill
and ship boxes every month to service men and/or women
who don't receive packages from home.

We start every Friday evening together with food
and fellowship. So last night before packing our
boxes, we enjoyed a nice pot luck supper together.

After a short celebration that I'll post about at
another time, we sorted out all of the supplies
everyone purchased and we were almost ready.

Do these pictures remind you of past postings
when we pack for Operation Christmas Child?
I wish that you could see and experience the
fun we have doing this.

While we packed boxes, Charlie cleaned up his
kitchen. He really is the BEST!

With the boxes packed, and I mean packed, they
were ready for the final touch before the boxes
were closed and sealed for shipping.

Inside each box we send a Thank You from our group!
We each write a personal note and include our blogspot
address hoping to hear back from the service member
who receives their very own Buddy Box!

I have to admit, it's always exciting to know the person
who is receiving the box! The first Buddy Box of 2011
is being shipped to SGT Tyler Hackett (Pastor Paul and
Ann's son-in-law) who is serving in Iraq!

We are thankful for the sacrifice and service of the
brave American men and women stationed around the
world!

Posted by the In Line With The Word team

Our New Pastor

2011-01-31T20:03:00.000-05:00

We are rejoicing in God's faithfulness today!!! Many of us in our small group attend Leominster Assembly of God. We have had an interim pastor for the past 9 months. The first 5 months were a time of turmoil, division, and uncertainty. Then he arrived!!! Pastor Paul Martin agreed to come on board for a month and help us begin the healing process. Pastor Paul is a man who only wants to serve God where ever God calls him...and God called him to Leominster. Woohoo!!!

Last night we had a meeting to confirm our new pastor. Not only did he want to hear about what the membership had to say...he is interested in what the non-members had to say too! Everyone got to vote (of course, only member votes counted). We are so excited that Pastor Paul and his wife Ann have been confirmed as pastor at Leominster Assembly.

Pastor Paul, Ann, and two of his daughters (Tara and Tiffany) waited in the office while we took care of business. The family entered to a standing ovation (further confirmation) with the deacon board behind. Too bad you can't hear the hooting and hollering going on in the auditorium. It is amazing that in the short 4 months he has been here, there has been much healing in our body. Truly a miracle!!!

Ann and Pastor Paul shared with the church body for a short while. They are a couple that have many years of pastoral ministry experience in the mission field and in leadership. Together...they are going to be a dynamic shepherding team. As many have said....hold on tight!!!

Pastor Bob Wise, our District Superintendent, was gracious and let us present some welcoming gifts to the family. Melinda and Laurie had been planning for a few days to welcome these "Cub cheering, Bear loving" fans to "Bawstun"!!

Don't they look happy to be part of the Red Sox nation!!! Now we will have to educate them on all things New England! He'll be wearing a Brady jersey by the Fall.

Pastor Paul is all about reaching the lost with all tools...technology is one of them! He is sooooo excited about his new IPad!!! Ann is excited because she knows he's a good sharer....otherwise we'll have to send him to Sally's Sunday School class for a quick lesson.

Welcome Pastor Paul and Ann. We can't wait for both of you to be here full time!!

And of course, we can't wait to meet the rest of the family! Thanks Tara and Tiffany for being here for the weekend.

Buddy Box Donations

2011-01-22T10:38:00.000-05:00

We're preparing for our Feb.4th get together
when we'll be packing our 1st Buddy Boxes for
shipment to Kevin Bell in Iraq. Kevin will distribute
them to the guys or gals who would love to receive
a package from home! Our stash of goodies is
growing but since we've had people ask if they can
help, I decided to list a variety of supplies that
are commonly being requested by our young men
and women serving overseas.

As of today, we have lots of snacks, TP, deoderant,
razors and shampoo! Our goal for this shipment is
to FILL 4 boxes!

Travel Size Personal:
Baby wipes, white crew socks, razors, shaving
cream, foot ointment, foot inserts, deodorant, nail
clippers, lip balm, toothpaste & toothbrushes,
eye wash, nasal spray, bug repellent, hand sanitizer
toilet paper, q-tips ( to clean their guns) and boxer
shorts.

Entertainment:
Frisbee, balls, hand held games, cards, squirt guns,
books, magazines about sports and cars, disposable
cameras, AAA, AA and C batteries, brain teasers.

Food:
Anything individually wrapped, candy, gum, trail mix,
protein bars, tuna, chicken and ham snack kits, cookies,
peanut butter crackers, cheese & crackers,
pudding (non refrigerated kind), single serving Propel
or Gatorade, beef jerky.

Buddy Boxes for our soldiers

2011-01-09T21:26:00.001-05:00

Kevin with John and Sue.

For those of you who don't know Kevin Bell, let me introduce him to you. Kevin and his family use to live in Leominster and attended Leominster Assembly of God before they moved to Florida. God called Kevin to attend Valley Forge Christian College. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he serves as a chaplain. In December, Kevin was deployed to Iraq to serve our country and minister to the men and women serving abroad.

Many of you remember that when Kim and Chip's son, Doug, was deployed we sent boxes filled with supplies and treats to the soldiers in Doug's unit. We have decided that we will once again start filling boxes and send them to Kevin. Kevin will make sure that any soldier who is in need will receive a "Buddy Box". This is a way of showing our support for those brave men and women who give selflessly of themselves to protect our freedom.

Kevin standing in front of Sadam Hussein's old palace

Please pray for Kevin and all our soldiers!!! If you want to follow Kevin's "adventures" in Iraq, we have added a link on the side to his blog.

As we serve...we remain
In Line With the Word

Ringing in 2011

2011-01-01T10:18:00.017-05:00

Happy New Year!

What better way to say farewell to
the old and to welcome in the new
than with your best friends.

Kristi brought her grandson along! Mike's
in heaven having a chance to feed him. The
weather was perfect for a night full of
sledding, dancing, eating, and laughing!
We hope that you enjoy a few pictures!

Ribbon Cake

2010-12-22T10:11:00.003-05:00

Enjoy the recipe for Mindy's famously delicious
Ribbon cake!

Ribbon Cake

Crust
1 stick soft margarine
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts
Mix together (hands work just fine).
Spread in greased 9x13 pan.
Bake 10-12 minutes in 350 oven and cool.

Mix 8 oz. cream cheese & 1 cup of
confectioners' sugar together. Add
1 /2 large container of cool whip. Spread
over crust. Mix 3 cups of milk and
2 pkgs. Instant choc. pudding or 1 choc.
and 1 vanilla. Pour over cream cheese
mixture. Let set and then spread the
remaining cool whip and top with nuts!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-20T08:56:00.012-05:00

Oh my! Aren't we a good looking group?
The best thing about this picture is that
we're all in it! Yippee!

When we weren't modeling the latest in headgear, we
were discussing Christmas fashion. Mindy and Kim
came wearing their best Christmas PJ's and slippers
while Mike shopped to find the ugliest red sweater
possible to wear.

This year I didn't have the benefit of my computer
guru , Laurie, so left to my own devices I managed
to put together a Team calendar on Shutterfly! Check
out how intently everyone is looking through the pages.
No doubt they're looking to see which of the many pictures
I took over this past year made the cut!

For me, last years book and this calendar are filled
with treasured memories of lots of special times together.

While I can't give you a tour of the entire calendar,
check out the cover page. Karen is featured on the right
because she joined our group at the end of the Summer,
after our great team photo, featured on the left, was taken.

From the Dyer family (including Scout pictured
Tipper, Skye, Peanut, Tigger and Bella )
Charlie and I wish you , our dear friends, a very
happy and blessed Christmas!

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

2010-12-11T11:12:00.008-05:00

Kim enjoyed some time away in Florida but now that she's
back home, we managed to surprise her with a belated
birthday party!

Kim has become an avid runner in both 5K and 10K races
so with that in mind, all of her gifts were running related.
Check out that smile! It surely tells you everything that
you need to know! She was thrilled with a gift bag filled with
great treats all for a serious runner.

Once she finished checking out all of her goodies,
it was time to have some sweets and as always Mindy
made Kim's favorite cake!

Can you tell that we have a great time together, and oh
the cake! Yummy! You know the team. Hiding behind the
napkin is our Kristi ( a member of the WPP, just kidding),
Mike, Mindy, Karen, Kim, Jay and in the front row sitting
Melinda and Sally. Laurie and Brian weren't able to join us.

Oh my! We made short work of that cake!
What fun!

We've enjoyed a great series of DVD's by Louie Giglio and
tonight we enjoyed his newest one called the "12 Words
of Christmas" as found in Luke 2: 10-11.

The Bucket List

2010-11-21T19:11:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, Kim and Jan were able to mark "Running a 5K" off their bucket list!! Mindy and I were just glad we didn't get picked up by the "slow bus" as we walked or 3.2 miles. Kim's daughter, Tracy, ran (quite successfully) a mini-marathon!!! We flew into Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday and met up with Rhonda Leslie. Everyone spent the afternoon catching up on the past 15 years. Rhonda and her husband use to be youth pastors at LAOG and now live in Florida. We had such a great time with Rhonda. While I'd love to tell you all the details... you know what they say..."Whatever happens in the Jaguar ~ Stays in the Jaguar". My lips are sealed! A big THANK YOU to Rhonda for getting us to the Hyatt Place just in time to pick up our bibs. Who would have known there were soooo many "H" hotels???

Sunday morning we were up bright and early to get to the start line. Who starts a race at 6:13 am? I will admit, it was great seeing the sunrise over the beach. Definitely inspiration to perservere! Although we all didn't finish at the same time, we all finished! Kim took 5th place for her age group and Jan did amazing in her age group too! Way to go for your first 5K!!! Mindy and I finished strong jogging across the finish line. Atleast we didn't get scooped up by the "slow bus".

Look at the amazing sandcastle made for th e 13.1 mini marathon. The weather was picture perfect on race day. The beach offered great scenery and a place to relax afterwards.

With the race behind us....it was time to relax. We spent the next few days sitting by the pool at Kim's house in Cape Coral. A trip to the beach at Sanibel Island was a must!!

Even the birds found the beach a great place to hang out. They barely moved from this spot all day.

With scenery like this...why would they move. And of course, we barely moved either...for over 5 hours. It was nice to soak up the warmth of the sun, listen to the sound of the waves crashing at the shore, and enjoy the company of great friends.

But all things must come to an end! We packed our bags and headed home...relaxed, rested and RED! Thank you Mindy, Kim and Jan for a wonderful get-away!

So what's next on The Bucket List???

1:27

2010-11-21T19:01:00.009-05:00

Meet the team! The 1:27 Team! From l-r P.Paul,
P. Manny, Darren, Greg , Aaron & Charlie. This group
of men decided to put James 1:27 into action!

James 1:27 " Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and
faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in
their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted
by the world."

Our very own Kristi is a single Mom needing a bit
of DIY help installing replacement windows. The team
arrived ready to put in a full days work but
unfortunately the wrong windows were ordered so
the team will need to regroup another day!

Six year old Aaron is learning how to lend a helping
hand to someone in need! Check out that smile! I
think that he really just liked hanging out with the
guys!

Well the guys packed up their trucks, disappointed
that Kristi wouldn't return home to beautiful new windows
but happy to have a new plan to move forward.

And as they prepared to leave, a neighbor invited them
in for coffee and cookies.Perfect on a chilly NE November
morning. Talk with anyone on this team and you'll see just
how excited they are about their new ministry. Pray for them and
better yet offer your support !

326!

2010-11-09T14:16:00.011-05:00

Sunday morning was Dedication Sunday! The children
under the age of 12 were invited to come up and lay
hands on the shoe boxes as our church family prayed
for the children who would be blessed through this simple
gift and the gospel message.

A very special heart felt 'Thank You' goes out to everyone
who shopped and donated to this missions project for
Samaritan's Purse called Operation Christmas Child .

It's our home team that makes this run as smoothly as
it does and I couldn't and wouldn't want to do it without
them!
Together, we checked each and every shoebox!
Though the boxes are checked in N.C. before being
shipped , we want to assure that every box is
filled with lots of toys, books, school supplies,
clothes and personal hygiene supplies.

After checking them, the shoe boxes were placed into
the Samaritan's Purse Cartons. This year was the first
year that we received those and it was an answer to
prayer.

Early this afternoon Jay and I welcomed Richard from
Life Care Center in Littleton, MA. who came to pick them up
for us. This too was a first and we are so grateful.

Thank You Life Care Center for partnering with us again
this year and Richard to picking up our 326 shoe boxes !

In Line With the Word
Posted by Sally

Lots of Shoeboxes!

2010-10-23T09:06:00.021-04:00

We always eat at our Friday get together.
It's usually a combination of Mindy's sweet
treats and other snack food but tonight is a
'working night' so we needed extra fortification.

So Charlie made his yummy, world famous soup !
It's perfect on a chilly, Autumn evening!

And no Friday would be complete without
Mindy's low calorie dessert. Oh yes, it was
as delicious as it looks. She always treats us
with our favorites and then adds a surprise.
So tonight we enjoyed some of her famous
cookies and this cake.

When we had enough to eat, it was time for
work. The guys went to living room to rest
while we girls started wrapping boxes and
then filled them with all sorts of school supplies,
toys, clothes and candy.

Before you know it, we had filled a whole lot
of boxes that will surely put smiles on some
very precious young faces. The best part
is the love, prayers and introduction to Jesus
that goes into each and every box!

Great job team!

In Line With the Word team
Posted by Sally

God's Country

2010-10-18T09:16:00.018-04:00

Yes, you are at the In Line With The Word blog spot!
All of our members are involved in a wide variety of
ministry activities and I wanted to introduce you to
another of mine, The Lighthouse of Prayer.
Our core group has gathered for about 8 or 9 years
at my home on the first Monday of each month for
an hour of prayer. Several years ago, we decided that
we wanted to spend more time with one another socially,
so we get our families together on a seasonal basis for
a pot luck! It's my hope that you'll consider doing the
same. We need the love, support, acceptance and
encouragement of one another.

Saturday, our Lighthouse of Prayer group and a few
of us who attended Steve & Robin's wedding one year ago,
gathered for our seasonal pot luck! The pictures
speak for themselves. We all enjoyed a great afternoon
together. Congratulations Steve & Robin as you celebrate
your First Wedding Anniversary and Thank You
for sharing your beautiful home up in God's Country
with us.

Enjoy the pictures! They tell the story better than
I can!

Posted by Sally

Yes! She Loved it!

2010-10-17T17:45:00.005-04:00

If you have followed our blog at all, you know
that EVERYTHING we do involves food and
laughter. Though we had planned for an outdoor
field trip, the weather brought us indoors but
nothing could stop us from surprising Melinda
with an early birthday party and she
loved the idea!

Happy Birthday Melinda! We're glad that you
had so much fun!

Your In Line With The Word Friends
Posted by Sally

4 Legged Friends!

2010-09-27T07:59:00.007-04:00

These two cuties are part of our family!
Scout (in the basket) and Tipper. While Laurie
would tell you that she's not a fan, we sense hope
of a changed heart.

Friday, we surprised her with a Birthday celebration
and made sure that she'd be ready for that day, if
and when it happens , to welcome her very own 4
legged friend into the family. She and Brian were
good sports.

Happy Belated Birthday Laurie!

Your In Line With The Word friends
posted by Sally

Food for Thought!

2010-09-26T16:06:00.002-04:00

In 1954 , after almost 200 years of freedom
of speech from the pulpit, the courts suddenly
changed things.

After our conversation this past Friday evening
concerning the attack on the Christian church, I
thought that you might find this interesting and
food for thought.

While we don't want our churches endorsing particular
candidates....

We should always vote for people whose
principles can be supported by the Word of
God and the Constitution!

Lending A Helping Hand

2010-09-04T15:43:00.002-04:00

Earlier this Summer , our neighbor (let's call him John) and friend
of more than 4o years had a small stroke and was hospitalized for
a time. Before going any further, let me assure you that he has
given his blessing regarding this posting and others to follow.

It had been many years since I'd been in John's house and while
Charlie had tried to describe it, I had no idea. You see
our friend John loves stuff and his quality of life was spiraling
out of control. Once John returned home from the hospital
Charlie and I offered to lend a helping hand for as long as it
took! There was only one condition. If he was no longer willing
to make the changes needed ,we would stop.

Originally, I began taking pictures to share with his
brother via e-mail so that he could see the progress
being made. Eventually John and I started to discuss
the merits of posting on the blog.

We hope that this project and posting will show practical
Christianity in action. Charlie and I are fully aware that we
have no long term guarantee that this will 'take' but it's not
about us. It's about reaching out and lending a helping hand
and offering a friend the chance for a new and improved
way of life. I saw two clear choices, I could pray for him
or I could pray for him while we rolled up our sleeves to get
to work! It was obvious that our friend was in way over his head
and alone would never get out of the mess that he was in.

We have devoted the last month and we are all excited
about the progress made. See for yourself some of the
remarkable 'before' and 'after' shots!

This was his dining room which was housing 5 African Grey
parrots. The first step was to relocate the parrots to their
new home in the cleaned out backroom. Then we removed
the carpeting and thoroughly scrubbed EVERYTHING in and
going back into the room.

Now this room is ready for John to entertain
his family when they return later this month to
help him organize his Yard Sale and to enjoy a
restful family visit.

The living room had become a storage room piled
high with boxes and boxes of e-bay purchases and
a variety of odds & ends.

After shampooing carpets and upholstery , we tossed
out the old and outdated furniture . Anyone would feel
right at home in this 'new' living room.

When entering John's home you would immediately
be faced with an obstacle course of more stuff' to
get around. It was not a warm Welcome but it is now!
See the transformation for yourself.

Like the living room, the den was in desperate need of a
thorough cleaning and purging. Two Parrots also call it
home, so it presented a real challenge but it is now a
comfortable place to sit to catch up on reading or TV!

After removing everything from the room, the shampooing
began and at the end of the day the finished room was
revealed.

We hope that you'll continue to check in with us periodically
about this project. We have lots more to share and lots
more to do but that's what we're here for...to serve and
to show the love of God to the people around us! You'll
be so blessed when you do. Make your life count!

Striving to live In Line With The Word
posted by Sally

We're Back Into The Word !

2010-09-03T21:27:00.000-04:00

Our Home Team enjoyed a great Summer!
We prayed and played together and found
plenty of time to serve others. How exciting
to realize we are like the church birthed and
grown in the Book of Acts.

We were not quite at full strength tonight but
it felt to me like we had returned home after
a great Summer vacation.

You know Mindy (seated)! Meet our newest member Karen.
Mindy announced tonight that her husband Mike has officially
bowed out of our group. Mike will be missed and we hope that
he'll re-join us soon!

Check out this cute couple Melinda and Jay!

Kim is back too! She and Mindy have been friends for
more than 20 years. I didn't intentionally cut most of Kristi
out of the picture but she doesn't like to have her face
shown.

Enjoy a great Labor Day weekend!

In Line With The Word
Posted by Sally

Professional Amateurs

2010-08-29T21:10:00.000-04:00

We have gained lots of experience these last few months
packing and moving people into their new homes. You
know our Laurie! Her cousin's daughter Misty just inherited
her own first home and we got to help sort and toss
out lots of stuff so that she can move in next week.

Everyone rallied yet again to lend a helping hand.
Laurie mapped out our chores ahead of time.

But we never do anything until we are fully fortified with
something tasty to eat!

After we filled up on Mindy's sweet treats, we headed off
to our assignments.

Melinda, Karen and I were assigned to help Laurie clear out
the Christmas room. Yes! It was a room filled with decorated
trees, boxes of ornaments, ribbons and wraps and so much
more!

After making an untold number of trips up and down
stairs with stuff, Melinda got the bright idea to save some
energy and the trash went out the window.

Misty caught on to the fun too! Eventually a few more
of our team got into the action.

The stairs presented a real challenge to getting three
box springs out to the dumpster. So plan B was put into
action. Can you guess what plan B involves?

Charlie and Jay went to work taking out a window.

And then the job was easy and fun!
Eventually, Misty got around to check on our progress.

In 2 hours our team accomplished lots including finding
a special new hat for Kim to preview at next Summer's
VBS!

The living room is filled to overflowing for the upcoming
Yard Sale! Thanks TEAM! You are the absolute BEST!

Striving to walk, talk and live In Line With The Word,
Posted by Sally

Catching Up With Friends

2010-08-21T10:05:00.000-04:00

We've worked and played this Summer! Last night, we
connected with 'old' friends and welcomed a new member
to our team. It was great ,too, being almost at full strength.
Jay was away with family but everyone else was there
to join in the celebration of friendship!

Our special 'guest' Terry Boucher loves the Olive Garden
so we gathered there for a great supper together!

What fun it was to have her join our team for the evening
while she's back here visiting for the weekend! Terry would
clearly fit into this group.

Poor Mike! We're all enjoying our supper while Mike
waits for his!

Meet our newest team member Karen! Welcome Karen!

Striving to live In Line With the Word
Posted by Sally

Summers' End!

2010-08-14T09:32:00.000-04:00

Last week we invited you to check to see how we
would spend our last Fun Friday of this Summer!
Well we decided to help someone else. Laurie and
Brian's daughter Caitlin has a great new job and
needed a little help moving to her very own first place.

Caitlin didn't really drive the truck though I'm sure
that she could have! It made a great photo.

Her brother Rob & Dad helped with loading and unloading
the truck and getting her stuff into her new place.

Why is it that no one moves to a first floor apartment?
After making a few trips up and down the stairs, Melinda
took a brief well deserved break!

Wow! Can you sense Caitlin's excitement? The day has
come and she's actually setting up her first place as a grown
up young career woman! We all shared her excitement!

Looks like Mindy is checking out Melinda cleaning skills!
Great job Melinda, you passed inspection.

The bed's made and Caitlin should enjoy a good nights
sleep because she has a busy couple of days ahead of
unpacking, arranging and rearranging things until her
first place looks like home!

Now we're off to Friendly's for our reward!
Caitlin you know how much we all love you!
Congratulations on your new home and Thanks
for letting us help!

Boys and Girls Just Want To Have Fun!

2010-08-07T09:37:00.000-04:00

Being aware that our Summertime Friday Fun
Nights are soon drawing to a close, we decided
to go all out last night.

After our successful scouting trip last Friday, we
returned for a full evening of activities, starting of
course with great food!

For golf, we teamed up Girls vs. Boys! I don't think
anyone kept score, largely because we made up
our own rules of the game . Well the girls did anyway!

This isn't a trick shot, it's how the game
should be played and the way the boys play.

Melinda walked the ball to the hole using the assist
of her golf club...

Feet worked as a good substitute for a club...

Croquet anyone?

Behind the back shots are quite challenging and
provide lots of laughs.

Mindy made the pool shot look really easy. Taking the shot
wasn't that hard but getting back up sure was....

Kim provides a great demonstration of The Badminton shot
which was one of the toughest!

Mindy shot a Hole in One! Who knew that she has
so much natural golf talent?

Melinda did some rock climbing!

Kim and Laurie rocked on the rope bridge. Motion
sickness anyone?

I don't have many photos of the boys but they
had a great time!

Even when fishing!

When our golfing tournament was finished , we
headed off to the bumper boats.

Charlies' toughest challenge was simply finding enough
leg room.

No you don't need to get your eyesight checked out!
We were going so fast and spinning around so much
that every picture that I took look blurred!

See what I mean!

Since we're at Kimball's you know what our
last stop had to be...Take a guess?

Kim's expression says it all!

Check out what we do and where next week
as we enjoy the Summers LAST Fun night out!

The In Line With The Word team,
posted by Sally

A Scouting Mission!

2010-07-30T21:28:00.001-04:00

Tonight, our smaller than usual group ventured out
for a reconnaissance mission.

We were wildly successful and are preparing for
a night of adventure next Friday when back at full
strength. We visited the Original Kimball Farm in
Westford, MA. It's a place filled with fond memories
for some of us who have gone there for ice cream
treats since our childhood.

What a wonderful mixture of old and new! A bit
of a walk down memory lane and the toys and adventures
of today!

Watch as our Summer adventures begin to wind down.
Next Friday we'll play miniature golf and take a whirl
at bumper boats!

The Rains Came !

2010-07-17T09:48:00.001-04:00

The heat wave continues and last night was oppressive
even at Kim's pool. We had great hopes of getting some
relief from the heat but things didn't work out the way
we had planned!

We enjoyed some ice cream and cake but before we knew it
thunder rumbled, the skies grew extremely dark, and
the rains came pouring down.

Now a little rain can't dampen our enthusiasm a bit!
What to do? Why not enjoy a game but what game?
Someone mentioned bowling, so.....

We went bowling right there in Kim's living room! What fun!
Anyone who knows me at all knows that I don't like sports
of any kind. So naturally, Kim made sure that I was in the mix
competing with Melinda, Jay, and Brian. The competition was
fierce. Not so much! It's impossible to be fierce when you're
laughing that hard.

After a few gutter balls, some splits, spares and even
a few strikes (yes there were strikes but the graphic
didn't stay on the screen long enough) we had a winner!

Drum roll please! And the winner is Melinda!
I've come to see Melinda's adventurous and
competitive nature! Congratulations also to
Jay, Sally and Brian!

Anticipating another round of showers, we
headed home. Check out the beautiful skies
that surrounded us!

We're Having a Heat Wave!

2010-07-10T10:07:00.000-04:00

It's HAZY, HOT & HUMID and for the past 7 days,
we've been in an 'official' heat wave with 90+ temperatures.

Early in the Summer our team had big dreams of
lots of Friday night adventures! Not even a heat wave
can interfere with making those dreams come true.
Here's a clue to how we enjoyed our Friday night\
together...

Any ideas? Yes? No? Well let me give another clue....

This yummy assortment of ingredients for
ice cream sundaes should help give you a clue!
Any ideas yet?

If you guessed Kim's pool, you're a winner! Last night
was hot and muggy but absolutely gorgeous out by
her pool and as always everyone had lots of fun! We'll
get back on the road for more far reaching destinations
once this hot weather ends. In the mean time, we're happy
where we are!

It's a perfect time to simply catch up! Laurie and Mindy
decided not to go into the pool and simply enjoyed some
girl time together!

Most of the action centered around an exciting game of
volleyball. We have lots of talent in our group! We also
have some interesting scoring methods!

And we're not afraid to simply be silly. Check out Chip and Charlie!

When the excitement of the games and play came
to an end, there was time to rest!

While we play hard, Friday nights together provide us a
time and place of refuge from the stresses and challenges
of every day life. What a priviledge to be a part of this
very special group of friends!

We strive to always live In Line With The Word
posted by Sally

4th of July Fun!

2010-07-04T22:02:00.002-04:00

The 4th of July is a day to reflect, remember and to be
thankful for the privileges and freedom that come with living
in this great country! May God continue to bless America!
It was wonderful being able to celebrate together and what
better place to hang out than at Kim and Chip's beautifully
refreshing pool!

Our photo's will tell you some of the story! After a delicious
lunch, we celebrated Kristi's and Mindy's birthdays too!

We relaxed and just had fun talking about all sorts
of stuff.

Most of the action was around and in the pool, including water
fights with super soakers, water balloon toss, and even
synchronized swimming. It was a perfect day!

Eventually the sun, fun, and laughter wore a few of us out!

We hope that you enjoyed as wonderful day
as we did!

Your In Line With The Word friends
Posted by Sally

Isn't It Funny ?

2010-06-28T20:41:00.000-04:00

Isn't it funny how we sometimes suddenly notice something
that's been right in front of us for a long time. Today I had
one of those moments while working on a blog posting.
Let's see if you spot it? Meet Jay!

Brian!

And Mike!

And my husband Charlie, an
Honorary member of our team.

Have you figured it out? When you do be sure to post a comment!

Grandma Kristi

2010-06-28T14:04:00.001-04:00

Saturday's Baby Shower was a very special day for our team
member and friend Kristi! In some ways, I'm sure, it's bitter-
sweet, since her oldest child Samantha will soon become a
Mom and will be moving to Colorado.

Check out the great picture of Kristi and her
two beautiful daughters Sarah and Samantha!
We might have a trend going here! This is the second
picture Kristi has allowed me to take of her and post!

After some early preparations were completed
everyone started to arrive.

It was wonderful spending time with long time friends
like Lori Nogler seen here with Kim....

and Cindy Robinson. God has called them to new churches
so we enjoyed having time to get caught up!

Anika and her Mom enjoyed a great mother daughter
afternoon together.

Zoey and her mom Brenda had a fun time too! Anika and
Zoey are both in my Kindergarten Sunday School class.
I think that they both loved being out with all of the big girls!

No shower would be complete without game time
so Kim, Jean and Tara got together to map out a
winning strategy.

Congratulations to soon to be Mom Samantha
and Grandma Kristi! It was a fun afternoon
enjoying great fellowship, a tasty lunch
and yummy treats!

Friday's Refuge

2010-06-26T19:05:00.002-04:00

Friday evenings spent together provide us with a
time and place of refuge from the mundane, the
stressful or the simply exhausting events of life.

Last night, we had planned to play and enjoy a dip in
the pool but this week was especially tough for Jay
and Laurie. One of the many things that I love about
our group is that we are flexible and simply shift gears
as the need arises and no one has to say anything.

Brian manned the grill while Charlie offered support and
no doubt the guys discussed their favorite grilling techniques
and cooking secrets.

Laurie and Mindy worked on food preparation.

And before you know it, we all enjoyed sitting out on Kim's
back deck to enjoy a nice home cooked meal together.

Mike had a chance to get caught up on what's
been posted on the blog. Imagine he doesn't have
a computer at home!

Dutch hung out with us....

Even Kim's son DJ hung around and joined us for a while!

As the day was retreating, and we were getting
ready to say good bye, we topped of our evening
together with something really sweet!

Mindy's Yummy Ribbon cake doesn't stand out on this
plain white plate, but trust me it's a stand out! How sweet
a way to end our day!

We plan on celebrating the 4th of July together and maybe,
just maybe, this beautiful pool will be center stage!

Your In Line With The Word friends!
Posted by Sally

Please Pray

2010-06-23T11:54:00.000-04:00

Please pray for Jay (front in team picture) and his
family! His mom Ruth passed away very early this
morning. Ruth and her husband John have been
married close to 60 years and together they raised
a wonderfully loving family.

Laurie's (top blonde in team picture) Aunt Sue is in failing
health with cancer and yesterday, she was at the ER
with a blood clot that had developed in her leg. Pray for
Aunt Sue and for Laurie and Brian who are devoted to her!

Jay, Laurie and Brian, we love you all and we are praying
for you and your families! You have been a real blessing to
your families and to us.

I know that those of you who check this blog
are prayer warriors and we appreciate you so very much!

The Girls vs. The Guys

2010-06-19T09:55:00.003-04:00

It's a summer Friday, so it must be an evening
out for fun and fellowship. Tonight, we've
decided to get a real workout and not just
sit around eating and chatting so we headed
out for a strenuous game of miniature golf.
Okay, stop laughing!

Come on Jay time's a ticking and we're waiting!

It's fun exploring local places that most of us have not
been to! Tonight, we're at Mulligan's in Sterling.

Miniature Golf is so strenuous that the first stop
had to be to load up on carbs. You know just
like marathoners do! This place can't compare
with Kimball's ice cream selections but the
soft serve did the trick.

Jay arrived and we were almost ready to get started.
Melinda had a graduation to attend and a weekend
getaway so she's missing in action. She would have
been a powerful force to have on the girls team.

We followed all of the Course Rules! Well all except
those that might have involved score keeping.

Some holes required a turn of the Spinner to make it
even more challenging and exciting!

We girls focused on having fun! Fun at all costs!
Sometimes that meant helping each other.
Check out our team work in action.

The water, sometimes an obstacle,
provided us with lots of laughs.

The girls sure had a good time and we didn't take
ourselves too seriously!

And thanks to Kim's creativity, we enjoyed great scores!

The guys focus was competition so it's a good thing that
we divided into the Girls vs. the Guys!

They strategized each and every move!

They conferenced with each other!

Theirs' was a serious competition most of the time!

But they also occasionally ended up in the
water or the rough!

After a tough week , what a fun way to escape from the
challenges of life! Surprise! The girl's won! Thanks Kim!

Life's Treasures!

2010-06-13T22:23:00.003-04:00

God is so good and so generous! Among the many
wonderful things He provides us are friends!
The day that I was saved, I honestly would tell you that
I had few real friends. Fair weather friends were plentiful
but once I gave my heart and life to Jesus, they all
disappeared. Little did I know that God had a grand
plan for me and my life. While He was working in me,
He was bringing lots and lots of wonderful people into
my life that I treasure as friends, real friends. This blog
usually focuses on our home team and those friendships
that God has knit together. Today I'd like to introduce
you to some of my other cherished friends from church.
Some have been a part of my monthly prayer group,
several are former students that God reintroduced
into my life. How wonderful that now more than 30 years
later we socialize with each other and serve God side
by side. And there are friends met initially at 'meet
and greet' time during service. How we met doesn't
really matter . That we met and that God is helping
us grow closer together as friends is a real gift that
I treasure. Today we gathered for some great food
and time together. Check it out!

We prepared great food!

My husband Charlie is a great host. Even today,
though he hasn't been feeling very well, he made
an effort to come out to visit and say 'Hello".

Everyone visited!

Laughed!

Made new friends!

Laughed even more!

And we enjoyed lots of yummy food!

Even our young friends enjoyed getting together!

Well almost everyone did. Why do we always have someone
from the 'witness protection plan' joining us?

Thanks everyone for another great day spent together!
I treasure your friendship and am blessed
beyond measure. God is so good!

Posted by Sally

Kimball Farm

2010-06-12T20:32:00.000-04:00

We've been excited about the new Kimball Farm
opening in our 'back yard' since the announcement
was made a few short weeks ago and we were all
ready for fun last night! We didn't give a whole
lot of thought that so many other people had the
same bright idea!

Though the place was packed with happy, hungry
people, we had no trouble finding one another.

I was focused on ice cream and only ice cream
and I sure wasn't disappointed. The ice cream
was delicious and the portions very generous!
Check out Mindy's cone! It's a small! No, I'm
not kidding! It is a small.

The Ice Cream Sundaes were pretty tasty too, just ask
Melinda and Jay!

Check out the smile on Kim! She is ready to
dive right in to that clam roll and fries!

I think Mike's giving me 'the evil eye' because
I'm distracting him from his yummy burger !

Oh my goodness Brian has quite a plate full!
Do you think he can eat the whole thing? Let's see....

Almost!

Laurie looks really excited. Could it really be
all about the hot dog she just ordered?

When we finished our supper, we wandered
around to check out the place a bit! Check out
some of what we saw and experienced!

The food, fellowship , car show and gift shop were
all great fun. The atmosphere was perfect down to
the music being piped in. Like the classic cars, the
music too brought back great memories and we
actually knew the words and could sing along! All
in all, we enjoyed a great night!

Watch for next weeks adventure...miniature golf!
Oh my!

In Line With The Word Friends
Posted by Sally

Summer Fun !

2010-06-05T10:38:00.001-04:00

It's been a year filled with lots of great times and times
of challenging struggles. I guess if we had a team
charter, it would reflect our commitment to love and serve
God and each other! But with busy family lives ,work
and with a part of our team having been called to serve
and worship at another church, we realized that we
needed to take drastic action to remain connected!
We plan on simply having fun together every Friday
night during the Summer. Not to worry, we'll be back
to our Bible study in the Fall.

Our first excursion brought us to Al Dente, a local eatery!
We did have an ulterior motive at making this our first stop.

Our very own Kristi has taken a job there so we all decided to
SURPRISE her and we sure did! Can you imagine, she even
let me take this picture of her. She's been the mystery woman
who has covered her face in every photo for the last 18 months.
She's a really good sport and an even better waitress!

Sorry that this picture isn't better but the smiles tell
you the story! Though the pictures don't show it,
because I was trapped in the corner, the entire team
was there for a yummy supper.

I can't speak for anyone else but my meal was delicious and
I have at least two additional meals from what I left on my plate.
My Mom and Dad would be so proud that I didn't waste anything.

Watch for next Friday's posting! We're heading to a favorite
ice cream destination Kimball's. Kimball's original dairy farm
and Ice Cream stand in Westford MA has been around for
over 50 years. Last month they opened at another location
in our own 'back yard'. It's been the buzz all around
the area since the news got out. I'm already dreaming about my
cup of Frozen Pudding! No one does ice cream like Kimball's.
Pray in agreement with us, that next friday, we have perfect
weather for an evening out under the heavens, savoring
our ice cream treats!

The In Line With The Word Team!
posted by Sally

Moving on Up!

2010-06-04T21:23:00.001-04:00

Melinda's moving on up! She's moving on up into a third floor
apartment, that is! With that move came a flurry of activity
in preparation.

A lot has happened in her life over these last few months,
and now that she's 'Sold' her house , we're reporting for
duty to help our friend get a big job done.

It doesn't make any difference if we're getting together to work,
to study or just to have fun, we always start with good food and a
time of fellowship.

After getting fortified for the hard work ahead,
we divided into teams. Some of us sorted and packed....

while the guys loaded our convoy of pickup trucks.

Though the work was hot, heavy and exhausting,
we always manage to find time for some fun.

We even enjoyed a few minutes of rest in her new home.
Melinda and Christine are settling into a nice apartment
in a well established apartment complex. Our challenge
was that there are no elevators and there are chair lifts on
each stair case which made hauling furniture and boxes
upstairs a real challenge.

We celebrated a productive first night of work with
a treat, That's right, we enjoyed some great ice cream.

We spent more time sorting, packing , moving and even some
purging but we got our part of the job done.

Melinda has lots of unpacking still ahead of her but she's
making progress and we look forward to enjoying a Friday
night home team get together at her new home soon!

PLEASE READ THIS, PRAY, AND COPY IT TO YOUR BLOG

2010-05-19T19:58:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, we love Samaritan's Purse!!! It's the organization that does the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes and our small group supports this ministry with purchasing, packing, praying, and organizing the shoeboxes from our church.

Anyway, yesterday three Samaritan's Purse staff were abducted by a group of armed men in Sudan. Two men and one woman, who is an American from California. Can you imagine? Please join me in praying for their safety and for their immediate release. My mind just keeps going back to this 36 year old, American woman, who is obviously just trying to minister to the poor and orphaned. We need to specifically pray for her protection.

This won't make the national news....although it should. So please spread the word. God has promised that he hears the prayers of His people. It's time for us to rise up in prayer!

You can read more about this HERE.

Praying for their safe return...we are...
In Line With the Word

Fun Friday!

2010-05-08T18:38:00.002-04:00

Every Friday is Fun Friday! Most of the time
we're getting together for a Bible study, but
we love just having fun together so last night
was party time! We started with our exotic menu
of pizza and salad! Then we went outside to
work off a few calories before dessert.

Everyone got into the action! As you can tell
we weren't dressed for serious competition
but we're not known for being serious. We just
love to have fun with one another and have lots
of laughs.

The games were Melinda's idea so she came dressed
just right and even wore sneakers. Check out Mindy!
Can you tell that she's always ready for work in the kitchen?

Laurie was determined to enjoy her evening out and
since she wasn't on call, when this conversation was
done, she left her phone in her car. Yippee!

Check out my form. I actually look like I
know what I'm doing and managed to get a few
hits. Though I'm not an athlete, I had a great time.

We tried to convince Melinda to squeeze into Chip's car
so the three of us to get to a brief leaders meeting at church.
That didn't work but we laughed a lot trying to get out
of this low riding baby!

We made sure that we made it back in time to
surprise Mike with a little birthday celebration.
Mike loves all of his bath supplies!

Including his very own Rubber Ducky!

Chip and Jay cheered Mike on as he opened
his many surprise gifts. These guys are really
great sports! Brian had to leave a bit early to see
a sick friend but I know that he'd have cheered
Mike on too!

Mindy and Laurie really took this whole
birthday gift thing very seriously!

We have some BIG plans for our Fun Fridays
this Summer. Be sure to check in with us periodically!
We're looking forward to some Saturday excursions into
Boston for Duck Boat tours, walking the Freedom Trail,
miniature golfing and Ice cream at Kimball's, tubing and lots
more!

We strive to live and celebrate life, In Line With the Word!

The Book of Acts

2010-05-01T19:21:00.002-04:00

God's timing and direction is always perfect! So last
night we began our first traditional Bible study and we
started with the Book of Acts. If you have
followed us through our blog, you know that over
the last year and a half, we have engaged in
many different studies and we have used a variety
of teaching formats and materials including books,
CD's ,and DVD's . This time we felt moved and
God perfectly set the stage for us to study about the
challenges that faced the early church and those who
spread the word about Jesus Christ and why He
came to earth.

We are using the NIV Life Application Bible
and spent our first session reviewing the Megathemes
that will be covered: Church beginnings, the Holy Spirit,
Church growth, Witnessing and Opposition. Acts
follows the Ministries of Peter and Paul. It looks
like we're in for a great study .

I am confident that God will not only reveal Himself
to us more clearly than ever before, but that He will
reveal lots to us about ourselves . I know that we
will each be challenged in many new and exciting
ways while at the same time may find that we also
should never neglect or forget the basics of our Christian walk.

Confirmation!

2010-04-30T15:39:00.000-04:00

This morning a scripture kept rolling around
in my thoughts and then it was mentioned by
several others at Bible study. It obviously was
the message that God wanted me to hear today.
Perhaps it will help and comfort you in some way
too.

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations'
I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10

I'm leaning on Him today and always.
I am so very Thankful!
Sally

Laughter & Tears

2010-04-27T06:33:00.012-04:00

Our day started with lots of laughter as we
enjoyed our last Sunday service listening to Terry's
magnificent piano playing and Pastor Mark's
last sermon as our Sr. Pastor.

Pastor Mark & Terry were honored through some very
special performances.

God has blessed us through Terry's remarkable talents.
When she plays and sings, it's like a prayer. I will miss
getting lost in her music. It was so much fun listening
to her share her memories of coming to live in
Leominster to serve at LAOG and how much she
appreciated the fact that people allowed her to
be herself and to follow God's direction for her life.

We really appreciate and will miss what we have had on
a weekly basis. The morning was such a special time. One
that I know we will long cherish!

Then came the Business Meeting Sunday evening
which was pretty uneventful until the last job which
was to vote for our new Senior Pastor.
The vote was taken and when the tally was announced
we didn't have the votes needed to elect a new pastor.
It turned into a tearful evening with most people
leaving in a state of shock. Pastor Dave has been
appointed interim Senior Pastor by the deacon board
until a new Sr. Pastor is found and approved. He
accepted.

We truly are in a time of transition. Three of our
pastors are leaving. God has a plan but there is still
a sense of concern about what will come next!

Pray for restoration! No matter the vote Yes or No,
we saw the world entering our church with a
campaign using e-mails, face book and more.
I must disclose that I too received the e-mail information
but I am grateful that I gave it to God in prayer
and was reminded that God's ways are not man's way.

I fear for the unseen damages that have been brought
about in the hearts of our church family. And
this morning, as I attempted again to explain all of this
to my as yet unsaved husband, I was brought to
tears. What damage has been done in winning the
souls of our unsaved family members, not by the vote but
because of the means used? We are called by God to not be
like the world and unfortunately we failed Him!

I pray for a miracle and healing within our church.
Let's all humble ourselves and pray! We need it!

Sally

Fun is not just for Fridays

2010-04-22T20:47:00.000-04:00

Our group has Fun! Fun! Fun! It doesn't matter what where we are or what we are doing...we just enjoy life and each other. As we study God's Word, we continue to develop our relationship with our Savior and grow our friendship with one another.

This past Saturday, many of us got together and went bowling and for ice cream. To make it interesting, we had teams...the guys against the gals. Brian, Mike and Jay were fierce competitors but we made sure there were plenty of distractions to ensure they didn't bowl their best. We even started hoarding the silver balls since they were shiny and seemed to knock down more pins.

Mike's "staring" down the competition didn't scare us at all. We were still bound to throw those gutter balls no matter what!

Mindy and Mike had such great form and much laughter!

We even made sure we double checked our scores...not that we had to count that high!!

In the end...it didn't matter who won or who didn't win...We had tons of fun!

Our next adventure...you will have to wait and see :)

Until then...we are..

In Line With the Word

A Step Closer

2010-04-19T16:58:00.002-04:00

Well, day by day, we get a bit closer to getting
our neighbors yard clean- up project completed.
Mark is not an outdoors kind of guy so the yard
has been neglected for a long time. When we started,
no one could have imagined just how much time and
hard work it would take to get even this far!

The rear building featured in the picture above used
to house Mark's 'tumbler' pigeons. Since he hasn't had
any pigeons in a couple of years, it was the perfect time
to tear down this old pigeon coop.

Ted had hoped that this building would fall apart!
It looked pretty flimsy but no such luck!

What a dirty, smelly job! We were blessed to have a
cool day. Imagine trying to do this in a heat!

So the building finally came down and after most
of the day working at it, Ted is hauling the debris away.

It's been a windy day, too windy to burn brush,
so Charlie and John continued to cut down more
trees and to get brush pulled out and piled ready
to hopefully burn tomorrow.

We plan to get this job done in a couple more days
so that we can finish our own burning. May 1st is the
deadline this year and we are at the mercy of the
weather!

Our neighbor Mark is thrilled. His yard has not
seen an extreme yard makeover in over 40 years!
We are a step closer to getting this job done!

Sally

A Sweet Farewell

2010-04-17T10:23:00.004-04:00

Last evening, we experienced another part of transition
as we prepare to say our 'farewell' to Pastor Mark,
Terry and Nicole Boucher. We all joined them in a
time of Praise & Worship!

People came from near and far! Terry's Mom & step- Dad traveled from PA.

All of our Pastors and their wives joined in the fun!

Mayor Dean Mazzarella made a presentation
of two gifts that represent the history of Leominster.
The first is a bronze statue of Johnny Appleseed, which
Pastor Mark is holding.

The next is even more precious! Check out this pink guy!

Both young and old came out to show the Boucher
family how much they are appreciated and loved.
Meet Emily, Rob and Gideon!

Ruth and Betty!

The evening was filled with remembrances, music,
gifts and lots and lots of hugs. Harry Marshall, a
member of our deacon board, made a presentation
from our church!

What a great night!

A very special 'Thank you' goes out from me to the
In Line With The Word home team that helped to
greet each and every guest who attended this evening.
You are the BEST! Check it out even Pastor Mark
wants to be a part of our team!

Terry has become a very dear friend to me! I'll miss her
warm sweet smiles, great hugs and our regular
Friday morning breakfasts with Paula at Panera.
I love you Terry!

God Bless America!

2010-04-14T22:02:00.003-04:00

We were excited as we caught an early train and were off
on our adventure to enjoy the Tea Party Express in Boston!

After arriving at North Station, we walked to the State House
which overlooks the Boston Common!

As you can see, we enjoyed a picture perfect April Day!
Honestly, it could not have been better! We were guided
to the Tea Party Express buses and staging area by all
of the many satellite trucks and press corps.

Then we spotted the buses! Of course, we knew that
you might need proof that we actually were at the tea
party, so we snapped a picture or two.

The Tea Party movement is simple to explain. It's all about
a return to smaller government, following our Constitution,
fiscal responsibility and a representative government.

The people who attended today are hard working people,
who love this country. It was such an uplifting event filled with
lots of patriotic songs and speeches about how much God has
blessed this country. Don't lose heart! Believe! Get involved!
Educate yourself , support your candidates and vote in November!

The patriots attending these rallies are fed up!
No one likes being ignored and we've experienced
a lot of that over the last year or so!

The crowd was huge and it was amazing how many
young conservatives joined in the fun and how much they
embraced this movement and what it represents.

Sarah Palin fired up the crowd with a great speech.

Charlie signed the Tea Party Express wall even
though it was a challenge to find any space to sign
your name.

Then it was my turn!

As we left, we had the chance to meet these patriots.
There was no angry mob anywhere to be found.

And I did manage to get a "Don't Tread On Me" flag.

Then we hit the Freedom Trail! I hope that you enjoy
some of Boston's favorite historic sites. We sure did!

Quincy Market!

What a view for those who look up!

Check out The Customs House!

This spectacular ceiling is several stories over the lobby . This
building is now a time share run by the Marriott Hotel chain.
Charlie is quite interested in exchanging our Florida spot and
having a chance to spend a few days in the center of so much
history!

We had never seen this memorable Holocost Memorial!
Each glass tower is covered with numbers representing a life lost !

Have you met Paul Revere?

Or visited the Old North Church?

Boston is such an interesting and beautiful city. I've
always loved that every where you look you can see
historic buildings living beside the ultra modern.

My brother-in-law David and a long time friend Bob shared the day!

Our day of sightseeing eventually drew to a close and we
returned for our train ride back home. It was a long but
rewarding day. It was a day spent reflecting about those
who came before who sacrificed so much so that
we could enjoy so very much. We are blessed to live in
this great nation.

Sally

Sunday Morning!

2010-04-11T21:08:00.000-04:00

It started like most Sundays! Laurie, Dara and I
met in the kitchen. But this Sunday was a bit
different because we were preparing for yet
another part of the transition process.

Laurie was handling the muffin preparation. No, she didn't bake!

Dara already had the coffee preparation
well under control. She loves God and shows
it by her faithful service in the kitchen, working
the camera in filming our service and at the
Interfaith Hospitality Network. Dara delights
in telling everyone that I was her teacher when
she was in middle school.

What a thrill to have Terry and Melinda reunited
to lead us in Praise & Worship again! The Holy
Spirit was present in our sanctuary this morning.
I am going to really miss Terry's extraordinary
talent at the piano and her beautiful alto voice.
That is her way of worshiping God and you can
tell when you are a part of it.We are delighted
to have Melinda back Praising God through song!

After service, we adjourned across the street
to meet with Pastor Dave and Tatiana for
coffee and conversation. Mindy, Mike and
Kim stopped by and helped Laurie get everything
set up!

It was exciting to walk into a full school cafeteria.

Pastor Dave shared his vision for our church if he
becomes our Sr. Pastor and he answered all
of the questions that came his way. He shared
his heart and now we need to be in prayer , for
guidance and direction as we prepare for the
annual business meeting scheduled for the end
of April.