Note from Lisa – Where I am
On July 13th, I led worship at Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church in Hacienda Heights. I enjoy this wonderful congregation and the opportunity to meet with the Chinese language worshippers during coffee hour. The beautiful sanctuary brings the outdoors inside.
Before I started my vacation, I met with the pastors of Mideast Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Rev. Maher Maker) and Arabic Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Rev. Hisham Kamel), along with the Rev. Magdy B. Girgis, the Associate for Middle Eastern Intercultural Ministries for the Presbyterian Mission Agency. We talked about the joys and concerns of their ministries and how best the Presbytery can support these communities. I also joined the women of the West Covina Ministry Center for a delightful tea in San Dimas. What a wonderful group of Christian women. It was a joy to share a cup of tea and some treats with them.
On August 2, I had the joy of leading worship and celebrating communion with Love Community Church in Azusa. My husband Chris was excited to return to the church. This is a community of believers who choose the right name for their church, because they exude Love. Here is a couple of pictures from their sanctuary. The rose window includes many symbols of the church and provides an excellent pre-worship focus.
On August 9, I worshipped with the congregation at Puente de Esperanza Presbyterian Church in La Puente. Although my Spanish is limited, I am able to understand with the aid of an iPhone and air pods. The preacher was a Seminary Student from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI. She is a candidate under care in the Reformed Church in America and is being mentored by the Rev. Margarita Reyes. The sermon on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 focused on the importance of praying continually, thanking God, and rejoicing always. Her examples of Job and Daniel demonstrated the importance of knowing that God is in control, that God loves us, and to be grateful. During the service, Leslie Gonzalez, the Presbytery’s Young Adult Advisory Delegate to General Assembly, gave a report on her participation in and reflections on General Assembly.
On August 10, I started day one of a three-day continuing education program at Montreat. This training led by the Presbyterian Federal Chaplaincies was on Resilience, Long Obedience, and Sustainable Practice. This was my fourth year taking part in this program at Montreat. Two years ago, I was out for a morning run and saw a bear. This year, a bear decided to hang around our training.
I look forward to seeing you in worship. Please let me know the best times to visit with you.
Please continue sending pictures of your sanctuary and people to the Presbytery office to help us make our new webpage more vibrant.