Yes, I procrastinated.  In fact, even worse than that, I had no particular interest in finding out the details of the upcoming solar eclipse - sure, I'd been hearing about it for weeks, but I truly didn't pay it much mind - not even when someone asked why on earth I was planning to fly home from Atlanta (I was at a Conference - the Board of Discipleship's "School of Congregational Development) on Sunday instead of staying in the area to see the eclipse on Monday.  The truth was that, at the time, I had no idea what a path of totality was, nor why staying in Georgia would be a good thing.

Finally, I decided to educate myself while I was in Atlanta.  "Oh!  Now I see!  THIS is what a 'path of totality' is, and the southern border is just north of Atlanta! And Philadelphia will only get a PARTIAL eclipse.  AHA!!"

Of course, as soon as I returned home, I realized there were no more eclipse glasses to be had - they had long since disappeared from the shelves.  So I quickly set about learning how to make a cereal box pinhole viewer and how to use your smartphone to watch the eclipse.  And either of those methods may have worked okay, except for the cloud cover.

But NASA to the rescue!  The live stream of the total eclipse as it made its way from Oregon to Charleston was an amazing thing.  Could there be anything as spectacular as watching the daylight suddenly disappear and the golden ring of totality appear?  I think all of our hearts skipped a beat as we watched.  And do you know why?  It was because the wonder of God's creation was happening right before our eyes.  It's because we were witnessing visible evidence that "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness."  (Genesis 1)  It was because we could tangibly see what the psalmist was describing when he said, "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork."  (Psalm 19)  And it was because we got the same thrill in our souls as King David when he proclaimed these words so long ago, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortalsthat you care for them?" (Psalm 8)

What an awesome God we have!

                                                                                                                 Pastor Janice

BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS

SUNDAY SCHOOL REGISTRATION

It's time to register all Children and Youth for Sunday School and Nursery.  Each year we need to have updated information (especially about allergies, etc.) and sign out permission, so we can provide a safe environment for your children.

 

Previously Registered Families:  If you have registered in the past, you can register with the short form online HERE.

 

First Time Registrations:  Two Registration Options

You can register online HERE .  You will need to complete a form for each child you are registering.

 

You can download and print the registration HERE.  

Use one  form for all children and youth in the same family. When completed, return by mail or place in the Registration box in the Education Wing. 

 

Please promote Lifetree Caf é to your friends and family who are not connected to a faith community!  It is a great place to explore life, meet new friends, and experience God in an informal community setting.  If you haven't had a chance to experience a Lifetree Caf é session, please come join us so you can spead the word!"

Every Tuesday

7 PM

@ Richboro Pub

August 29th Topic:

"They Hijacked My Life! - 

How Vulnerable Are You to Identity Theft?"

If you or anyone you know is concerned about waking up one day and finding that your bank account has been emptied or your reputation ruined, this is a program for you.  You'll discover how you're leaving yourself open to identity theft and what you can do to protect yourself.

Lifetree Cafe Richboro Website

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& Bring a Friend!!!

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 posts on Facebook  with your friends!

St. John's Book Club

Wednesday, September 13, 

7:00 PM in the Parlor.

"The Girl Who Wrote in Silk"

By: Kelli Estes

Have you ever arrived at church and forgot your giving envelope? Or you would like to make a Communion Offering and you have just 18 cents in your pocketbook? Well, help as arrived, as St John's now offers mobile giving! 

Just go to the website   stjohnsivyland.com   click on the donate now button, and register. Once you're registered, you can either make donations by debit or credit. It's quick and secure. The same vendor that handles electronic giving for us, Vanco Services, has state of the art encryption, so you can rest easy that your transaction is 100% safe and confidential.

If you have any questions about mobile giving, email Lou Lescas at  [email protected]