“Greece”

Hello, Chapel family! I am in Greece with 26 Chapel folks, and all is well! We are a bit tired, but that’s to be expected, and we welcome the soreness in our bodies to experience this incredible journey. 

We began our journey by catching a charter bus from the Chapel at 2:30 pm (Thursday, October 2) and rode to Miami airport. From there, we caught a flight on Turkish Airlines across the pond, 12 hours to Istanbul, Turkey. An hour and a half later, we caught a second flight from Istanbul to Athens, Greece. We arrived about 9:30 pm (Friday, October 3), took a shuttle, and arrived at our hotel about 11 pm. So, yes, that’s 33 hours, but since we’re 7 hours ahead of Eastern US Time, it only took us about 26 hours to arrive. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Our first day was amazing. We began Saturday morning at 8 am (Yes, you are reading this correctly. We arrived the night before at 11 pm, ate dinner, unpacked, and made it on the bus at 8 am). We visited the first modern Olympic Stadium, then drove to Corinth, where St. Paul preached and ministered for 18 months. We saw the Temple of Apollo and the ruins of the Roman town and fort, walking along “St. Paul’s Footsteps”. (See pic 1 below.)

That afternoon, we drove back to Athens and visited the Acropolis, where the most famous site of the Parthenon is located (See pic below.). It’s a long walk up a steep hill, but we made it fine and had the most incredible view. If you’ve never been to Greece and enjoy history, the Parthenon should be on your bucket list, for sure. One can see the Acropolis from almost anywhere in the city, and at night, it’s incredibly beautiful. Our dinner that evening was spectacular and provided a wonderful view of the Parthenon. (Pic 2)

The next day (Sunday), we had some free time until about 3 pm. I chose to visit a local church for World Communion Sunday. It was a Greek Evangelical Church, but it reminded me more of straight up Methodist or Presbyterian. Everything was spoken and sung in Greek, but they provided headsets that translated everything into English, and they provided a bulletin in English that included the Hymns. It was super easy to follow, and I’m so glad that I chose to attend! (Pic 3)

That afternoon, we visited the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion (south of Athens, about 30 miles). The views were breathtaking, and everyone was able to get some fantastic pictures of a landmark that has stood as an important landmark for mariners for the last 2,500 years. (Jesus would certainly have known about it, as would St. Paul, who probably sailed by it several times.) (Pic 4)

Monday, we boarded the ship for a 4-day cruise around the Greek islands. We began at Mykonos, followed by explorations of Ephesus and Patmos on Tuesday.  All of these are significant in their own way. Ephesus (Acts ch.’s 19-20) was very significant in St. Paul’s 2nd and 3rd Missionary Journeys. It also served as the home of Mary (Jesus’ mom) and John (the beloved disciple). In Ephesus, we visited the ancient city and Great Library of Ephesus (Pic 5).  Patmos is the island from which John penned the Book of Revelation, one of the most powerful books of the Bible.  We visited St. John’s Monastery, taking in the sacred site and the beauty that John experienced when Revelation was written (Pic 6).

It’s really been a great trip so far, and we look forward to sharing much more with you upon our return. I’m super proud of everyone. The walks are long and the surfaces are rocky and uneven, but the experiences are incredible and worth the effort.

I pray all is well with you! Blessings upon you from afar!

Brock.

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

Worship Service

Sunday, October 12

10:00 a.m.

Online Worship and in the Sanctuary

Worship service featuring Alyssa Adamson, voice; Brian Gurl, piano and voice; Bah Hero, voice; Gordon Govalet, guitar; Anne Chandra, violin; Chung-Yon Hong, violin; Rev. Bill Friederich, percussion; Susan Schaefer, Liturgist.

"Offering Our Gratitude With Gladness"

 Rev. Bill Friederich

Luke 17:11-19

Watch Sunday Worship LIVE at 10 am (EST) on our website.

Longboatislandchapel.org/Stream

Greetings from Longboat Island Chapel! We have a longer than usual Chapeline today because of the many activities coming up in the next three months! If you are viewing the Chapeline on your phone, don't forget to scroll down and click on the blue message at the bottom of the screen that says "View entire message" This will assure that you see all the events and information. Don't miss a thing!

Shifting Sands

Thursday, October 9

10:00 a.m. in the Prayer Chapel

This group meets to assist each other in maneuvering through difficult times.

Contact the office at 941-383-6491 for information on this group.

Recent plantings at the Chapel and in the Friendship Garden.

left: Muhly Grass

right: Blue Porter Weed

These are both very salt and drought resistant.

Early Sign up for Upcoming Theater Events

Three great events are coming this season. And you may know, theater tickets do sell

out quickly! Sign up soon! Tickets are selling out.

• December 7 - Sunday - 1:30 p.m. - Asolo Theater - "All is Calm" 2 Tickets left $65.00 ea.
• March 20 - Friday - 1:30 p.m. - Sarasota Opera House - "La boheme" 6 Tickets left $73.00 ea.
• May 17 - Sunday - 1:30 p.m. - Asolo Theater - "Fiddler on the Roof" 6 Tickets left $90.00 ea.

Sign up in Shook Hall or:

Contact val.evanko@gmail.com for a seat reservation.

Giving to The Chapel

• VENMO - take a picture of the blue Venmo QR Code below and follow the instruction prompts.

• Checks and/or money orders written out to Longboat Island Chapel.

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• All major credit cards are accepted. Simply contact the Chapel office at (941) 383-6491 to charge your one-time gift.

• Ongoing monthly support via your credit card. Office staff will be happy to debit your card at the beginning of each month in an amount established by you.

• Support the Longboat Island Chapel via the "donate" button, located on our website at www.longboatislandchapel.org. This may be a one time or ongoing contribution, whichever you prefer!



Thank you for your generosity!