The big 150th Anniversary Celebration weekend is now just hours away! We are excited that so many church friends have indicated plans to be here from among our active congregation as well as from afar. Many months ago, out-of-town members received a Save the Date mailing, and former pastors, Lilly residents and staff received a special letter of invitation.
Because I issued the invitation on behalf of the church, I have been privileged to receive notes from those unable to attend but who are cheering us on from a distance. Pastors Kellen Smith, Charles Grant, George Wirth, Sherri Hauser and Rob McClellen, for example, have corresponded with regret that they are unable to be here and with expressions of gratitude for their time serving Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church as treasured years in their ministry.
My immediate predecessor as Pastor and Head of Staff, Wes Avram, sent a lovely note to share with you, which reads in part:
Lynne and I were touched to receive an invitation to join you for this grand celebration of BMPC's 150th anniversary year. God's faithfulness to this congregation is long and deep, as is God's faithfulness to the world through you. We were honored to share a small slice of that long faithfulness with you and continue to hold you and your good ministry in prayer.
Your inspiring commitment to worship and arts, love for education, deep and thoughtful support for global ministry, and sense of responsibility to Reformed and Liberal faith will surely shape your life for generations to come. You have a role. You have a voice. You have a mission. And you have faith in a God who has chosen you for ministry. Please know that Lynne and I are part of a chorus of support for you, your mission, and your leadership.
I'm entering my fifteenth year at Pinnacle Presbyterian in Scottsdale and will be retiring when I turn 65 this coming spring. Lynne has found a strong vocation in high school nursing here in the Valley of the Sun. After graduating from Luther College, our oldest son Andrew took an assignment in Peru with the Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteer program and has followed a number of interests since. He is now embracing life, coaching soccer and pursuing other goals while living on St. Simons Island. After graduating from the Berklee College of Music, our younger son Paul is living and working as a musician in Nashville. You loved and prayed for Andrew and Paul when they were children, and we're grateful.
Thank God for you, and may God bless the work of this congregation for generations to come,
- Wes Avram
At Saturday’s events and during Sunday worship, we will enjoy the sense of reunion with many special guests and church friends. We also will be mindful of partners in ministry, unable to be with us, who have sojourned through the life of this historic congregation, gifted its ministry with their commitments, and have moved on strengthened by their time among us to serve the larger church in many and various ways. Thank God for the breadth and depth of this congregation’s 150 years reaching into the community, the city and the world in Christian service!
