Pr. Martha Update, April 3, 2020

Dear Recovery Church Family,
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We’ve made it through another week without in-person worship or hugs and the spirit is still alive and kicking!  Last night a small number of us gathered (at a proper distance) to record our Palm Sunday worship service. You are invited to join the entire community and watch it this Sunday at 9:30. You will find it on the website www.therecoverychurch.org. A huge THANK YOU to all who worked on this; especially Tommy, Sunny, Charlie, Bob, Deb, Linda, Brooklyn, Ned, Terry and Susanne T.

We have been asked to curtail in-person worship through May 10th. In the meantime, we hope to share worship each week as well as keeping in touch via email, Facebook, website, and phone calls. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch. Thanks to all of you who continue to send donations and encouraging words to the church. You give us hope.

In case you have forgotten how much you are loved, let me end with some words from Henri Nouwen. This is a paraphrase of a few of my favorite Bible verses—Isaiah 43 and Psalm 139–which I recommend to you as well.

"You are my child.
You are written in the palms of my hand.
​You are hidden in the shadow of my hand.
I molded you in the secret of the earth.
I have knitted you together in your mother’s womb.
You belong to me.
I am yours. You are mine.
I have called you from eternity and you are the one who is held safe and embraced in love from eternity to eternity.
You belong to me. And I am holding you safe and I want you to know that whatever happens to you, I am always there. I was always there; I am always there; I always will be there and hold you in my embrace.
You are mine. You are my child. You belong to my home. You belong to my intimate life and I will never let you go. I will be faithful to you.” 

- Henri J.M.Nouwen, “Lecture”

​Or as our friend Roger W. always says, “Remember, God loves you and so do I.”
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Please remember these words and remember we miss you. We can’t wait to welcome you back with open arms.

Love,
Pastor Martha