Dear Idlewild family and friends,
We are all mourning the passing of our beloved former Senior Pastor, Steve Montgomery, with everyone wanting to "do something” to show love to Patti, Sumita, and AJ. The church is offering a way for members and those in the community to do just that.
We will show our love to the family and begin the work of processing our collective grief with this prayer ritual and visible witness. Rituals for processing our grief are ingrained in the Christian tradition.
“Pastor Steve” was a great spiritual influence for both the church and the Memphis community and Idlewild is offering a physical and visual way for many to remember him. There will be a display of prayer flags on the Union Avenue lawn in front of the church Sunday evening August 2 through Sunday evening August 9. Church members and people in the community are encouraged to make a flag or flags of their own to be placed on front doors, mailboxes, front porches, gardens or elsewhere to show their personal expression of how they saw God at work in Steve and to express the love and appreciation for Steve’s sacred life, particularly his service to all. The Idlewild congregation recognizes the challenges of this pandemic and the necessary restriction of being apart physically, but also knows how important it is for the collective community to mourn.
