Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’……….

- Luke 12:16-19

Holy One, have I lost my way? Have the dog days of summer ungrounded me? Have the politics discouraged me? Has the routine of life crushed me with boredom. Have I forgotten how to listen and how to look for your graces and gifts in life.  Has COVID made me numb to the deep needs there are in our world? Help me to listen for your voice. Help me to see you in the faces of the people around me. Help me to feel you in the cool morning breezes. Help me to find my way home to the love you always bear, the solace you offer with constancy, your peace which passes all understanding and to your people- fellow pilgrims beacons of love and hope; seeds of grace planted by you along the path you know I will be walking. Amen

This Sunday, we will be joined by Pat Sise. He will play a beautiful classical guitar piece as a Prelude, called Lagrima by Francisco Tarrega. We will present “Multiplied” by Needtobreathe for the offertory piece. Bo Rinehart, one of the band’s members says of this piece, “If we spent the rest of our life singing Hallelujahs, it still wouldn't amount to what God truly deserves. I need God, even in worship, to help make what little I have to offer worthy of God. This song is a prayer. ‘May this offering stretch across the skies and these Hallelujahs be multiplied.’''

I look forward to sharing this with you. Our piano is being put back together as I write this article. I hope that it will be ready by Sunday, but if not, you’ll definitely hear it next week!

Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead!

With love,

Dear Members and Friends of Ark and Dove,

Greetings from the Stewardship Team! Summer is upon us and once again our days stretch longer, the sun shines brighter, and our sunscreen stash gets a refresh! As we celebrate the warmth and fun of the summer season, whether that means family vacations, bountiful gardening, or lazy days by the pool, the Stewardship Team would like to wish you all a very happy summer! We would also like to take this time to give a gentle reminder to everyone to try to stay current on your pledges as we seek to continue the good work of our various ministry and mission efforts through the summer months. Currently, overall giving is behind by about $20,000. This is typical of the summer months as many people are away on vacation or otherwise enjoying summer and it slips the mind to get donations into the church. We usually see quite a bit of catching up as the summer season draws to a close and fall looms near and we hope that will be the case again this year as we have plenty of good work left to do in our community and beyond. Much like prayer, scripture reading, and dedication to service, the practice of giving regularly and intentionally is a spiritual discipline that helps us grow in faith and mature spiritually. It feels good to give, especially when we see all the good it helps accomplish in the world. So, in the midst of having a wonderful summer, please remember to send in your pledged giving so that we can continue to communicate the love of God in our words and actions in order to make a positive difference in the world together. Thank you for your continued dedication and generosity in these ever changing times.

Donations can also be taken directly to the food pantry at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Odenton on Tuesdays 10:45-1:30 and Thursdays 2:45-5:30. The items needed the most through this summer are: