Giving to Connect

When I was first asked to share what I loved about St. Charles Presbyterian Church, I didn’t know where to begin. For those of you who don’t know, my first experiences with SCPC began in the late 1980s when a friend invited me to youth group. I was 13 years old.

I wasn’t born into this church like Carol Brown but you could say I’ve been part of this church for quite some time. I was trying to think about a special SCPC moment to share with all of you. But to be honest, there are far too many wonderful moments of my life that are connected to this building, connected to this congregation, and connected to each of you.

I thought about when I joined this church as a 16 year old. Marrying Greg just over there almost 30 years ago. Introducing - baptizing - and raising our 3 children in this church. Meeting some of my best friends like Doug & Colleen White, having long talks in the parlor and more often than not in the parking lot with Dana Bova, laughing & crying with the women of Circle 2 on Thursday nights. I’ve witnessed so much love given not only to my children but to all of the children of this church from people like Jo Ann Lynch, Sally Gribble, the Yorks, the Lyons, the Careys. I could go on and on about the different memories I have of SCPC or all of the wonderful people I’ve connected with over the years. So I started thinking about what these memories have in common.

There are 2 things I noticed. These moments connect me to God and connect me to each of you. Life is all about connections and

everything I’ve experienced at this church has brought me closer to God and closer to you.

At the beginning of this year during Sunday School, we began the hard work of discerning and reflecting on what type of church we are, what type of church we want to be, and what qualities we need in a leader to help us do what God has called us to do. It was beautiful work. We spent over three months really reflecting and discerning what God wants SCPC to be.

What did we learn? God wants us to be connected to Him and he wants us to be connected to our community. He wants us to love our neighbors, all of our neighbors - not just the ones who look like us, not just the ones who think like us. And this excites me and has me feeling hopeful. God is calling us to pour into our community.

All of my wonderful SCPC memories over the past 37 years shows me that God has poured into me and He has done this so that I can pour into my community. God wants me to give of my time, to share the gifts He has blessed me with, and give of my financial resources so I can stay connected to Him, so I can build connections with my community, and so I can be connected with each of you. I am looking forward to the new memories and connections we will make.

--Angie Southard