Summer is here! I’m looking forward to the warm afternoons and extra time with family. Each year, I look forward to relaxing in the pool with a good book. I hope that you all have plans for resting and opening your hearts and minds to God’s peacefulness.

On the first Sunday of the month, June 1, we will look at Acts 16:16-34. In this passage, we encounter several people who are prisoners – some literal and some figurative. In a now familiar pattern, we will see how sometimes we have more freedom even though we’re imprisoned. The church office will be closed on the first week of June (June 2-6) as both Jennifer and I will be on vacation. I will be back in time for worship on June 8.

Sunday, June 8 will be a great day at GPC! This year, we will celebrate Pentecost during our worship service, and we will continue our celebration in the afternoon by hosting a community Ice Cream Social to commemorate Shaler Township’s 125th anniversary. Please make sure to register for this fun event no later than Saturday, May 31. What a great way to remember the birth of the church and the coming of the Holy Spirit!

The following Sunday, June 15, is Trinity Sunday which always falls on the Sunday after Pentecost. According to the Book of Common Worship, “this theological festival celebrates the nature and mission of the triune God—an identity and purpose we share as those who are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” We will explore Romans 5:1-5 in the light of Trinity Sunday and talk about what it means to hope.

 June 22 brings us to the Gospel of Luke 8:26-39. This is a story of Jesus healing a man and the complications that follow. We have talked a lot about following God’s plan and trusting in God. But what do we do when life gets complicated? It’s bound to happen. This week we will explore just that.

Finally, on June 29, we’ll turn to Galatians 5 and look at the fruit of the Spirit. We may know this passage well and perhaps can even recite the fruit of the Spirit off the top of our heads. This week we’ll think about whether we are living by the Spirit that we know so well.

I’m looking forward to another wonderful month of worship!

Pastor Emily