Saturday August 4, is day I shall never forget, what began in a whirlwind of activity in preparation ended with a great sense of thanksgiving to God for His great blessing upon me and our family.

So many people gathered from all point on the compass, many of whom I haven’t seen in decades (literally) assembled in Rehoboth Temple Church of Christ, in Columbus, Ohio to Give thanks to God for fifty years of service to God and His kingdom, with my family. It was a momentous time of worship.

There was laughter and a few tears, and because the Lord chose to honor us with His presence, we rejoiced in His sovereign grace during these years.

To each of you, I want, no, I need to express my thanks for your loving presence both yesterday and in my (our) lives as well. You made this day so very special. For those of you who could not make it, thank you for your words of encouragement and prayers on and during this day, it was filled with surprises and blessings which touched Barbara and our family very deeply.

In ministry we use words as one of the means to communicate our thoughts, but often the greatest means of communication is just your presence, you came through for us in so many unexpected ways, Barbara and I can’t thank you enough. Far beyond any gift given, (and there were many) were your expressions of love, which frankly mean a great deal more than any monetary gift of any size. THANK YOU!!!

I pray God’s riches blessing will always surround you, my prayer for you remains:

                The Lord bless you and keep you,

                The Lord make His face to shine upon you

                And give you Shalom (peace)

                In your going out and in your coming in

                In your lying down and in your raising up

                In your labor and in your leisure

                In your laughter and in your tears,

                Until we stand before Jesus,

   in that day when there shall Be no darkness or dawning,

                Amen!  "Ubuntu"