Maranatha, May 23, 2010

“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of faith is
to see what you believe.”
Saint Augustine

The quote above is a reminder that the “faith” of our class members is “seen” through the reward of members who move to help and care for another class member or their family. Our class was faithful this week when members demonstrated their support for the family of Jennifer Tye who died earlier in the week. Carol Maus and Mickey, friends of Jennifer, Doug, and their sons, shared loving stories of Jennifer’s life with us. Thank you Carol, Mickey, and all those who gave their time, food, and prayers for the Tye family. Her family will continue to need your prayers!

This morning, we recognized several birthdays for the week (Jane Smith, Amy Michael, and Kevin Meehan) and a number of anniversaries (Dee & Noel Copeland, Suzy & Denny Meredith-Orr, Allene & Rex Donley, Diane & Gene Martin, and Lynn & Bob Russell). Happy Birthday and Congratulations to each of you!

Our greeters who provided refreshments were Rob & Frieda Reck and Janet Purinton. Good food! There was one announcement: the “70s Trivia Party” will be held on June 4th at the Manduanos. Contact them if you have not already signed up to attend this party.

Today, many concerns were shared by our class: For the Bruce Taylor family, for young Amanda, Debbie Jacoby’s father, a class member who is starting chemotherapy this week, and others as well. If you wish for us to share specific concerns and names of those in need of prayer, please let us know and we will send out another report with that information later this week.

Joys were also presented to the class, including the birth of Rorie Hope, the granddaughter of LeDouxs, and celebrations for new graduates.

Scott Morgan led us in prayer.

We welcomed visitors, Ron, Ben, Lisa (Meehan), and Liz (Wansley). Come again!

Our lesson was the completion of the discussion of Jeremiah and his prophetic statements; the lesson was presented by Reverend/Professor Susanna Southard, Phillips Theological Seminary. Many thanks to Susanna for a well-delivered and meaningful lesson!

Next week is a “Brunch Sunday”; so bring a dish to share with the class. Ginny Walker will provide a devotion/lesson for us next week. Bring family and friends for the food and Ginny’s lesson!

Prayerfully Yours,

Richard Wansley and Meredith Davison
Presidents

Published in: on May 23, 2010 at 11:35 am  Comments Off on Maranatha, May 23, 2010  
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Maranatha, May 16, 2010

“Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when
you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don’t.”
Pete Seeger

We celebrated several birthdays for this week, all of which are on May 22nd, including those for Angie Dale, Mary Elliott, Bill Gertsen, and Jerry Walker. Happy birthday! Also, we recognized two couples celebrating anniversaries, Debbie & Scott Morgan (5/18) and Kendall and David Carpenter (5/21). Happy Anniversary!

Mark & Beverly North and Skip and Paula Scott were our greeters on Sunday, and provided great snacks, healthy and sugary!!

Larry and Susan Winter visited with us on Sunday; they currently live in Kansas City but are one of the original founders of the Maranatha Class. Larry’s mother, Betty, was also a visitor. Maranatha is still your home, and you’re welcome anytime!

Mark North joined our class; welcome, welcome Mark!

Several parties were announced, including the Karaoke and Cans on August 28th, Maranatha Bells on July 10th, and Mid Life Crisis on May 27th. Denny Meredith-Orr announced that a date in June is being set up for a work trip on the cottage in Tahlequah; more later on this mission opportunity.

Concerns were expressed for Dan Blevins who is ill, Skip Scott who is having dental surgery on Tuesday, John Sherman’s cousin, Bennett, who is having serious kidney problems, and Sam Smith’s mother who is having heart problems. Remember all these in your prayers this week. Beverly North led us in prayer during our class period.

Reverend Susanna Southard, a professor at Phillips Theological Seminary, delivered our lesson on Sunday. Her teachings focused on Jeremiah and she reminded us about how historical context is important to understanding what God intends for us to glean from the scriptures. Reverend Southard will be returning this Sunday, May 23rd, to complete her lessons. Be there, and bring family and friends!

Remember to check out our webcasts found on the Church’s website; most of our Sunday lessons are archived there for your review if you not able to join us on a Sunday.

Have a great week!

Richard Wansley and Meredith Davison
Presidents

Published in: on May 17, 2010 at 6:17 pm  Comments Off on Maranatha, May 16, 2010  
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Rev. Susanna Southard

Please be reminded that this Sunday, May 16th, and the next Sunday, May 23rd, Reverend Susanna Southard, Instructor at Phillips Theological Seminary, will be our teacher. Reverend Southard will teach on “Jeremiah”; below, see a description of her interests and background:

“With a passion for the Hebrew Bible, and especially for reader-oriented and feminist approaches, the Rev. Southard’s current research focus is on representations of time in Hebrew narrative. Her dissertation is entitled, “Intersections of Time: Readings of Simultaneity in the Book of Judges.” She has taught courses in Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, Biblical Hebrew, Five Festival Scrolls, and Jeremiah.

Publications include the ancient Israel and ancient Arabia sections of the Encyclopedia of Love, Courtship, and Sexuality (Greenwood Publishing, forthcoming), contributions to the New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (2006, 2007), articles on Daniel (2006) and Jeremiah (2005) for DisciplesWorld, and “Ruth and Naomi” in the Encyclopedia of Religion, 2d ed. (Macmillan, 2005). Recent presentations include “Daughters of Eve: The Places of Women in Classical Sources” for the Interfaith Trialogue (Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice), “Moses: The Man and the Manna” for the Institute for Theological Studies (Disciples of Christ), “Walking the Faith: Ruth’s Adventure” for the PTS Faith Matter Series, “Ruth” at the South Central Jurisdictional Clergywomen’s Consultation (UMC), “Like Father, Like Son: the Levite in Micah’s House” at the Central States Regional SBL Meeting, 2006, “Woman to Woman: A Comparative Study of Women’s Status as Represented in Law Codes of Ancient Israel and Neighboring Nations” at the SBL Annual Meeting, 2004, and “At Home in Babylon? An Ideological/Rhetorical Consideration of Exodus 1” at the SBL Annual Meeting, 2003.

An ordained elder in full connection with the Kansas East Conference of the United Methodist Church with eleven years of full-time pastoral experience, the Rev. Southard is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) and Phi Beta Kappa. She received a Dempster Fellowship from the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the UMC in 2003-04. She joined the Phillips Theological Seminary faculty in 2007.”

See you on Sunday; bring guests!!

Richard Wansley

Published in: on May 12, 2010 at 6:51 pm  Comments Off on Rev. Susanna Southard  
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Maranatha, May 9, 2010

“May you run and not be weary. May your heart be filled with song. And may the love of God
continue to give you hope and keep you strong.”

This portion of the choral response above, now song by us all at the end of the Church’s service, could be describing mothers, running and not appearing to ever be weary, hearts filled with song, and always seeming to be hopeful and strong! Yesterday, Sunday, those who were able to attend class at Maranatha were reminded of all these characteristics when we heard from four mothers, Lynn Russell, Pam Sherman, Debbie Jacoby, and Meredith Davison, who spoke about being mothers and daughters. It was a loving, moving devotion from each presenter!

We celebrated two birthdays, Paula Scott (5/11) and Jim Embrey (5/13). Happy Birthday! No anniversaries were noted for this week.

Our greeters and providers of refreshments were Gary and Patti Smith and Rex and Allene Donley. It was a lovely table adorned with red roses and white carnations on a red tablecloth, and great snacks, both healthy and guilt-ridden. Our thanks to each of you for keeping the calories coming!

Visitors this Sunday were Maranatha alums, Phil and Cindy Allbritten, who now reside in Texas.

Our announcements included appreciation for the talents of Susan Panciera; Susan played a lively rendition of “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” on the clarinet at Sunday’s main services. Also, we heard joys expressed from proud parents, the Carpenters and Jacobys, for the graduation of daughters who will now be pursuing advanced degrees. Congratulations to you and others in our class who will also be sharing in such a joy as schools hold their commencements.

Angie Dale led us in a special Mother’s Day prayer that was a devotional in itself; it was lovely and meaningful!

Next week, we will welcome Professor Susanna Southard, Phillips Theological Seminary, who will teach us for two successive Sundays. Bring friends and family! If we haven’t seen you for a while, you have been missed! We look forward to seeing you soon.

Have a great week!

Richard Wansley and Meredith Davison
Presidents

Published in: on May 10, 2010 at 7:03 pm  Comments Off on Maranatha, May 9, 2010  
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Maranatha, May 2, 2010

“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone
who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”
Oprah Winfrey

A great day at Maranatha! We recognized a number of birthdays, including those of Steve Slaight (5/2), Susie Butterworth (5/4), Kirk Place (5/5), Paul Loyd (5/6), and John Nicks (5/8). Happy Birthday! We also noted the upcoming anniversary of Charlotte Rowe (5/6); Happy Anniversary!

Carol and Dave Grim, and Dana and Stuart Solomon brought snacks, both healthy and guilt-ridden, adorning a beautiful table setting. Carol, Dave, Dana, and Stuart also served as greeters to members and guests. Thanks!

We had wonderful visitors, including Larry and Linda Johnson, Georgia Tulley, Dana Murray, Buck and Pat Herron, and Brian Smith. If you are a member and know these visitors, let them know we hope to see them again in class, and much appreciated their time spent with us.

Several announcements were shared with the class: (Judge) Sarah Smith was featured in a Tulsa World article this morning, one about Veterans Courts; Sam Smith’s mom is in the hospital; Lynn’s friend, Larry Brown, is experiencing difficulty with his treatment for cancer; a brother and sister-in-law who are struggling with money and a job; a friend of Ginny’s daughter who is dying. We celebrated joys and heard concerns that demand our attention and prayers. Lynn Russell offered the prayer this morning after hearing joys and concerns.

Ann Smith, Executive Director for Neighbor for Neighbor, gave an inspiring description of the agency. She also offered a suggestion for a mission opportunity to the class later in the year; Denny and Suzy Meredith-Orr told me that they will followup with Ann on this matter. We appreciate the great work of N4N that we heard about this morning. Thank you, Ann!

Next Sunday is Mother’s Day! We will celebrate the day by hearing from several women in our class who will share stories about their mothers or of being a mother. Meredith will be facilitating this presentation; be there for this important topic and bring guests!

Have a marvelous and blessed week! See you next Sunday!

Richard Wansley and Meredith Davison
Presidents

Published in: on May 2, 2010 at 5:25 pm  Comments Off on Maranatha, May 2, 2010  
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Maranatha, April 25, 2010

“Even if you’re on the right tack, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
Will Rogers

We had a great group of members today with a few visitors, including Pat Herron, Alexis Brownlee and Erin Meehan. We recognized one birthday, Brenda Worthington (5/1), and one anniversary, Margaret and Dave Been (5/1). Art and Karen Campbell as well as Lynn and Shari Goodwin were our greeters and brought delicious snacks. Thanks!

Pam Sherman noted that the response to the proposed May social opportunity, joining the church outing to a Drillers baseball game, has not generated much interest. She is exploring other options including group tickets to see “12 Angry Men”, a Theater Tulsa production. Pam will report to us next week about this and other possibilities.

Joys and concerns were shared with us, including the news that the Shermans have now, finally, secured contracts to sell both of their houses that they have had on the market for some time. Denzil is selling his ’66 Mustang; contact him if you have an interest. Erin Meehan thanked the class for our financial contribution to the VIM trip to Nicaraugra, enabling her to join this mission.

Suzy Meredith-Orr was missing this morning, and Denny reported that she had hurt her back and is home recuperating. We hope to see Suzy back with us again soon! Also, keep the Russells in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to recover from the theft at their home during our Sunday School hour last week.

Paula Scott led us in prayer; thank you, Paula.

Dr. Gary Peluso-Verdend completed his 2-part series contrasting the world of yesterday with the world of today as seen by our youth. Influence of technology, expectations for one approach our faith and beliefs, and other observations yielded much conversation by members as well as questions and responses by Dr. Peluso. Thanks, Gary, for a thought-provoking presentation.

We have an exciting May 2010 line-up of speakers/teachers, including:

  • May 2nd, Ann Smith, Executive Director for Tulsa’s Neighbor for Neighbor agency,
  • May 9th, Mother’s Day Presentation by Maranatha Women (Contact Meredith at meredith-davison if you are interested in making a 5 to 10 minute oral presentation regarding your Mother or being a Mother; Meredith will help you better understand what she has in mind when you contact her),
  • May 16th and May 23rd, Professor Susanna Southard, Phillips Theologica Seminary,
  • May 30th, our own Virginia (Ginny) Walker (her lesson will be given during our 5th Sunday Brunch).

Have a great week! See you on Sunday; bring your friends and family!

Richard Wansley and Meredith Davison
Presidents

Published in: on April 25, 2010 at 6:53 pm  Comments Off on Maranatha, April 25, 2010  
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Maranatha, April 18, 2010

“Today the world changes so quickly that in growing up we take leave not just of youth but of the world we were young in.”
Peter Medawar (Nobel Prize Winning Zoologist, 1960)

Our Quote of the Day above was appropriate to our Class’ lesson this morning, delivered by Dr. Gary Peluso-Verdend, President, Phillips Theological Seminary. Gary began a two part series entitled, “Adolescents and Christianity in the United States: A Look Back Since WWII.” This moring, he acquainted us with the many ways in which young people of today are growing up in an environment different from many of us, older folks; he particulary pointed out the influence of technology on adolescents. Dr. Peluso-Verdend has set the stage for next weeks lesson discussing the relationship of these factors to the formation of values, ethics, and faith.

Prior to our lesson, we celebrated two birthdays this week, Mickey Maus (4/19) and Sarah Smith (4/23), and two anniversaries, Mary & Charlie Ninde (4/22) and Anita & Mark Rounds (4/23). Greeters who also brought great refreshments were Julie & Jeff Evans and Suzy & Denny Meredith-Orr. Congratuations to those celebrating special days, and thank you for the delicious food!

Nancy Morgan was a visitor for the last time; she now is a member! Welcome, Nancy! Our other visitors were Mary and Ed, parents of Susan Panciera. Mary and Ed, come again.

Lot’s of announcements were heard today. Suzy Meredith-Orr announced that Maranatha Class members have contributed 207 hours toward missions benefitting 450 people since January. Great job, Maranatha, and our thanks to Suzy and Denny for coordinating this activities!

“Dinners/Lunch for 8” groups will begin again this month. If you have signed up, then you’re in a group. If you haven’t signed up, then contact Pam Sherman for an assignment for this month. Also, contact Pam if you are interested in attending the May social event, a Drillers baseball game on May 23rd, immediately following the 11am service (lunch and the game for $20 per person).

Carol Grim showed us beautiful quilts made by her church quilting group, an activity supported in part by the Maranatha Class. She announced that one the quilts will be donated to Apartment M, Exodus House, another mission our our Class. Thanks, Carol and all the other quilters!

A special request was announced, looking for drivers to assist Disabled American Veterans access medical visits and other services. If you are interested in volunteering, call 628-2607.

We had a number of concerns mentioned this morning, the death of a friend and work colleague, illnesses of family and friends, the death of a grandson of a church member, a family who is facing a stressful legal matter, and a joy for a son who is to receive a fellowship to study for his PhD. Those in class this morning heard these concerns and joys; if you were not able to attend, please speak with me or another member about details about these expressions of joys and concerns.

Jim Embrey lead us in prayer following our announcement, joys and concerns.

Beginning next week, we will be asking all those who wish to have their specific joys and concerns placed in the weekly Class Report to write them down for us so that we can make certain that we get the correct details.

We’re always happy to have a large number of members as we did this morning, but we miss those of you who could not join us today. Come when you can, keep in touch! Have a wonderful, blessed week! Gary Peluso-Verdend will be our teacher again next week, completing his teaching series.

Richard Wansley and Meredith Davison
Presidents

Published in: on April 18, 2010 at 6:21 pm  Comments Off on Maranatha, April 18, 2010  
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Maranatha, April 11, 2010

I regret I was unable to send out the regular Report earlier in the week, but work-related demands have prevented me from do so. But, here it is now:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Our teacher/presenter on Sunday was Reverend Stan Basler, Director of the Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries for the Oklahoma Conference, United Methodist Church. Stan, his wife, and local staff members attended our class; we all listened as he described the New Day Camp, a summer camp for children of incarcerated parents. We were all impressed with this very worthwhile and labor-intensive effort of the UM church that is designed to provide a unique, positive experience for these children while also helping reduce the children’s risk for their own incarceration. Statistics show that children of incarcerated parents are from 7 to 10 times at greater risk of criminal acts later in their lives leading to an incarceration.

Reverend Basler’s presentation was most timely given that Sunday was the day that we made a decision regarding distribuition of our class funds, and New Day Camp was one of our designated beneficiaries. Sharon Earley lead us through a description of the process that the Funds Committee and class has used to date in identifying proposed financial recipients. She then presented the proposal; it was approved by the class without objection. Later this week and, again, on Sunday, a final statement of the distributions will be forwarded to you. Thank you Sharon and your Committee for sheperding a good process and great outcome, and my thanks to all class members who contributed financially to our missions within and outside Boston Avenue!

Prior to Stan’s presentation and approving the funds distribution, we recognized several birthdays and anniversaries: Birthdays – LeeAnne Nichols (4/11), Pam Low (4/14), Jerry Russell (4/15), and Joey Manduano (4/16); Anniversaries – Beth and Bob Winchester (4/11), Ginny and Jerry Walker (4/14), Nancy and Joey Manduano (4/15). Happy Birthday and Congratulations to those celebrating annivesaries!

Pam and John Sherman, Beth and Eric Green provided great refreshments, and welcomed class members and visitors. Thank you!

We had a number of visitors including Jeannine Bezotte, Janet Basler, Nancy Morgan (who we hoping to move from “visitor” to “member” soon), Matt North (Beverly’s husband; come again Matt), Brantley Tillery, Delores Ritter, Pat Herron, Kim Orr, and Darren (sorry, we missed the last name). Great members, great visitors!

There were a number of joys, concerns, and announcements; it was a busy morning. Prayers were asked for concerns that included Katie (and her family), young 33 year old mother of 2-year old twins, who recently started chemo for breast cancer, for Noel Ray who recently suffered a serious stroke, and a friend, Dale, who has been disappointed by the actions of a young woman whom she has been mentoring. We were also reminded of Kaiden, the 2 1/2 year child, who has a brain tumor.

One true joy was Beth sharing with us that Eric has received a “clean bill of health” at his last checkup; indeed, good news! Scott Morgan let us know that his adult child and family are moving back to Tulsa for work; however, Scott let me know as class was ending that they have a need – a good rental house. If you have or know of such rental house, or need information about the need, contact Scott Morgan as soon as possible.

Rob Reck led us in prayer prior to Reverend Basler’s presentation.

Several announcements for your calendars:

  • Our mission to assist with the Interfaith Habitat House is this Saturday, April 17th. Contact Suzy or Denny Meredith-Orr for more information.
  • New “Dinners/Lunchs for Eight” will be formulated soon; Pam Sherman will start sign-ups next week.
  • The May 2010 Class Social will be attending with other Church members a Tulsa Drillers baseball game on Sunday, May 23rd. The game starts at 2:05pm but lunch will be provided to all attendees at the new ONEOK Field immediately following the 11am service. Cost for the lunch and ticket is $20 per person. Contact Pam Sherman for details.
  • For those who purchased the Champagne Bruch with Gary Peluso-Verdend, President, Phillips Theological Seminary is Saturday, April 17th. Contact Ginny Walker, your host, for more information.
  • The Designer Showcase party is Monday evening, 7pm to 9pm, April 19th. If you have not paid and want to attend, the cost is $20 payable to Maranatha Class; contact Lynn Russell for more information.

Next week (April 18th) and the Sunday following (April 25th), Dr. Gary Peluso-Verdend will be our teacher/presenter. Be there, you’re invited; invite others as well!

We had a busy Sunday and lot’s going on; isn’t it great? Hope that I got all the facts straight. If not, let me know.

Richard Wansley

Published in: on April 13, 2010 at 6:08 pm  Comments Off on Maranatha, April 11, 2010  
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Maranatha, April 4, 2010, Easter Sunday

“He is not here, he has risen, just as he said”
Matthew 28:6a

Today, it was our Easter Brunch, and the food was delicious! Thanks to all of you who brought the yummies, quite a variety and a great collection of healthy with the other type of foods as well! Before we began our Brunch, the Reverend Paul Staat led us in prayer.

We noted a couple of birthdays this week, Anita Rounds (4/4) and Rob Reck (4/7). We also recognized Martha and Dan Blevin’s anniversary coming up on April 7th.

We had several guests join our 80+ members who were present this morning, including Alexis Brownlee, Nancy Morgan, Sue Hood, Ben Daniel, and Catherine Payton, all family of members. It was great to have them visit with us, and they are welcome to come again! And, they are certainly encouraged to join our class as members if they live in the area and want to spend meaningful and fun times with a great group of people.

Matthew Klein started us out with announcements. Matthew is seeking his Eagle Scout distinction, and invited us to assist with a donation to his project. Many contributed this morning, and if you are interested in know more about the project, then contact Matt (he is Denise and Albert Klein’s son); give him a call, and donate to this worthwhile effort.

The Designer Showcase is April 19th, 7pm to 9pm. Contact Lynn Russell for more information if you wish to join this class party.

A joy was shared by Bob Russell for his friend, Bob Pierce, who was ordained. Lynn Russell’s friend, Jerry Gleeson, died recently following an extended illness. Meredith Davison is ill at home. Please keep all these in your prayers this week.

Our lesson this morning was a devotion given by our fellow class member, Ed Payton. Ed’s comments were based on three words, “remember”, “paradise”, and “resurrection”. It was a thoughtful lesson for our Easter celebration. If you were not able to attend this morning, look for Ed’s devotion on our website in the near future. Thank you, Ed.

We enjoyed the splendid music at the worship service, and appreciate the amazing voices of many of our class members in the choir. The schedule on Easter doesn’t permit them to join us in class, but all of you were in our thoughts.

Next week, the Reverend Stan Basler, who directs the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church’s criminal justice ministries will be our teacher.

On April 11th, next Sunday, we will also vote on distribution of our donations for the year. Please look to the website for the current proposal for these funds, and let Sharon Earley or me know if you have any additional nominations for donations.

Hope your Easter Sunday was a happy and blessed one; after all, “…He has risen…”!

Richard Wansley

Published in: on April 4, 2010 at 8:24 pm  Comments Off on Maranatha, April 4, 2010, Easter Sunday  
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Maranatha Funds Distribution Proposal / Easter Sunday Reminder

Please find attached with this message, the proposal for distribution of our funds raised at the Christmas auction for needs within BAUMC and outside BAUMC but some recipients being within the Conference or denomination. From here, our process is two-fold, asking for your review of the proposal and letting us know if you have any further nominations. Then, on Sunday, April 11, we will have a final draft for your revisions and acceptance.

Sharon Earley has been heading up this process to date, assisted by Bill Gertsen, Shari Goodwin, Kevin Meehan, Meredith Davison, and others (whose names escape my memory at this time). We have had nominations and recommendations from others of you as well, and continue to ask for your feedback before April 8th. Contact Sharon (sharon.earley(at)williams.com) or me (richard.wansley(at)okstate.edu) with suggestions and other nominations. My thanks to Sharon for her leadership and others who have contributed to this important activity of our Sunday School Class.

Remember – Sunday School Class this Sunday, Easter, is a Brunch; bring whatever food you wish. And, the Class hour begins at 9:30am. Ed Payton will be leading us with a devotion. See you on Sunday to celebrate the Risen Christ!

Richard Wansley

[Note that the “attached file” has been changed to a page on this site. You may find the link on the right. If you need help with the password, please contact one of the class officers. – brm]

Published in: on April 3, 2010 at 7:54 am  Comments Off on Maranatha Funds Distribution Proposal / Easter Sunday Reminder  
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