Hello Friends — New Garden is in an unusual, but not unfamiliar time of functioning as an un-pastored meeting; we have been in a similar place many years ago, when David Bills, our long-time pastoral minister, took a sabbatical. That means that we have work to do to care for one another. The Meeting on Ministry and Counsel continues to organize speakers for Semi-programmed Meeting for Worship. If you think that you have a message in you and a leading to share this with our community, please contact me or Kevin Lawe, the incoming clerk of MMC. Dates open are July 17, July 31, and many dates in August.

Deborah Suess has graciously continued her gift of providing pastoral care on a limited basis to our community through July, and everyone requesting pastoral care visits is being served. Members of MMC are covering the pastor’s work phone for New Garden, and triaging requests so that we may best use our resource with Deborah; please call 336-338-1986 rather than contacting Deborah directly. Friends from our community have also volunteered to visit with friends who may need some tenderness, and if this is something that you feel led to do, you can also let me know.

Friends, I was in error the past two Sundays in the announcements about the memorial service on July 10; this service is for Joseph McNamara, son of Joan and Bernie McNamara. It will be held at 2 p.m. at New Garden. Joan specifically asked for the support of her New Garden community.

This means Monthly Meeting for Business will be held on July 17, at 1 p.m.

Alan Spiewak and our tech team, along with John Martinez, head usher, have been tracking meeting attendance on our different platforms. I’m pleased to share their data collection with you, and please know in reading these numbers, that actual total numbers are higher due to several factors. We count Zoom connections, and many of those connections/screens have more than one person attending. We also count the number of folks tuning in on Facebook Live, and there are friends and interested folks who view the service later through that platform who are not included in the count. The good news is that meeting is being attended, in our many forms, and new people continue to find us and participate. I’ve been delighted to greet newcomers and visitors every week in the worship room.

 

Date             ZOOM         FaceBook        In Person        Speaker
4/3/2022         51                  9                      41               Ron Pudlo
4/10/2022       46                  8                      46               Margaret
4/17/2022       54                  9                      69               Easter – Margaret
4/24/2022       45                 10                     67               Kyle Farmbry
5/1/2022         49                  3                      47               Molly Haile
5/8/2022         38                  4                      44               Bill Eagles
5/15/2022       38                  1                      49               Alan Spiewak
5/22/2022       35                  5                      39               Recognition Sunday – Karin Heller
5/29/2022       26                  7                      41               Lightly programmed
6/5/2022         36                  3                      41               Marcy Reid-Smith
6/12/2022       39                  7                      41               Alan Spiewak
6/19/2022       32                  6                      33               Lightly programmed, Bill Eagles
6/26/2022       45                  6                      61               Max Carter

And lastly, thank you for the honor of serving as clerk of the Meeting on Ministry and Counsel. I am so grateful for your messages of encouragement, support and guidance during this time of many transitions. If I have not returned your message personally, please know that I have said a prayer of gratitude for you many times. I felt a leading to be able to support Margaret and our community during this year of great needs, and will continue on MMC to help with continuity. Kevin Lawe will be an excellent clerk, and I know that we will all work together as a community to forge a beautiful path ahead.

In the light,

Karen Garraputa / Clerk, the Meeting on Ministry and Counsel