OSHC This Sunday May 10th - Fifth Sunday of Easter

Dear Members and Friends of Old South Haven Church:

I want to thank all of you, who have been joining our Zoom Church Sessions.  I hope that you are enjoying the services as much as I have.

Next Sunday, we will again be worshiping by Zoom.  The information to connect is at the bottom of Ralph's letter and the May 10th Bulletin is attached.  Again, if you have any prayer requests, please get in touch with Pastor Ralph or Nancy Best.  Her contact information is 631-2861659 or nancyeb40@gmail.com.

Please join us this coming Sunday,

Linda

Celebrate Our Mothers

                        "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" 

                   Proverbs 31:26

                     "You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading

beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."

             I Peter 3:4

May 6, 2020

Dear Members and Friends of Old South Haven Presbyterian Church,

We invite you to join us at church, via zoom and the internet, this Sunday, May 10th to celebrate Mother's Day.  Everyone has a mother, so it isn't surprising that throughout the world there are many ways of honoring and celebrating mothers.  Mother's Day is a time to think about the legacies, personal, societal, and faith wise, that mothers and grandmothers pass on.

The tradition of honoring mothers and motherhood, have existed for thousands of years.  The Hebrews, the Greeks, the Romans all had festivals honoring mothers.  In the early church there are records of Christian Mothering Sundays.  In Ethiopia Mother's Day is actually celebrated for three days after the end of the rainy season which is mid fall. 

The United Kingdom celebrates Mothering Sunday which falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent.  The day has evolved from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one's mother church annually on this Lenten Sunday.  As a result of this tradition most mothers were reunited with their children on this day when young apprentices and young women in service were released by their masters for that weekend.

Many of us in the U.S. have been raised with the concept that Mother's Day began in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother, Mrs. Jarvis, at St. Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia.  Mrs. Jarvis during the Civil War cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the conflict.  After the war she continued to address public health issues of both the north and the south of our country. Owing to the efforts of Anna Jarvis by 1911 all U.S. states observed the holiday. 

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother's Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a nation holiday to honor mothers.  With the success of this day honoring mothers, there followed the commercialism which so often is a part of the economic history of the U.S. In reaction to selling of cards and flowers, etc., Anna Jarvis argued that people should appreciate and honor their mothers through handwritten letters expressing their love and gratitude, instead of buying gifts and pre-made cards.

It is appropriate for each one of us to worship together, with prayers and the singing of hymns, and in so doing make tributes to motherhood, to honor not only our own mother but all 

mothers.  In today's world it is often the role of mothers to stand up for peace and justice and love.  Let them be our guide.

Despite the Corona Virus pandemic, let us all act as mothers by gently touching those in our community that are hurting and alone. Let us provide support, as a mother would, for those in need of food, or money for rent or gasoline for the auto, or just a shoulder to cry on because of the stress and anxiety one may have. It may not always be possible to be social distancing the suggested six feet, but I am sure however we do it, we will express the Christian love Jesus taught us to have.

Peace, and please share your concerns and prayer requests with me.

Pastor Ralph

Rev. Ralph B. Wright, Jr.

516-606-7671 (cell); 631-289-5761 (home) or rbwright1@aol.com

Topic:   Old South Haven Sunday Church Service

Time:    May 10, 2020 09:45 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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