This past Sunday I led an adult class on what it means to be Presbyterian. The title of our class is "How to Spell Presbyterian" borrowed from the title of a book. Most people ask "how do you spell that?" when you work for a Presbyterian church and have to give them your work info. I know; it happened a lot back in the day.
In my class I covered one of our Belief Statements. It was written in 1991 and the title is called "A Brief Statement of Faith." We Presbyterians laugh at the word "brief" because it is 80 lines long and I would say "The Apostles' Creed" is brief. This sucker goes on and on and on. The first line sets the stage for what we believe "In life and in death, we belong to God." I bank on that. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Yesterday I heard that one of the leaders of our Presbyterian youth passed away from flu/ pneumonia complications. She probably wasn't a day over 40. She left behind a husband and 2 teenage kids. So sad. So tragic. So unfair. She was doing so much in the field of education and youth ministry. We need her. She used her God-given talents to further the Kingdom of God. I met her a couple of times. She was energetic and fun and a joy to be around. She and her husband founded several youth programs. In an age when our youth are wondering if there is a God and whether or not they believe or even want to attend an organized religion, Aimee and her husband were offering a safe house, a program, a ministry to these confused and lonely souls. It's a sad day for the Presbyterian denomination but it is a joyous day knowing that Aimee is with her Maker and although we might be separated from her for the moment, nothing can separate her from her Loving God. Amen.
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