Dear Friends,

            Death claimed the life of a dear friend in early September. Her name? Mary Ann Huntington, who was a long-time member of First Church in Lincoln Park, where I served as pastor from 1984-90. Mary Ann was for many, many years a very active and enthusiastic supporter of The United Methodist Women, mission work (both locally and globally) and her congregation. Our family called her “Grandma Mary Ann” because she just adored our daughter Jane, who was but nine months old when we moved to Lincoln Park from Carleton. Every year at Easter, she and her husband, Larry, would buy Jane an Easter dress. They had been blessed with three boys and when the Huntingtons and Macaulays first met, something indescribable yet instantly palpable “clicked”. To this day, we cherish “Grandpa Larry” and “Uncles Dave, Larry and Don”. And we honor her memory and the gift her life was to us… and so many .

            At one level, people die every day. The sun still rises in the east and sets in the west, the birds still sing their songs and the seasons continue in their God-ordained course. In another sense, the death of those we love leave a seemingly giant chasm in our lives. We wonder how we’ll go on. We wonder if the birds’ songs will ever again sound so sweet… question if the sunsets will still take our breaths away… wonder if we’ll ever laugh again with such abandon.

            Mary Ann juggled many roles: daughter – wife – friend - mom – church member – PEO member – grandma – great-grandma – supporter of missions – encourager of pastors, especially female pastors – community supporter to name just some. All of which leads me to invite us to ask ourselves a few questions; questions that may be unsettling for some of us, yet nevertheless critical questions, I believe.

            *   For what do I want to be remembered in my life? What changes, if any, do I
                 need to make for that to be so?

            *   What are the top three values in my life? Be honest, now.

            *    How is the world better for my time on earth?

            *    What is the single most important change I need to make in my life, as I re-
                   flect on the Gospel’s values?

            *    What are the questions you would raise?

            As we move from summer into fall, as the Church year’s pace quickens, as we scurry from meeting to meeting, let me invite each of as leaders in the District and the Conference to reflect on these… or similar… questions. Not to be “bleak”, but to exam-ine our lives in the light of Christ’s spirit and to take the risk for some temporary pain in order to gain a richer, fuller, more humane, more Christ-like life. May it be so. And as always, feel free to contact me with any questions/comments. May the spirit of Christ continue to bless you and yours for the cause of the Reign of God.

Shalom,

Tom Macaulay