I got excited about a story I want to share with all of you. We got a call at the church yesterday from Kathy Garner. She had just gotten off the phone with Peggy Bickford, who had reminded her of a beautiful experience of God’s presence at the church a few years back.
The Rex Putnam Choir came to lead worship on occasion here at First Presbyterian Church Newport. One time a single voice from among those gathered for worship started singing the words “We are not alone” as she slowly stood up and walked up to the front of the sanctuary. After a moment others from among the congregation started singing as they too walked forward to the front of the church. Soon the church was filled with this beautiful song reminding us all that our gathering together is a sign that we are never alone. God is always with us. We celebrate that every time we gather.
Even though we are not able to gather right now, this memory is a beautiful reminder of the past times we have been able to gather. It also shines hope on all the times in the future when we will come together, reminding us that we are not alone. We are never alone.
Thank you Peggy and Kathy for sharing this memory with us. It is a special experience of God’s presence. As I was thinking about this story, it dawned on me that God in the midst of this story. In the same way, God is in the midst of all of our stories. Our lives are all part of God’s story. It would be wonderful to be able to share our stories of God’s presence. Please let me know if you have a story you would like to share. You can write it out for the church to share, or you can call me and tell me the story. Then I can write it out and share it.
If you would like to reflect on the song sung by the Rex Putnam Choir, you can follow this link to a YouTube recording: https://youtu.be/eghlch_QdPM?t=131 Enjoy!
