Greeting my friends,

What a world we live in at and in this moment, it takes a great deal of energy, fortitude, belief, and strength to stay the Christian course.

We are worried, tired, and confused about what is true, right, and dependable.

Everyday I pray for the truth to be revealed, In all aspects of my life. The truth about who I am, the truth about who my neighbors are for love, kindness, and protection. The truth about who I deal with in business and pleasure. I also depend on God to reveal the truth in the media, our leaders and fellow Christians.

Stephanos, Fortunatus, Achaicus, Tychicus, Barnabus, Timothy, and Onesimus. When you hear these names, what does it make you think of? For many of us, most of these names would not “ring any bells” at all. So who were they? And why were they mentioned in Scripture?

The truth is that these names, these men, are some of the unsung heroes of the early Christian church. Not because of any bold, courageous acts that we know of but because of their everyday acts of faith and kindness. Although their mention is brief, it is powerful, and here’s why: these men were intentionally sent by Paul as encouragers of the early church.

Now, many of you may be thinking that “encourager” does not sound like a very important job, but how very wrong you would be, my sweet friends! An encourager is defined as “one who gives support, confidence, and hope or one who gives support or advice so that another will continue to do something.” Listen to the mentions of these men:

“When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.” Acts 11:22-23.

We need to be prayerful encouragers of each other as we walk, lets face it we often run in our life. I encourage you to take the time to be in the moment, to encourage and be intentional about your Christian encouragement.

“So, encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thess.5:11

The early church and the church of now needs encouragers more than ever, to provide the blessings that God intends for his people, to experience the joy that the earlier encour- agers experienced. Most importantly it is what God intends for those who are true to Him.

Our Game Night was a success we had about 24 people who joined us, there was lots of discussion and laughter, and of course food and fellowship.

For the month of November, it is my expectation to visit meetings, make connections and get to know the people of the Mary Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church on the Green. I look forward to participating in the Community Garden Halloween event, Trunk or Treat, the coordinating meeting of community resources, the Cooperative Parish Coun- cil, the Prime Time Group, Church Council, and begin discussions about how to bring the youth program to youth through the Cooperative Parish or Laura Perregaux and her group of culinary students. As we discussed at the Cooperative Parish Council Meeting this week, bringing youth and families to Christ is the goal no matter where we meet them.

As I pray for the spirit of encouragement among us I also pray that there is time for a blessed Thanksgiving, however that is celebrated in your home.

May God Bless us all in this crazy world that can keep us from being the Christian encouragers we were created to be.

Adeline Hazzard
Y&F Coordinator
Adeline1019@yahoo.com