Celebrating and
Reviving
Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
On July 8th, 2001 we were blessed to have Rev. Luis Miguel Ogando and his wife Maria share in our worship. He is pastor of the San Juan Iglesia de los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) in the Dominican Republic. As we are exploring establishing a sister church relationship with that congregation, we invited them to be our guests for Annual Conference here in Baltimore and to stay and preach the following Sunday. What a day it was!
"Shine,
Jesus Shine,
fill this land with the Father's glory.
Blaze, Spirit blaze,
set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river flow,
flood the nations with grace and mercy.
Send forth your word, Lord,
and let there be light."
Chris and Zermain Breidenbaugh share
about the blessing it has been
to host our guests for Annual Conference.
Our children share Sunday School materials
with Maria and Miguel to take back to San Juan.
Marian Bollinger coordinated this effort,
researching which items were easier
and cheaper to purchase
in the Dominican Republic.
Money was sent to buy Bibles there.
Maria and Miguel sing a song in Spanish:
"Revive us, again."
Miguel preaches,
with "Izzy" Rosas providing translation.
A time of anointing.
Miguel anoints Pastor Pete
for his ministry in Long Green Valley,
with others invited to come forward
and be anointed as well.
We then anointed Miguel and Maria
for their ministry in San Juan and Chalona.
A powerful moment!
Language is not a barrier in prayer.
And, of course, the Pot Luck meal.
Sharing around the tables.
A time for questions and answers.
"How many children do you have?" (5)
"What do you think of the church
here in the United States?"
"What do you in Long Green think
of what you've
heard of the church
in the Domincan Republic?"
New friends!
Miguel and Maria stayed with
Chris and Zermain Breidenbaugh (behind them) and
Norman and Marian Bollinger (on either side)
during their 12 day stay here.
Norman wished everyone else
could have had the same privilege.
Maybe next time!
Let's see - when will Long Green Valley folk
next visit San Juan?
See the Order of Worship for July 8, 2001
Long Green Valley Church homepage