Church Service in the Park

Yesterday was our annual church service in Schenley Park. They did a very good job of protecting us from the unusually hot weather. They picked a grove of trees for the service. There was a ridge around it so some of us sat up on the ridge. It was a great view. There was shade and a good breeze. The service was very nice. Most of the usual people I've known there for the past 3 1/4 years were present, though not all. At the service, I sat next to one of the young ladies going to Nicaragua this month. The food was delicious. I brought rainbow carrots, rainbow tomatoes, and broccoli. There were lots of veggies and fruits, and I pigged out on the many vegan dishes consisting of various bean, lentil, and orzo salads. Also, they had the delicious French lentil and feta cheese salad again this year, which isn't vegan but is vegetarian. I sat with Mikki and Checkers. Mikki was babysitting Checkers' dog Honey Bee while Checkers got her food. I didn't stay long but enjoyed sitting with them for a few minutes and seeing some familiar faces. This service honors the Sunday school teachers, because they don't have Sunday school for the kids during the summer. During the summer, they have a vacation Bible school, then have child care for very young children. But there is only one Sunday school class for adults during the summer months. The service starts at 10 instead of 11, which is fine with me, since I often like to go hiking on the summit on Sunday, so I can get there earlier. Also, the choir does not perform during the summer. The minister is taking two weeks off for study and will travel during that time. Therefore, we will have two guest ministers the next two weeks. I'm looking forward to attending every week this summer. I'm especially interested to follow the progress of the mission trip to Nicaragua.