Windows of Faith

Dear Church Family,

I want to share a word of thanks to the entire congregation for your generosity. Yesterday I delivered a check to the North Texas Conference (my sweet spouse Christy Drenner is the Conference Treasurer) to finish our 2023 financial commitment to the United Methodist family around the world. Thank you as well for the generosity you showed on Christmas Eve. We received a special collection for the People’s Justice Garden at Temple Shalom on Alpha Road in Dallas. I delivered a check to them as well, in the amount of $338. I included a copy of the letter which accompanied the check, below.

Those of you in attendance last Sunday know we began a new worship series, “Covenant,” examining five of the covenants God made in the Hebrew Bible. The image above hints at this Sunday’s subject. Speaking of the Windows of Faith located in our Sanctuary, I have been captivated by them since coming to Spring Valley last summer. I have thought to myself more than once: it would be awesome to create a sermon series around those windows- telling their story and the congregation’s story. Then I realized that three of the first four windows on the west side of the building are included in the Covenant series: Creation, the Flood, the 10 Commandments. I shared this with our creative staff team Wednesday at worship planning and we realized-- we’re already in the series I have been ruminating on! Let’s keep it going!

There are twelve windows on each side of the Sanctuary. Adding the magnificent Christ window in the Chancel area brings the total to 25 messages. We just finished Nativity, so we will hold that window until next December. The David window will keep for our Game of Thrones series next summer (yes, it’s happening, parental discretion advised). From January 7 until June 23, nearly every Sunday and even Holy Week services, the music and/or sermons will include some sort of inspiration from one of our Windows of Faith. We will not follow the windows sequentially; we will follow the church calendar. Which is your favorite and why? You can find information about the windows in a brochure in some of the Sanctuary pews.

Last note: thanks to everyone who came to our house for the annual Epiphany Party last Sunday. Save the date for next year: January 5, 2025!

- Pastor Frank