November 2006

Dear Friends,

When Thanksgiving season comes around every fall, I frequently remember my old friend Mrs. Charlotte. I don’t recall her last name; she was simply Mrs. Charlotte, a retired schoolteacher who befriended me when I was a struggling young actor in Little Rock. I had just moved to town to join the acting company of a children’s theatre, and though my salary was regular, it was meager. I mentioned to one of the theatre staff members that I wanted to find a church to join, and I was inclined toward the Presbyterian flavor. My co-worker Linda Sue was a Baptist, but she knew Mrs. Charlotte was a Presbyterian, so she put us together. Mrs. Charlotte eagerly took me under her wing, and every Sunday for several months, she took me to one of the nine Presbyterian churches in the area, and didn’t even pressure me to join hers. Even more impressive to this starving artist was that she took me to a nice restaurant for Sunday dinner after church each week. On one of those occasions I pulled out my thin and threadbare wallet and offered to take a turn picking up the tab, but Mrs. Charlotte wouldn’t hear of it. In fact, she said something I never forgot: “Years from now, when you’re able, you can thank me by doing the same for another young person.” Eventually, I joined First Presbyterian in Little Rock, and, her job done, Mrs. Charlotte returned to her own home church, Second Presbyterian. I became an Elder at First Church, and it was there that I felt the call to become a minister. In many ways I believe what I do as a pastor is part of how I pay back Mrs. Charlotte for feeding me. I’m also mindful of how I was fed by the congregation at First Presbyterian, and by Linda Sue, a Baptist who went out of her way to help a new kid find a church that wasn’t even “her kind.”

How do we thank God for the countless ways we are fed and nurtured? How do we thank our teachers, friends and family for the love and support they’ve given us? Jesus gives us the answer, the same that Mrs. Charlotte offered: “As I have loved you, love one another.” This morning I was in the A&P picking up some chicken for dinner, and was pleased to discover that it was marked down 50 percent, so I bought plenty of extra to freeze, and when I got home and was walking through the door of the manse with my groceries, the phone was ringing. It was a social worker asking if she could bring an elderly woman by the Food Pantry, which closes at noon. The lady said they could be there in fifteen minutes. I checked the clock; it was 12:01. I said sure, come on by, hung up and went outside, and saw Marje and the Heads just pulling out of the parking lot. I asked if they minded if I opened the Pantry back up, and Marje said that was fine, but the cupboards were getting bare, and in particular, we were completely out of – you guessed it – frozen chickens. Fifteen minutes later, as I handed my extra chicken to a hungry old woman, I thought, “Thank you, Mrs. Charlotte.”

This November when you’re planning your Thanksgiving celebration, and figuring out your pledge to the church for our Stewardship campaign, I want you to think about the Mrs. Charlottes and Linda Sues in your life. How many people have helped you when you were in need? How much has God done for you by putting these dear people in your path? Then, as you have been loved, say thank you by loving others as you are able.

Peace and joy,

Martin