October Opportunities

     I hate to be the bearer of bad new, but as your pastor, I must tell you this: There are less than 3 months until Christmas. I know it may be a shock to you and let’s face it, mid-to-upper eighty degree temperatures do not help the thought that Christmas is coming. So, if Christmas is coming, what is there for us to do? Simple, let’s have some fun! We have several community events set for the month of October and we will need your help, prayers, and support.
     The first event takes place the first week of October, our Fall Barbecue. We will start on Friday, October 6, by getting everything ready here at the church. There will be food to prep for the Brunswick Stew along with cleanup and putting everything in position for Saturday’s early start on October 7. Then Saturday morning, we will need all hands on deck. There will be chicken to be de-boned and pork to be pulled and chopped. And the to-go plates will need to be organized before the food can be placed in them so they can be separated into delivery orders.  We will also need some delivery drivers to take the orders which were pre-sold over the past couple of weeks.
     Then the fun starts! We will be selling plates, BBQ pork, and Brunswick stew from 11:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. The prices are $10 for a quart of Stew (limit of 2), $10 for a pound of pork, and $8 for a plate which includes chopped pork, stew, slaw, pickles, bread, chips and tea. Please invite your friends and family to enjoy some great food and the wonderful fellowship of our church.
     Our next community event starts on Saturday, October 14, about 1PM with the delivery of our pumpkins. Again, we will need all hands on deck as we unload, separate, and set up the pumpkins to be sold to the public starting that day. The hours will be Monday through Friday — 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m, Saturday — 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., and Sunday — 12:30-7 p.m.. Ginger Bloodworth is organizing the time slots to volunteer, so please be generous with your time to help raise funds for our church.
     Finally, our last community event, Trunk or Treat, takes place on, Saturday, October 28, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Please come and enjoy the fun and fellowship as we set up our cars and trucks to pass out candy to the children of our community. Please feel free to decorate your vehicle any way you want and remember it doesn’t have to be scary. A couple of ideas could be decorating with your favorite sport team colors, TV and movie show themes, etc… Have some fun with it and bring plenty of candy! Let’s make this one of the biggest Trunk or Treats yet!
      And while you are here at any of our October events, please remember to bring your biggest Salem smile and be ready to share some of the great Salem hospitality with our community!
     Above all, let them see Jesus in your words and in your actions. As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
     Jesus Christ is indeed the only true hope for our world!

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