Chapel Chimes January 2024
A Beacon of Faith Shining Into the Future By Rev. Rhonda Blevins
It’s difficult to say what I’m most excited about at Chapel by the Sea this year, the year we will celebrate our 75th Anniversary as a “Beacon of Faith” on Clearwater Beach. In addition to regularly scheduled liturgical events like Pentecost and Good Friday and Easter, we have several special events planned that will make this year extra-special. I’m excited about the Peace Pole dedication on Sunday, January 7. We’ll have the first Peace Pole in the city of Clearwater. The Peace Pole is an internationally-recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth. Each Peace Pole bears the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in different languages. There are estimated over 250,000 Peace Poles in every country in the world dedicated as monuments to peace. I am thankful to Teresa Banks for this idea! You can learn more at: worldpeace.org/peacepoleproject/. On January 14, we’ll launch “75 Acts of Service,” small deeds of kindness prompted by a calendar thoughtfully prepared by Marilyn Kaufman and Sue Moncrieff. It is fitting that in our celebrations, we will turn our attention outward, continuing the great tradition of love and service for which Chapel by the Sea has become known.
The “For Such a Time As This” team is sponsoring a church-wide workshop on January 20—a time that we can come together and think deeply about who we are as a church community and what God is calling us to be and do together. During the first week of March, we’ll celebrate our 75th Anniversary on March 3 with preaching by Pastor Emeritus, Herb Freitag, and the choir performing an original anthem composed for the occasion by Director of Music, Brent Douglas. Later that same week, we’ll continue the festivities with a banquet at Island Way Grill. After Easter, we will begin construction on our sanctuary remodeling project. I am growing more excited about this project with each new day! Behind the scenes, we are holding meeting upon meeting with various vendors and subcontractors. Our architect and general contractor assure us that we’ll be “ready to go” as soon as we turn the calendar to the month of April. Mostly, I am looking forward to the finished product. We are aiming for beauty, functionality, and timelessness, ever mindful of the bottom line. What a time to be a part of the Chapel! As always, I thank God for you.
RevBlev