Goodbye, St. Brendan's, and thank you

Sunday was our last worship service at St. Brendan's Catholic Church gymnasium during our exodus for reconstruction. Next Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, we will once again worship in our own sanctuary.

Sue took these photos.

The congregation gathered, sang its last "First Hymn" in St. Brendan's, heard Liz thank Larry and Mary Anne, and Jane, who opened their homes once a week for choir practice. And Jane isn't even in the choir. Each got a potted plant for their doorsteps, doorsteps the choir members had crossed so many times.

The 23 directors of this year's Capital Stewardship campaign, Welcoming the Future, were also consecrated.

But the high point of the day was the powerful and moving sermon that Warren delivered. He challenged each of us to come down from our "mountaintop feeling" of completing this construction project to do Jesus' work, not just church work. He used his own experience of homelessness as a young laborer to challenge us to use this new building to help the less fortunate in our society whenever we can.