Prayers and Actions for France in a Florida Church

I wonder if churches saw an increase in attendance yesterday.  I suspect that in Paris, the numbers were up.  Our church attendance seemed normal.

We did set up a display with candles for every soul killed in Paris. 

My pastor wrote on Saturday and asked if I had any red, white, and blue fabric that I could bring.  I responded that I did, but none were big enough for a table cloth.  I had strips and patches, which I thought made a good symbol too.

I was cleaning up from the middle service, so I missed the best camera shot.   But the skinny beeswax candles melted and set the tablecloth on fire, so they had to be extinguished.

Our pastor read a letter from a minister in charge of one of the cathedrals in France.  The letter thanked the world for the outpouring of concern and implored us to look for ways to translate prayers and concern into action--but to avoid actions rooted in hate, like anti-immigrant/refugee or anti-Muslim actions. 

I am glad to be part of a church where our prayers will be turned into actions.  We had already planned the quilting event for next Sunday, where we will continue our work on quilts for Lutheran World Relief.  On Saturday, I got the box that Thrivent sends for people who get a microgrant.  We will have sign in sheets and T-shirts--and I got a Visa card to buy supplies.

In this way, we will keep our flames of hope alive.