As appropriate on Communion Sunday, Pastor Nancy's sermon touched on table manners, but not the type of rules you find in a book by Emily Post or Amy Vanderbilt. They meant to teach you to make yourself welcome in the "best" company. Some of their rules seem calculated to prove that you're not really hungry. Other directives spell out how to arrange the seating to accord the proper honor to the most "important" guests. Jesus' principles were at the opposite end of the scale: The most important were the hungriest, and there was no virtue in welcoming those who could entertain you in return. We can picture Jesus working right alongside of Pastor Nancy and any of us at the Wayside Soup Kitchen on Tuesday, September 18.

Bible Study is taking a week's vacation but will resume on September 13 where we left off last June. (We hope someone left in a bookmark.) We'd love to see all our "drop-ins" from the summer back with us. Is there anyone out there who would like to lead an evening Bible Study? Unfortunately some willing students have to work day times.

Did I hear Carol West say there's a work day at the Barnyard Restaurant tomorrow, September 8? Sounded like it might be maintenance rather than cleaning. If you're the handy type, check with Carol and see if you can be useful. I assume that cleanup day is still Sept. 15. A meeting after church is scheduled for Sept. 9 for all Barnyard Restaurant volunteers. Plan to be there.

We are gratified to report that Church School resumes on Sept. 16 at 8:55 a.m. in the Parish House with a full roster of teachers, praise be! We are all requested to go out in the highways and byways and bring in the kids. The more the merrier; we'd like to see the Parish House walls bulging.