The end times
“Do you think we are in the end times?” I’ve been asked that question more than any other over the last two years. Peter addressed it 2000 years ago when he wrote to his exiled friends, “The end of all things is at hand.” If that was true then, it’s certainly truer now. There’s some crazy stuff going on out there.
SOOOO…how do we respond? How do we handle it? How do we even think about such things in a way that doesn’t paralyze us with fear or drive us to distraction. This Sunday I’m going to talk about the end times and the perspective Peter offers of how we should respond. I hope to see your face out there in our ever-growing crowd of in-person worshippers!
Speaking of “end times,” we are coming to the end of a really significant ministry in the life of our church. Since 2012, Bev Burmark has been the director of Chapel Hill Preschool. During that time, through her leadership and the guidance of her teachers, staff, and volunteers, the preschool has earned a stellar reputation in our local community for instilling spiritual and cognitive growth in children between the ages of 2 and 5 years old. Recently she let us know that she is going to be retiring in June, at the end of this preschool year.
I thought it would be most appropriate to allow Bev to say it in her own words:
“I have been delighted to be a part of Chapel Hill and the Preschool for these almost 10 years. Now I feel it is important for me to invest in family…my daughter and granddaughters’ lives, for a time. Anastasia begins kindergarten this September, and Kaylee is now three months old. I see this as a critical stage in my granddaughters’ lives. My daughter and her husband both work full time and are active in their church’s leadership. They have invited me to move to Minnesota to be a part of their home and family. This seems to be the right timing for me to retire and focus on being ‘Nana’.”
In addition to serving so faithfully as the director of the Preschool, you might be interested to know that Bev has been providing support for our Sunday morning early childhood programs throughout her entire employment at Chapel Hill. It has been wonderful to have a strong representative of our Preschool available to greet parents, answer questions, and mentor the Sunday School team. Kim Hagey, our Early Childhood Director, tells me: “Bev truly understands the importance of child-centered worship and Bible learning, and has advocated for program that meets our young families’ needs.”
Naturally, we want to publicly thank Bev for her service, so stay tuned for more information how we will celebrate Bev and her ministry to preschool children and their families. And please be in prayer for us as we undertake a search to fill Bev’s very big shoes!
Pastor Mark