Memories in May
May will be a month filled with celebrations throughout the congregation. Obviously, one of the highlights of May is Mother’s Day. We will also celebrate the ministry of the Merry Sunshine Preschool teachers. On the last Sunday of May, we will observe Memorial Day by remembering the deceased women and men who served in the armed forces.
In 1908, three years after her mother’s death, Anna Jarvis held a memorial ceremony to honor her mother and all mothers at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church.in Grafton, West Virginia. Anna was inspired by the words of her mother’s prayer many years earlier at the end of a Sunday school lesson. Anna’s mother, Ann Maria Jarvis, was a social activist and a founder of Mother’s Day Work Clubs which addressed unsanitary living conditions in Appalachian homes. These poor conditions were believed to lead to high infant mortality rates.
Mother’s Day is now often referred to somewhat pejoratively as one of the “high holy days.” On Mother’s Day, church attendance often swells to levels that match Christmas and Easter! Most mothers expect, and some even demand, that their children will accompany them to church on Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis’ mother prayed ‘that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mothers day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.’ Certainly, the sacrifices that mothers make for their families are truly remarkable and it is appropriate to set aside special time to express gratitude to God and to mothers for the examples of love they represent.
We are inviting each member of the church to submit one of their favorite photos of their mother. We will share these photos with the congregation during the worship services. We are also inviting each member to share a photo of persons from their immediate family (preferably in uniform) who served in the military and are now deceased. Photos may be submitted to Brian Linville (Brian@christchurchquadcities.com) or Lisa Mattison (Reamy80@hotmail.com) If you need assistance submitting the photo(s), please contact Roxi Stevenson (Roxi@christchurchquadcities.com or 309-755-2508).
The origins of Memorial Day are still debated somewhat. According to the Veterans Administration website, one early Memorial Day event occurred in Boalsburg, PA, where a trio of women decorated the graves of fallen soldiers in October 1864. Another was held in Charleston, SC, where Black freedmen and White "Northern abolitionist allies" hosted an enormous and historically significant program on May 1, 1865, at the "Martyrs of the Race Course" cemetery where 257 Union dead were buried. Columbus, Mississippi claims to have hosted the first actual memorial day event. The Mississippi program was later immortalized in a popular poem by Francis Miles Finch, "The Blue and the Gray.” The April 25–26, 1866, Memorial Day events honoring Confederate and Union dead in the South was a step toward reconciliation that reverberated nationally.
Our Memorial Day observance will remind us of the sacrifices and costs associated with the pursuit of peace and justice. As Christians, we follow the example of Christ by overcoming evil through the strength and power of love. We are looking forward to seeing you each Sunday in worship and on Sunday school.
In Christ,
Jon McCoy
