Joys and Concerns in June
Celebrating Joys
· We celebrated Pride Month and the many gifts the LGBTQIA+ community brings to our church and our world. Many thanks to all the volunteers who represented the Pullen community at Out! Raleigh.
· We celebrated with Felicia Roper and Cathy Tamsberg on the birth of their new grandson. Taylor Hayes Launt was born to Felicia's son, Ethan, and his wife, Lauren, on Wednesday, June 3. Mom and baby Hayes are doing well.
· Each week, ten Pullenites support students at Wiley Elementary to help improve their reading. At the end of this year, students increased the number of words read per minute by an average of 57 words over the year, and increased their reading accuracy rate to 99%. We give gratitude to Kathy Foglia, who coordinates the program, and our Pullen tutors: Jeff Bond, Steve Braun, Emily Cato, Drew Foglia, Milena Foglia, Lynn Jarrard, Amy Marschall, Nadine Martin, Mary Moore, and Judy Williams.
· Pullen’s support of Guns to Gardens on June 13 resulted in more than 40 guns being cut into pieces, many of which are to be made into jewelry and artwork. It was a joy to see our faith communities come together to lessen the potential for gun violence. Rob Thompson was our Pullen representative.
Praying in Loss
We remember and pray for:
· Zach Ritter in the loss of his mother, Joyce Pilson, who passed away on June 22. She had been in a long-term care facility and had dementia. A graveside service was held on June 27 in Cameron, NC.
· Carolyn Sexton in the death of her brother, Walter “Kent” Miller, who passed away on June 3 from cancer that quickly metastasized. In his last few weeks, he spent time with family and was able to attend a Springsteen concert. Carolyn is grateful that her brother is no longer in pain.
· Our friend Melania, who passed away in Matanzas on June 7. We pray for our friends in Matanzas as they grieve the loss of their beloved friend, as well as Ledy, Melania’s faithful friend and companion.
· Serena Buckner in the death of her stepmother, Becky Blankenship. Serena asks for prayers for her dad, Alan, as he grieves and also as he recovers from a recent fall.
Praying with Our Community
We remember and pray for:
· Frank Farmer as he recovers from knee replacement surgery.
· Jonathan Ruby, who is also recovering from surgery.
· Lloyd Jones’ father, who has been hospitalized for weeks with an infection.
· Jay Butler’s brother and Grace Evans’ brother-in-law, Kevin Butler, who is receiving treatment for advanced-stage prostate cancer.
Praying with Our World
· We continue to pray for our siblings in Cuba whose lives continue to be greatly impacted by the U.S. blockade.
· We remember the people of Venezuela as they deal with unimaginable loss and devastation in the wake of last month’s earthquake.
Chalice Overy, Associate Pastor
