Welcome! I had a chance to talk to Gay Slozat of Meadville about the Atlantic Friends and Flower Club’s recent trip to Creekside Botanical Gardens in Fairview. Twenty people went, along with friends outside the group.
The botanical gardens consist of four acres lined with pine trees and surrounded by residential homes. A creek runs through it and you can cross it using two bridges.
Gay remarked, “The staff are very knowledgeable. They seem to know the name of every tree and bush and plant.” They have a formal garden with roses, statues, and a gazebo. They also offer home tours in July.
Gay also told me about her trip to Guatemala from February 15 to 22, 2020. For the past 16 years, churches in Crawford County have joined with men from Dayton, Ohio. They serve as a construction team, building churches and schools. On each trip they work in the same area with Pastor Merari Rodriguez.
Four years ago, four wives of men who’d been going for years from the Meadville area, including Slozat, joined the group. Slozat met young women, ages 13 to 18, that had been abused and had babies. They learned the plight of the women there. It seemed like the moms of these young girls didn’t turn in the abusers. “My heart went out to the women. We realized that as wives of the team, we wanted to do something in a women’s ministry to pair with the men building the churches,” Slozat said.
They were asked to lead a craft at the ladies’ Bible study. Slozat led a Bible study under an avocado tree. Nine ladies came. The second year, she went prepared to teach a Bible study. This time it was in a church and 20 women came.
Brenda, another pastor’s wife in the area, asked Gay to host a dinner for the women in her group and their husbands. The idea was to have the men on the mission team be waiters and be helpful. The mission construction team modeled servanthood for these Guatemalan men. Thirty couples came. Brenda had been praying for this to happen for five years.
Slozat started studying John 13 and foot washing. She really wanted to have Guatemalan women decorate flipflops as the craft at her next Bible study in February 2020 and have a foot washing ceremony. Pastor Merari approved it, along with a Bible study.
Slozat made the decision to do the foot washing in February 2019. Pastor Merari visited Slozat, and her husband, Larry, in July 2019. She went to Dayton, Ohio, to see a pastor in October 2019, and his sermon was on Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. She knew for sure it was her confirmation that this is what she was supposed to do.
Another conformation came in the form of a bonk on the head. While reaching on a tall shelf at Dollar General last February, a coloring book of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples hit her on the head. “Short people have trouble reaching stuff up high,” Slozat said. She bought all of the coloring books.
Slozat believes it’s just these kinds of things answer the question, “How do you know when God is talking to you?”
She and other women bought flipflops all summer, aiming for 100 pairs. After Slozat’s group arrived in Guatemala, they had the foot washing at the Bible study. She presented how when Jesus was ready to go to the cross, the last message he left his people was, be able to humble yourself and be like me, helping others. Be a doer.
Slozat’s group brought basins and water, and all summer Gay bought towels. The pastor’s wife and an interpreter prayed specifically for each lady and her situation as Gay washed her feet. She washed, dried, and massaged the women’s feet while the pastor’s wife prayed. Gay prayed as well. Everyone cried. The women from her mission team also wanted their feet washed. Slozat said it was touching and emotional.
They had a couples’ dinner February 16, 2020. Slozat provided Little Debbie Valentine’s cakes. She had to buy enough for 60 couples. At the end of the week, the mission team had a devotional and shared the meaningful things that happened on the trip. One man said seeing the mission team’s men in action at the Valentine’s dinner impacted him, and now the ladies on the trip are and will be bringing the people in. There is now a ladies’ ministry, not just the men’s.
Gay will continue going back on these mission trips for as long as she can. “We just love these people and bringing the Bible to them.”
`` In local news, Atlantic Community Church is hosting Vacation Bible School August 4 through 6 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 3568 Atlantic Lake Road.
The theme is “In the Wild: Amazing Encounters with Jesus.” It’s an action-packed program. Fallowfield United Methodist Church used this program last year, so I know it’s high-energy.
Children in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited to learn about Jesus in fun was through crafts, music, Bible stories, and snacks. The activities will be divided between two groups: kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade. There are openings for 25 children.
Reservations are required. Please call Jenn at (301) 542-3619.
There is also a free movie night at Atlantic Community Church Friday, August 7, at 6 p.m. They will be showing “I Can Only Imagine,” the true story of Bart Millard, MercyMe’s lead singer. They will also show “The Prince of Egypt,” an animated story of Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt.
`` Fallowfield United Methodist Church parsonage’s kitchen renovation is now complete. Our new pastor, Reverend Les Hutchins, and his wife, Delores, moved in recently and are thrilled with the work our church family did. We’re talking all new flooring, cupboards, paint, and more. What a nice facelift!
Our congregation has been meeting outside, and God has provided five gorgeous Sundays in a row. Our new pastor, Les Hutchins, is a dynamic and inspiring minister who is challenging us to invite people to church and pray for revival in our own hearts, our community, and the world. He’s incorporating contemporary music, such as what’s on KLOVE radio. We’ve seen our congregation grow, and it’s a true blessing! Join us at 9 a.m. this Sunday. We’d love to have you. We’re also broadcasting on Facebook Live and radio station 97.9 from 9 to 10 a.m. if you’re within a mile of the church.
Have a wonderful week. Blessings!