Dear Friends,
I love these two pictures. I love them with all my heart!
I love them because I think they capture so clearly both who we are and why we do what we do.
These pictures are of Betty and Nora. They are taken two years apart at the same event—the big summer sandwich-making day. Betty and Nora are not related by blood, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at these pictures. They are related through a common faith and love that binds the people of Royal Oak First together.
We want people to make lifelong friends here. The best part is that some of those friendships will be intergenerational. Nora and Betty have built their friendship here over the years, and in moments of mission like sandwich-making day, they find each other and work together to serve God and love our neighbor. That’s what faith is all about to me!
I hope everyone at Royal Oak First can find a friendship like Betty and Nora’s. Friendships like this, bonds that let us share everything from the anxiety of the first day of school to the joy of the birth of a grandchild are a rare and beautiful thing. They are a sign of Christ’s love being made real.
If we keep coming together to make a real difference, we can keep forming these real friendships.
Grace and Peace,
