Religion

The Church of God was the host church for the Lenten Luncheon on March 23.
The Rev. Tom Farris welcomed everyone and led in a prayer. Following the meal, Cindy Hof sang, “Broken and Spilled Out,” accompanied on the piano by Kim Miller.
The youth minister at First Assembly of God, David Ricketts, spoke on “The Path of Love.” He described himself as comparable to the prodigal son, living a selfish and reckless life when he was younger. At the age of 23, however, he woke up in the "pig pen," and prayed to receive Christ.

By Edith Elliott
Blessed by a beautiful day, guests at evergreen outreach came into Wesley Hall hearing the music of Bette Stolte at the piano,  playing “Somebody Bigger Than I.”
This was Bette’s first time, and hopefully she will be a regular.
David and Patricia Pence, who go by the name “Softfire,” brought their many instruments, their blended voices and four of their border collies to inspire and entertain us.

By Panzi Blackwell
A sizable crowd gathered at Temple Baptist Church on Saturday evening. They received a bonus musical blessing, following the welcome and prayer by the Rev. Loren File, when Russ Stewart of the Fourgiven Quartet introduced a young group named “No Hindrance.” Stewart's daughter, Chelsey, was the vocalist/guitarist, accompanied by guitarists Ryan Paine and Jacob Joliff.

By Pat Rhodes
 Monday was a picture-perfect spring day in Vandalia. The daffodils were in bloom and  the robins were busy gathering materials for their nests. I just can’t wait to get out in my flower gardens to clear away the remains of last year and uncover the new growth.