Words of greeting from Houghton Wesleyan Church to the Standard Wesleyan Church (the denomination) of Egypt have already been delivered on our behalf. Had we been able to make the trip to Egypt ourselves, we would have presented gifts from our church on Saturday at the official celebration. Our gifts were both monetary and symbolic, in the form of a high quality reproduction of Roselyn Danner's watercolor portrait of our church.
Because I was expecting the presentation would require a little speech, I had made notes for what I would say, notes I expected to tailor or expand as specific circumstances indicated. My notes, which are copied below, were intended to express our local commitment to the work of the Standard Wesleyan Church of Egypt and our solidarity with the people of those congregations.
In our absence, the Superintendent of the Atlantic District in Canada offered to make presentation in our behalf, an offer we accepted with gratitude. I sent along my notes to indicate our thoughts, fully expecting he would convey what was on his heart in that moment.
Notes
for Presentation to the Standard
Wesleyan Church of Egypt on the occasion of their Centennial Celebration.
It is an honor for us to have been invited to join our believing brothers and sisters in Egypt to celebrate your Centennial Anniversary, now a year behind us. It is a joy to be here, to see your faces, to hear your voices, and to experience for so short a time your hospitality and fellowship. We bring you warm and enthusiastic greetings from the Wesleyan Church in Houghton, New York.
A little over three years ago we were made aware of an opportunity to partner with you as you had your own window of opportunity for building in Badhr City permanent structures for ministry. We eagerly accepted that opportunity; the Lord’s people enthusiastically shared their resources, and we have prayed for God’s work here. Today you have many friends in Houghton who feel a strong connection with the Standard Wesleyan Church in Egypt. Every Sunday our pastor prays for the Church around the world.
Our visit today has several purposes beyond the moments of celebration that we have the honor of participating in: we want to reassure you of our continuing interest in and commitment to the partnership we joined three years ago; we want to encourage and to affirm you as you live for the Lord in this great metropolis; and we want to see for ourselves who you are, how you live and how you worship, so that our church body in the US might be better informed.
To underscore our continuing commitment to you and our young partnership, we have brought with us a small gift as a contribution to your building projects. And we have brought a portrait of our church, the Houghton Wesleyan Church, painted by a Houghton artist. The painting bears an inscription to remind you of our love, hope, and commitment to God’s work here.
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