Tomorrow is the Holiday Festival.

I remember the first Holiday Festival I attended. It was five years ago. I was not yet the pastor of this great Church. Instead, I was serving as the District Superintendent of the Atlanta- Roswell District. I had planned to take Carol to the mountains to see the colorful leaves that day. However, someone from DUMC had invited Carol to attend, Carol had made the commitment, and I went along reluctantly. In fact, I told Carol I would go, but only if we stayed one hour.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but what I experienced was a world away from what I anticipated. Craft booths and activities covered every square inch of the building. Choirs were singing Christmas carols. Children were playing. The Silent Auction had items that caught my eye. People were perusing the Book Nook. There were treasures waiting to be discovered in the Attic Treasures. And, oh yes, there were goodies in the Gourmet Shop, casseroles to be taken home, and a chance to visit with Santa Claus.

When the hour Carol had promised was up, she turned to me as if to say, “You’ve met your obligation. What do you want to do?” I said, “We can’t leave now. We’re just getting started.” The short of it is, we had such a good time, we ended up staying four hours, and put the mountains off for another day.

One of the things about that experience that sticks out for me is that I almost missed it. Had someone not invited us, we would not have attended. However, because someone told Carol about it, we were a part of a day that kicked off our holiday celebration. I want to encourage you to invite your family and friends. This is truly an experience they will enjoy.

Something else that is important to remember is that every penny raised through the Holiday Festival will go to help build our next Habitat for Humanity house in the spring. To date we have already built 27 homes. This will make 28. By being a part of the Holiday Festival you will not only have a wonderful time, but you will help provide a home for a family that might otherwise be homeless. That matters!

I do want to thank the dozens of people who have been working all year to help make this year’s Holiday Festival a success. They have put in countless hours. Specifically, I want to thank Susan Anderson and Asheley Bumgardner for their leadership. Without them, and without all of those who have helped, an event like this simply would not be possible.

See you tomorrow where we will help make a difference while having a great time doing it!

Please visit the website for more information.

Rev. Dan Brown
Senior Pastor