Neighbor News
The Blessing of the Bees
Celebrating the role of the honey bees and their role in sustaining much of the plant and animal world
BLESSING OF THE BEES
On Sunday, May 22, a Blessing of the Bees will be celebrated during the 10:30 am service of the United Methodist Church of Branford, 811 East Main Street, Branford, CT. Our special guests will be Ray Sola, of Ray's Raw Honey, and the Dimitry Druzhinin Family of the Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC). Dimitry, Anna, and their three boys will be going to Central Asia as bee-keeping cross-cultural workers. The church will offer a special blessing for them and their ministry. During their sabbatical year at OMSC 2015-2016, Dimitry has been studying beekeeping with Mr. Sola. UMC Branford has a special interest in this topic and ministry.
During the last year, the Sunday School children have been studying not only the biblical stories of the creation, but our responsibility to be good stewards of the entire creation. Thus, the plight of the honey bees and their role in sustaining much of the plant and animal world is an effective practical implementation of the lessons the children have been learning. Members of the community are welcome to worship with us that Sunday. Those who wish to participate in the “Blessing of the Bees” are invited to bring a jar of honey to be blessed on behalf of the bees who made it. Both women and men are invited to wear floral prints that Sunday. Children are invited to attend the Sunday School hour at 9 AM and dress as bees. A special program is planned for them. Flowers on the altar will be from bee-friendly species. During the Fellowship Hour, Ray’s Raw Honey will be available for sale to benefit the Druzhinin family’s ministry. For further information, contact: Diane Komp, DoktorDi@aol.com, (203) 515-2241 or Pastor Kent, umcbpastor@att.net, (203) 488- 0549.
