A parishioner gave voice this week to something I've long believed: Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.

    That's why when three converging incidents occurred this spring, I took notice.

    Incident No. 1: Our office manager scheduled our annual staff retreat in the B Encouraged house in Simpsonville, a lovely restored home that welcomes ministries and seeks to provide a quiet and serene refuge. Wow! we thought the whole time we were there. Wouldn't we love to have this in Greenville?

     Incident No. 2: The women of Buncombe Street UMC invited us to participate in Take Heart, a fall conference on encouragement. Speaker Carol Kent, whose talented and vibrant son is incarcerated for murder, will talk about to live when your life veers into territory you could never have imagined.

      Incident No. 3: Someone offered us a nearby house to use. Just like that we had a space to offer encouragement ministries as a followup to the Take Heart conference.

       Now comes the fun part -- decorating. We just happened to be reading the post-resurrection story in the gospel of John in which Jesus welcomes seven of his disciples to an early morning fish fry on the beach. We loved the simple hospitality of that story.

        So we named the space The Beach House, and our art room director, Karen Lucci, has chosen paint colors such as "Tidal Pools" and "Marina Isle." Next we'll be looking for distressed or handpainted furniture,  bright fabrics on wicker rocking chairs, and beach-y knobs for the kitchen cabinets.

         If you'd like to help furnish this house, contact Karen at klucci@gmail.com.

We envision The Beach House as a welcoming and hospitable home for retreats, coffees, classes, Bible studies and simple conversation -- the kind of place where Jesus just might drop by and whip up breakfast. 

Blessings,

Deb Richardson-Moore