OYYAs 50th Anniversary
Joy and I were officially members of the OYYAs from 1975-78 because when we were here in our first time, James thought that we would receive more support from an older fellowship group as a pastor’s family then from our own peer group, the Sojourners.
Grace
Since you have been together for 50 years that would mean that you have known each other for 18,250 days. Assuming that you ate 4 meals a day since we like to have sui-yeh, you would have eaten 73,000 meals. If you met monthly for fellowship in the past 50 years, you would have had 600 meals together. This makes it 601.
Let us pray. God of the great banquet, we give you thanks for this food because with nourishment come strength and energy for service. We pray that you will continue to bless us with many more meals together so that we may share our gifts and talents with others, contribute our resources to help make this world a better place to live, and to dedicate our lives as living examples of your faithful disciples who believe that Jesus Christ is Good News for the world.
With every bite of food we take, we are conscious of being bountifully blessed. With every mouthful of food we chew, make us aware of our responsibility to feed the poor, clothe the naked and to shelter the homeless. We are blessed in order to be a blessing.
We pray in the name of the Bread of Life, Christ Jesus. Amen.
Closing Prayer
Almighty God, in your Son we are now called friends. While there are many people in our lives, we confess, there are only a few whom we call friends. We celebrate the 50 years of OYYAs fellowship that has blessed us with people who understand why we laugh or cry, who give us a strong hand and a quiet voice when life causes our knees to wobble or our hands to shake, and who understand the same jokes we do and are not afraid to laugh with us when no one else will.
As the OYYAs look toward the future with the dedication and commitment to continue to make a difference in the world and in the lives of people everywhere in the creation of a charitable fund, we pray for sacrificial giving and compassion to help out when it is vitally important to do so. Bless each of them with good health and fervent faith to lead by the example of their living a lifelong life of good deeds. Bless their family, children and grandchildren and the people whom they have positively affected so that their witness would be long lasting and enduring.
Thank you, O God, for the legacy of faith that will make our way easier and richer and nobler which we give you praise. Bless the OYYAs and give the angels charge over them to guard their ways all the days of their lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.