Hello All:

I thought I would send out one brief message to let you all know how things went at the 30th Anniversary of Irene's and my ministry in Darien.

   The 11:00 A.M. service was conducted by Dick Helstein with Gary Channer as the speaker. His message was entitled "Count Your Blessings." It was an encouraging message. The Czelada girls with their cousin Samantha and the Harkonen Boys began the service with special number. It was a lively song that set the tone for the whole service. There was an opportunity for people to speak about how Irene and I have touched their lives.  These are things that are normally said at funerals and so it was nice to be able to hear them.

One pleasant surprise that I had was that Steve and his new wife Karen came for the service. They had only gotten back a week earlier from their honeymoon in Mexico. Three of the men, David Flagg, Gary Channer and Peter Davies sang two special numbers. Irene and I were each presented with a Pen desk set for our respective desks. They were engraved stating that we had served for 30 years.

   Following the service we went downstairs to eat in Memorial Hall. Lynn Dennis and Gayle Clarke decorated the hall. Marilyn Beede and Maria Rodriguez coordinated the food. Lynn arranged for a man from the Community College to come and help put the food out and clean up afterwards. The food was excellent and we had plenty. There were about 60 people present.

I sure appreciated the love that was expressed and am trusting that God will allow me to continue to serve here for many more years. I believe that there is a great work to do in the community and I have only begun to scratch the surface. God is good all the time.

Have a great day.
Pastor Tony and Irene Gibson