Well, it's summertime and the living is... different.
Many have left the islands for visits to family, friends, exotic destinations or other homes.
The Chapel is closed and, for the time being, and the Chapel faithful must be content with memories of the past season.
Thousands came to visit on weekdays this past season. They enjoyed the unique setting and the simple beauty of place.
Thousands more gathered on Sundays to sing, pray, listen to readings and reflections from our book of faith
and share love, peace, and words of hope, as well as handshakes and cookies.
The gatherers include the faithful and the seekers. Attendees are from many traditions.
Some are long time constituents and some recently came to value the special qualities of Chapel By-The-Sea.
Those of us who have gathered at the Captiva Chapel-By-The-Sea have warm feelings for those with whom we shared time and meaning there.
The ability to have those feelings is part of the wonderful way we were created.
We are not alone. We remember the past.
And we understand, farther in the past, that the faith of our spiritual forebears makes our experience possible.
Their faithful and financial commitment to CBTS means we have this treasure today.
While walking in his rose garden - or was it the Garden of Eden - T.S. Eliot writes in his poem, Burnt Norton,
that time past and time future are both contained in time present.
That too is part of the wonderful way we were created.
We can cherish the past, live in the present and hope for rich life in the future.
The future of the Chapel is also in our present.
Part of that rich life is what we hope to experience next season at Chapel By-The-Sea.
Living in the summertime, we look to the future, to time shared
with a child here, a young couple there, an older person with a favorite seat inside or outside, and with a dog or two.
Our Next Season begins with Sunday Worship at 11:00 AM on November 11,
and concludes on April 23, 2013. Join us when you can.
I look forward to our times together.
Blessings,
Pastor Thomas E. Nyman
For information, call Pastor Tom NymanÂ
at (239)472-1646 or (651) 747-7504