Grace Deadwood/Blessed Emmanuel Sturgis 

May 2026 Newsletterr 

 

 

May Day 

Brothers and Sisters! 

 

 

     My guess is some of you read these monthly articles faithfully, and I thank you. Others may skim or browse them over, others may look at the title and move on, some don’t even try to read it, and still there are others not even aware that the pastor writes a monthly newsletter article! I know this because I’ve been there, and I understand. My hope is that if you don’t read my article, at least read the rest of the newsletter, it always has good information regarding our parish life. 

     The month of May is a very exciting month in the church. Several things coalesce to make it a fun and happening month, and I will list them here: 

     1. We recall the Ascension of our Lord in May. 

     2. Mother’s Day is always in May. 

     3. People usually graduate from high school during this month. 

     4. We almost always celebrate the Day of Pentecost in May. 

1. The Ascension of our Lord is celebrated 40 days after Easter and always falls on Thursday. Of course, on this day we reflect upon the meaning of our Lord’s ascension into heaven, where He “sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.” The Gospel of Luke chapter 24 and the Acts of the Apostles chapter 1 both record the ascension of our Lord in detail. Some churches even hold a service on this day. Certainly the pastor will preach something about the ascension in his sermon at this time of year. 

2. Mother’s Day is a very special day on which we get to honor our mothers and their contribu-tion to our lives, whether that be a great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, mother-in-law, adopted mother, guardian, etc. Our mothers were formative in our lives, and their influence is with us every day, you may still call them or talk to them or think of them every day or once a week. The fourth commandment says, “Honor your father and your mother,” and I am glad we have a day set aside to do that. 

3. High school graduation is a major milestone in one’s life. It is an accomplishment after all that schooling. You may be planning for more education, but you have a foundation from which to build. You’ll never forget where you graduated from and when, and some of your classmates, etc. It certainly is a moment of transition in the journey of life. Your parents have been great influence in your life and will continue to be as you progress. You have much to be grateful for. 

4. The Day of Pentecost is the fiftieth day after Easter and always falls on a Sunday. Originally, it was the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot or “Weeks” (Lev 23:15-22), but we celebrate it as the birthday of Christ’s holy church. It is recorded in Acts chapter 2 that when the disci-ples were gathered together in Jerusalem, the promised Holy Spirit descended on them like tongues of fire, and the twelve apostles began to preach the Gospel in various foreign lan-guages, so that many people from different geographic areas and nations could understand the Gospel in their own tongue. Peter preached a sermon to those gathered and as a result many people were baptized that day, and the Gospel was spread from Jerusalem to other parts of the ancient world. This laid the foundation for the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul and others. 

 

The Lord be with you this May, and springtime of year! Pray for rain. 

                                      Pastor Hinckley and family 

 

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