Invitation from Ernie Shipman
Hello - We would like to invite you (& your family!) to a special potluck picnic at our farm on August 4th from 1:30 to 5pm
. We are inviting friends we know from several of the area churches we have visited with in the past few years. It has long been a desire of ours to see brothers & sisters in Christ join together for fellowship & enjoy one another's company. We had hosted the church picnic for Hope Presbyterian a couple of times a few years ago and it was a blessing to fellowship together on a tranquil New Durham Ridge, overlooking the White Mountains.
Here's a bit on how this came about: On August 3rd we are hosting a wedding for the daughter of a friend of ours. They are having a tent set up along with tables & chairs. We thought, "hmmmm, the tent is here until Aug.6th, why not put it to more use". So we started thinking and praying and dreaming about the idea. I had lunch with Pastor Steve Magee in Exeter recently and he was pretty enthusiastic about it. While talking, I mentioned we may have a hymn sing or something similar. We had done them at the Hope picnics & they went over well. Steve thought that was okay, but why not have a speaker instead, who people in the area would know and like to hear. He suggested Marian Noronha. Many of you know Marian as the owner of Turbocam. Marian has also been involved in buying people's freedom in Nepal (early 2000's) and lately in helping these same people set up micro businesses, schools, etc in Nepal. We thought it would be edifying to hear Marian's testimony as well. I have spoken with Marian & he is quite excited about coming. He plans to speak on "Having a Gospel Centered Vision - All the Rest is Just Tactics". We would very much like you to attend!
As I said, we plan to start @ 1:30ish. Marian will speak @ 2:30. Plan to stay as late as you wish! As hosts, we will provide the venue, the tent, chairs, drinks & paper products. We were envisioning a pot-luck where everyone could bring something to eat & share. We don't plan to coordinate the food, we'll just trust it all works out! (deserts always should have 1st priority!) We would like to get a rough count, so if you could RSVP by about the 1st that would be great. BUT - feel free to drop in even if you haven't RSVP'd or don't have anything to contribute to the pot luck. We want folks to be feel welcome no matter what.
We have a big yard; lots of room for kids to play frisbee, fly kites, etc. and room to spread out. You may want to bring a sweater (if overcast it can be cooler), bug spray (usually not a problem as we almost always have a breeze), and lawn chairs; we have a few, but not enough for all! We are surrounded by acres of wild blueberries, it's a fairly pastoral setting. We have plenty of parking on the lawn & along the drive. I'll attach a map for those of you who need directions. Feel free to call me on my cell if you have any questions. Again, we would be blessed to have you come and share the afternoon with us.
Blessings!
Ernie, Wendy & Emma Shipman
192A Ridge Road
New Durham, NH 03855
