Raising the Bar

A friend of mine likes to say that Jesus' first miracle kept the bar open late at a wedding.

It's an interesting take on the wedding at Cana, focusing a bit much on the partying rather than on the fact that it was a celebration of the hard work of building a family and a community. If my friend weren't such a hard worker, I could dismiss her comment as a joke. But she's a really hard worker. And she's fun. We forget how much gets done when we combine these qualities.

That's just what Episcopal Community Services is doing Wednesday, May 13th at their fundraiser, "Water to Wine: Making Miracles at ECS." With their support of battered women, the homeless, and disadvantaged children, ECS takes on some of the hardest work in our community. But this week, we'll celebrate that hard work. You can learn more about the event here: http://www.ecscalifornia.org/events/events.html

And one of our supporters will stage a minor miracle of his own. Craig Justice, a parishioner from Grace San Marcos and owner of Blue Merle Vineyards, will help us keep the bar open a little longer by giving a bottle of his best wine, signed with Bluey's paw print, no less, to anyone who donates $1,000 or more to ECS before May 14th. Craig may not be keeping the bar open, but he certainly is raising the bar!

If you can't come to the party, you can still be part of the celebration. Just go to http://www.ecscalifornia.org/howtohelp/waysofgiving.html to make your gift. Then send an email to Alyssa Osian at aosian@ecscalifornia.org with your name, address, and phone number. Those served by ECS, Craig, Bluey, and I will thank you.