Despite the drizzle, on Sabbath September 4, 2021, the Richland Center Seventh-day Adventist church took part in a 24 hour public reading of the New Testament and the book of Psalms, organized by the Richland County Ministerial Association (RCMA). This was a part of an annual RCMA Labor Day Weekend event called “Worship in the Park.” Our reading took place under drizzle and grey skies from 8:00 am to 10:00 am on the lawn at the Richland County Courthouse at the corner of Main Street and Seminary.

At 10:00 am, we all went to church for Sabbath School while a group of fellow Christians from another local church denomination came to continue the reading for the next two hours.

My wife Connie and I, Esther Breininger with her son Nikosy, LeSuong Cina, Jon Syvertson, Carl and Marcia Sigler each read for 17-18 minutes each, and we as a church covered the first twenty chapters of the gospel according to Matthew. It was a great blessing for us all.

Pastor Samuel Garbi, MM, DMin, Richland Center District