Pastor's November Letter
Give Thanks to Our Veterans!
Have You Ever Wondered Why We Wear Poppies on Veterans Day?
Poppies have been associated with Veterans Day since its first observance,
as Armistice Day, in 1919. While often seen in the U.S. around Veterans Day, red poppies have become a prominent part of what’s become known as Remembrance Day in Canada, England, Australia and many of the Commonwealth nations around the world.
But - Why Poppies? The poppy’s significance to today’s observance is a result of Canadian military physician John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” (which you can find on an inside page of this newsletter). Poppies inspired his poem because they bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I. Their red color seemed an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare during those battles.
So, then two days before the Armistice was declared at 11am on November 11th, 1918, an American woman named Moina Michael was working in the YMCA Overseas War Secretaries’ headquarters during its annual conference in New York City. She had read McCrae's poem and was inspired to take the poppy as an emblem of honor for those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war. She purchased 25 silk poppies that she distributed to attendees of the Conference.
The poppies were well received at the meeting, which prompted her to begin an effort to have the poppy adopted as a national symbol of remembrance. She succeeded in having the National American Legion Conference adopt it two years later. And the custom soon spread throughout this country and into Europe as well.
Some wore white poppies to indicate a preference to look forward to peace rather than backward at the sacrifice. But, the red poppy has been the most popular to honor and remember those who have served. When you have the opportunity to get a poppy to wear this Veteran's Day in order to say “thank you” to those who gave so much so that we can live free and safe – do so with pride! You'll be participating in a long tradition observed throughout the world.
And, in a very special way, you'll be giving thanks to our veterans in this season of thanksgiving!
With Love, Pastor Susan
About Our Pastor
Reverend Susan Hanson
Reverend Susan Hanson has been serving churches since December 19, 1993, when she delivered her first sermon to her first congregation. Since then, Pastor Susan has served in 12 different settings of churches as an interim pastor and to nursing homes as a chaplain, primarily helping to heal hurting congregations and institutions so they could recover and start anew. Reverend Hanson came to St. Vincent UCC in 2013 - her lucky number 13, as she says - and has been with us ever since. How lucky we are because on Sunday, April 8, 2018, Pastor Susan was officially installed by the PA Southeast Conference of the UCC as St. Vincent UCC’s permanent pastor!
Susan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from Florida State University; a Master of Divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary; and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from Moravian Theological Seminary. She was ordained in her home church, St. John’s UCC in Lansdale, PA, on January 9, 1994.
Susan and her husband, the Reverend Doug Hanson, pastor of St. Peter’s Pikeland UCC, live in Chester Springs. They have a daughter and son-in-law who live in Alabama with Pastor Susan’s two grandchildren, a daughter and a son who live locally, and a Golden Doodle. In addition to meeting new people, Pastor Susan enjoys reading a good book, taking walks in nature, and visiting with family and friends.
In her Statement on Ministry, Reverend Hanson says that “a pastor assists the congregation in living out our call to be the heart and hands and voice of God here on earth in our own particular time and place. We can be assured that all of God’s hopes and dreams for us will be realized when we allow God’s Spirit to work within our own lives, and through us, to help others as we seek to do God’s will in the world. Together, we celebrate that when good people seek to make a positive difference in the world, it is there that real ministry happens.”
Feel free to contact Pastor Susan via email at holylistener@gmail.com or by cell phone at 610.393.6971.