CARING CONGREGATION CHURCH VISITS AILING MEMBER.Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer VALENCIA - There were many tears Sunday afternoon, under a rented white tent in Richard and Joy Griffith's back yard. But there was also laughter and shouts of worship. Suffering from lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. , Joy Griffith is too weak to attend services at the Village Church, where she has been a member for almost 30 years. Her doctors told her a few weeks ago there wasn't anything they could do for her. So the Placerita Canyon church came to her. About 100 members of the Pentecostal church brought fried chicken Fried chicken is chicken which is dipped in a breading mixture and then deep fried, pan fried or pressure fried. The breading seals in the juices but also absorbs the fat of the fryer, which is sometimes seen as unhealthy. , pasta salad and ravioli to a pot luck pot luck Noun take pot luck Informal to accept whatever happens to be available: we'll take pot luck at whatever restaurant might still be open celebration and Palm Sunday Palm Sunday, in the Christian calendar, the Sunday before Easter, sixth and last Sunday in Lent, and the first day of Holy Week. It recalls the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem riding upon an ass, when his followers shouted "Hosanna" and scattered palms in his path. service for the woman dubbed the congregation's official hugger. ``She kept telling me how her only wish was to be able to attend church one more time,'' said Darren Sanchez, Joy's grandson. ``But she can't really leave the house anymore, so I took it upon myself to bring the church to her.'' After Sanchez went to the Rev. Bob Bloom, the church's pastor, he didn't have any difficultly collecting the money to rent the tent and arranging for tables and chairs along with paper plates, cups and plastic knives and forks. ``Joy, you are so missed in that hall,'' Bloom said. The church's choir sang Griffith's favorite songs, and many huddled hud·dle n. 1. A densely packed group or crowd, as of people or animals. 2. Football A brief gathering of a team's players behind the line of scrimmage to receive instructions for the next play. 3. around her, weeping, during the service. ``This is really special, but very tough,'' said her daughter, Clarice, wiping away tears. ``It's really a celebration of her life.'' Griffith, who calls her friends and family her ``little angels,'' was often the first to greet newcomers to the Village Church, pulling them into a hug. And many times, no one headed home from Sunday services without another. ``I don't believe any of us have entered the church without a hug and a kiss from Joy, whether we wanted to or not,'' said David Sloat, the choir director, during the service, laughing a little. ``That's just the way God loves us.'' Near the end of the service, Griffith thanked her ``church-family,'' choking back tears, and vowed to marshal the strength to attend Easter services next week. ``You've made me feel so special, and you'll never know what a blessing you've been to me,'' she said, wiping away tears with a paper napkin a napkin made of paper, intended to be disposed of after use. See also: Napkin . ``I have no fear of leaving you because I know I will see all of you again. But I will miss you.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour SAC edition only) Joy Griffith, front right, revels Not to be confused with Revel. A revel is a type of celebration or festival, involving dancing, costumes, and general merrymaking. John Langstaff founded the 'Revels in sharing a Sunday service in her own back yard with members of Village Church. (2 -- ran in SAC edition only) A choir member of Village Church hugs ailing Joy Griffith during the service and celebration at her Saugus home. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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