It was Sunday, September 30, 2018. Today we started our religious services at 10:30 a.m. Five monks and one assistant preacher led the devotees in paying tribute to the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha), chanting, and practicing meditation. Then, the laity took the five precepts, said the words to present their offerings, listened to the monks' chanting, offered lunch the monks, ate lunch when the monks finished, and listened to a sermon. This is the same process we do in all the services. At the end of services, some persons preferred to stay a few hours to talk with the monks and socialized with friends, whereas some people left for their home or business immediately after the services.

Today we had five ministers and one assistant preacher officiating in our religious services because three ministers were absent due to off-site religious services. Ven. Chinnaphat Khotwong, the abbot, has been still staying and working at a Lao temple in Bridgeport, Connecticut to do the construction and maintenance of the temple's facilities. Ven. Preecha Sangngam has been sent to look after a temple in Gastonia, North Carolina because there is no permanent minister over there; he is being transferred to this temple permanently and the petition to change an employer is pending with the USCIS. Ven. Preecha Sangngam is required to temporarily over there to give the information when a USCIS field officer comes to inspect the temple because the lay members of the temple do not know much about the temple and role of monks. Ven. Surasak Chookunhom has been on a trip to visit his friends and attending his daily routine at an affiliated temple. He is going back to Sumter next week. Sister Vandee Nasungnoen has been back to Sumter Forest temple permanently after she was sent to coordinate with the founding members of a temple in Gastonia, North Carolina for two months.

The monks were sitting on the platform and waiting for readiness of other monks and the laity.