Open for Conversations

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. –1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

Over the past week, as I have been cleaning, painting, moving furniture, and preparing the office, I’ve been thankful for the time to be able to pray. I was taught that every moment is a good moment to pray. Walking around the space where I would be having future conversations with those in our church, possible church attenders, writing sermons, and answering emails.

I still have a ways to go until I feel like the space is “done,” but I feel confident that God’s presence is there. My one regret is it wasn’t ready in time for me to write my first sermon from the space.

On an average week, my office hours will be Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

I hope to be able to be active in our community, getting connected with things outside our church. Because of that, I want to make sure it’s easy for people to find time to meet with me:

• in-person (at the church, coffee someplace, or lunch by your office)
• by phone
• over a video call (Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime)

I do this through a calendar system that updates automatically. You can click it any time, day or night, to find time to meet with me. I hope you’ll come by and share some of your faith stories with me.

As you might know, the Florida Annual Conference is this week. This is a time for all of the Pastors and the Lay persons for each church to gather together for worship, prayer, and the work of the General Church. I return home from Lakeland on Saturday, joining you all on Sunday morning for worship.

What you may not know is that I must head up to Montgomery, Alabama on Sunday afternoon for the honor of being ordained in my home Annual conference. After 7 years of prayer, discernment, hard work, and God’s blessing, I am being ordained a Full Elder in the United Methodist Church.