This morning, as I read Psalm 119, I was reminded of the beautiful truth it holds:
“Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.” It’s in the spirit of this Psalm that I reach out to you today.
2024 has been a year filled with celebrations and challenges. I’ve witnessed incredible moments of God’s presence in our church. Over the past 2.5 years, we have overcome so much as a community, and I see God’s hand in it all. Yet, we’ve also seen the UMC General Conference stir unrest, while political divisions have fractured our nation. It’s clear that the enemy seeks to distract us from fulfilling the great work we’ve been called to do.
This year, our spiritual goal was to deepen our discipleship. We explored the richness of the Old Testament, discovering the unchanging nature of God—full of grace, redemption, and faithfulness. We also revisited what it means to be United Methodist and relaunched our Wednesday night program. Just this past Sunday, we celebrated as a baptism, a confirmation, and 14 new members joined our family.
In the past 2.5 years, we’ve welcomed 47 new members, 5 baptisms, and 1 confirmand!These are incredible signs of God’s work among us, but we cannot ignore the needs of the world around us.
Our society is hurting, and the next generation is particularly at risk—38% of Gen Z (ages 12-27) say they have never attended any religious service or event in their life. The United Methodist mission to Make Disciples for the Transformation of the World is needed now more than ever.
If you are choosing to be United Methodist in this season, we need you to step off the bench and get on the field. The work ahead of us will require all of us to preserve the future of the church so the next generation can thrive in a fast-changing world.
I believe, with God’s help, we can rise to the challenge.I’m starting a new series called Overflow, where we’ll explore what it means to allow God to use us and fill our lives with God’s will, blessings, generosity, Spirit, and empowerment. I’m truly excited for what’s ahead, and I believe God is calling each of us to be part of it.
Will you let your life and actions overflow with God’s abundant provision? Will you allow God to build the Kingdom through our church? This will require us to set aside our own desires and align our hearts with God’s purpose. As United Methodists, we have important work ahead of us, but I believe that 10 years from now, we will look back and see how we helped transform the world for God’s Kingdom on earth.
If you’re ready to step up and do the work of the church, it starts with giving what matters most. When we offer God the things that are most important to us, God becomes the most important part of our lives.
I would love to talk more if you have any questions.
Lunch is on me!
