Walking Forward Together

​By the time you read this September Slam will have occurred. Hopefully it was a nice weather day but even if it wasn’t, I am hopeful many families came and enjoyed activities on our grounds. A big thank you to all who helped in any way: financially, with items, with your time, your prayers or inviting someone to come! This was coordinated by our Children and Youth Ministry Coordinator, Amanda Thornton.

Thank you, Amanda. Also by the time you read this Brenda Kempher and I will have returned from Leadership Institute 2019 in Kansas City at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. The description of the institute was: “The United Methodist Church is at a crossroads. For forty-eight years United Methodists have been in conflict over the official position of the denomination regarding God’s welcome of, and how the church will be in ministry with, LGBTQ persons. 2020 will be a defining year for the UMC as General Conference seeks to come to a resolution of the conflict. What will this mean for your church? For the future of United Methodism? Leadership Institute 2019 is aimed at helping United Methodist leaders navigate and lead through the next steps for the denomination.”

My breakout sessions included “Difficult Conversations” and “Navigating Transition: Leaning into the Future Without Fear”. General sessions included “A Defining Moment/For the Bible Tells Me So”, “Leading Divided Communities”, “Moral Leadership in a Divided Community” and more. I am eager to share what I learned and I suspect Brenda will be also. Please note neither of us have asked the church for financial help for this event. October has Marble Memorial meeting around ‘Conversations’. I am very thankful to Carol McCrae for facilitating these important conversations. Please see elsewhere in this newsletter for more information.

​Also in October there are three events in our district/conference that I hope some of you will attend. Lay Servant classes will be offered. The basic class is great information about being a Christian as a United Methodist. There are several advanced classes which provide more specific information. The Reach Summit will be held in October as will our Heritage District Conference and workshops. Bishop Bard is the keynote speaker at the Heritage District Conference. The day will also include several workshops with great information on being the church in 2019 and beyond. See elsewhere in this newsletter about all of these events.

Marble Memorial will pay for your registration for any or all of these events. There is a lot occurring as we live out our vision statement “Inviting people, Living the Love of Christ.”

See you Sunday in worship – I hope you invite someone!
​~ Pastor Jackie