Penitence in a New Season
Hello Grace Members and Friends,
This past week the weather turned cold quick! It was 70 degrees, yes, but I definitely had to wear a jacket because of the wind! I can’t believe how the temperature can be exactly the same, but the feeling is so different. Much of life can be like that - things look one way on the outside, but feel different on the inside. Even the church experiences this as we go through ups and downs, seasons of growth and times of trial. Sometimes just one person can make all the difference; I hope you will seek out ways you can be a person that makes a difference, whether through outward expressions of care and concern, or by looking inward to see how you can grow.
As we begin our October series on Penitence, I am thinking and reflecting specifically on how I have made mistakes, how I have hurt others (whether intentional or not) and how I can do what I can to make things right. Things will never be perfect; we’ll never have everyone happy with us or perfectly content with our work, but we can always apologize. We can always seek to improve our relationships with others. I say with some regularity that people are more important than things. Still, its easy to leave things broken between people. Its easy to ignore difficult relationships, rather than seeking to redeem them. I think Jesus calls us to work on those difficult relationships, to improve them and find life even in the challenging places. I hope you’ll join us for our October series and explore with us how we can be penitents that turn to God and find our life in him.
I also wanted to share a few updates with you as we start getting into the core of the church year.
This weekend is the annual women's retreat and the youth IGNITE weekend. Both are phenomenal events and can have a really big impact on those who attend. I invite you to be in prayer for those attending
We have our first Pathways to Congregational Development meeting October 11th. This is a group that will work with a Conference Coach to help us assess strengths and opportunities at Grace as we come out of the pandemic. I'm excited to see what will come of our work together!
October 2nd is World Communion Sunday. This will be the first time in several years that we take communion by the rail. We'll invite people to come forward to kneel, and also have the ushers provide prepackaged communion for any who wish to remain in their seats.
The Trustees are continuing their work to aid the church in both ministry and facilities. They are exploring a process to help increase funds available to do important work in the church.
We've just added a movie night to the schedule for October 14th at 7pm. We'll have free concessions and hope to have a great night!
We are working with the new Stewardship Foundation Executive Director, Brian Roberts, regarding long-term sustainability for the church. We hope to have a luncheon after church with him when he joins us this winter.
Nominations for 2023 is ongoing. We have filled some important vacancies, as well as added some new committees for the long-term health of the church! Its a great group of leaders for next year!
Those are some of the things we are working on here at Grace United Methodist Church. October 2nd is the start of a new sermon series on Penitence and I hope it will move your heart! God bless!
In Christ,
Pastor Brian Neville