Blessings to you in the name Christ!
It has nearly been a month since I was appointed to the United Methodist Church of St. Clair; and it doesn’t even feel like it’s been that long! It is with genuine sincerity that I can say I am truly blessed to be a part of this congregation, and to be your Pastor. It’s a humbling responsibility to be tasked with caring for such a warm and loving congregation, and it’s not one I take lightly! I wanted to start my letter this month with an appreciation for your peace and patience as I get settled into this new appointment.
When Paul wrote letters to his churches, he would often remind them of the good they did along side his oh-so famous rebuking of the early churches various ‘growing pains’. And with that in mind, I thought I’d take the time to celebrate the incredible work that you are doing! This past month we had Vacation Bible School, something that brings back fond memories of going to VBS as a kid myself; as I’m sure it did for many of you. But what’s almost as exciting, perhaps, as the smiling faces of small children learning about God, was the awesome outpouring of love and support you showed the children of your church with the work that you did. Each day, volunteers brought breakfast to the children, helped them with their crafts, fed them lunch and helped them to learn new songs. All that along with the time spent with their leaders learning more and more about this awesome God that made them and loves them. Likewise I’ve only been here a few weeks and already I have heard about mission trips and new mission opportunities for the community of St. Clair that you are ready to take on! How exciting it is to be a part of a church that lives out Christ’s call to serve the community and the world in the name of God.
John Wesley wrote a simple instruction for all Christians, “Do all the Good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, for as long as ever you can”. My prayer for you is that we would continue to be the church that embodies that phrase. That understands that there’s an entire world out there that needs to experience the Grace and Peace of Jesus Christ!
I’m looking forward to what new ways we can do all the good we can, for all the people we can, in all the ways we can. And I am looking forward to being your Pastor!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor John