A Hope for Grace As you probably know, pastors are often people with plenty of ideas. We have ideas about worship, mission, ministry, discipleship, and more. We try to ensure that we are considering ways to help our congregations and the communities in which they live be more in tune with God’s call on our lives and desire a deeper relationship with Christ. We don’t always hit that mark, but we try. There is something we cannot do. Or, at least, most of us cannot do this (and I think that’s a good thing). We can’t make the members of our church do anything. We can pray, imagine, suggest, demonstrate, and lead, but ultimately, the decision on what gets done and what is left undone remains with the church membership. Let me say again, I think that’s an excellent thing. Let me share one of my hopes for Grace UMC. I hope we can grow in our outreach beyond our walls through mission and service. I’m glad our newly formed Mission and Service Team is exploring ways for this to happen. I’m grateful for their readiness to consider how to help our move mission and service to the forefront of what we do and how we are known. The pop-up mobile food bank and breakfast event is one of those efforts, and I pray that our congregation will show up in a big way on the morning of Saturday, September 16. You can find details in this newsletter. Your help is needed. You can pack boxes of food, help load groceries into cars, prepare and hand out breakfast to-go, welcome the neighbors there to receive some assistance, and invite those same neighbors into the fellowship center to share a meal with you and join you at your table. Please plan to attend and know that even the gift of your presence will make a difference within and beyond our church walls. A lot is happening at Grace. Read on for more details. Join me in our daily breakthrough prayer: Here and now, God, we bring this church to you. Fill it with your healing and transforming grace. Move it to a place that is beyond what we know, ask or imagine. AMEN!
Peace, Pastor Linda