Goodbye and Hello

On July 1, I will be preaching my last sermon at Faith UMC in Waynesville, NC before moving to Rehobeth UMC in Terrell, NC.

I have been at this church only two years, but served the church in this community for the past six years, along with having other jobs in the area for another six years,

I have called Haywood County home for twelve years, and lived in the same home for the past ten years.  These are personal records for me as an itinerant preacher.

I will be saying goodbye using the lectionary text for July 8th - Mark 6:1-13.

July 8th is transition Sunday, and I won't be preaching anywhere on that day. I didn't want to waste that Scripture.

That particular passage is quite appropriate for any of us being sent out in ministry.  Though Jesus' instructions are not being followed, given that we are going with more than we can carry, more than two tunics, and more money than I ever thought I'd make when I started this journey decades ago.

I will be saying "Hello" to a congregation near the shores of Lake Norman on July 15th.  I checked the lectionary texts for that Sunday, and just did not see myself preaching any of them on my first Sunday in a new pulpit. (See lessons for Sunday July 15th).

So, I am going back to an old standby- Acts 2:42-47.  The early church has always fascinated me, and it has always been a basic model of ministry for me since the first time I was appointed as a pastor in January 1981.

I still believe that the Holy Spirit works in the Church, and I am convinced that when we focus on the basics, churches grow and thrive.

In the first church I served after seminary, we started a Wednesday evening program that I helped to name- Acts 2:42.  Twenty-six years later, that church is still meeting on Wednesday nights and still holds on to that name, and it continues to grow and thrive as a congregation.

Thirty-seven years after my first appointment, I am still in awe at all God has done and is doing.

Location: Waynesville, NC 28786, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Camping and Camp Meeting

Image
My son called me on Monday to tell me about his week at Wilderness Trail .  I think this is his 12th year to be involved in that ministry either as a camper or a staff person. He spent three years as a counselor, and was an assistant director his last year on staff.  The past two years he has gone up to lead hikes for a week at a time. I spent time as a Camp Director, and have spent many days as a volunteer in summer camps over the past 40+ years of my life.  I know the power of camping and outdoor ministries. I am writing this while camp meeting is going on at Rock Springs Camp Ground in Denver, NC. In the next week, Ball's Creek Camp Meeting will be in full swing. Both camp meetings and church camping have been instrumental in the life of the church for over 200 years. The best that I can tell, the very first camp meeting in America was held in 1794 on the grounds that Rehobeth United Methodist Church occupies now.  As I write, I look out on a plot of land that might h
Read more

What does "Welcome" look like?

Image
We have been at the new appointment for a little over 24 hours.  It is now the evening of the 4th of July, and we just finished our first cookout on the back deck of the new parsonage.  It is an evening to give thanks...and to ponder what "Welcome" looks like... It is a lawn full of cars of folks who came to help unload a moving truck on a warm afternoon (warm is being generous based on the sweltering heat). It is a refrigerator and counter full of food that is easy to prepare and eat during the first few days in a new home.   A check that covers the difference between the standard moving allowance and the actual cost of hiring a moving company to handle the major portion of the move. A kitchen full of folks helping unpack dishes and household items and taking directions from someone they just met. A parsonage committee that did a bang-up job of preparing a house for occupancy.  After many moves over the years, I have never seen a parsonage file so detailed and compr
Read more

Labor Day Weekend

Image
When I was younger, Labor Day was a turning point in the year. Some places that I lived, school started the Tuesday immediately following Labor Day. I guess, because I liked school, it was a pretty good time. In other places, we had already been in school a couple of weeks, so the holiday weekend reminded us that there would not be another holiday for a long time (usually Thanksgiving).  Ouch! I seem to remember among the proper women of the Deep South, Labor Day was when they stopped wearing white shoes and dresses.  (I am not sure if that is even a thing anymore.) For some of my friends, Labor Day Weekend was the last opportunity to go to the beach before fall.  Now that I am older, I never schedule a beach trip until the fall to avoid the crowds. I, personally, don't like the traffic or the waits to get a table in a restaurant. On this Labor Day, I am not working, though I did pop into the office to take care of a few things. Sometimes I am asked about my schedule an
Read more