Dear Church Family, Grab a cup of coffee - pull up a chair. Imagine that just for a minute, you and I have a moment to chat. After pleasantries, I'd ask you about your faith life. Do you feel like you're continuing to grow or get closer to the God who made you and loves you? I'm hoping for a yes, but know that for some of us, as the seasons of our lives change, the answer might be no. Wherever you are on your journey with Christ, I want you to know that as a church our deepest desire is to walk with you. As United Methodists we believe that Christ is always calling to us, reaching out in love, and yet we often need others to be able to take the next step in response. I know this is true in my own life. My wife and I are part of a young adult small group, Coffee & Conversation, which meets at 11am on Sunday mornings. It's a community where I learn more about my faith, find encouragement when life seems hard, and where I'm constantly challenged to "practice what I preach." These seem like struggles we can all relate to. Thankfully, new opportunities to find folks to walk through life with are always available and I'd like to highlight two or three. Give a little prayer time (maybe with the coffee) to considering how you might continue to grow in your faith as we enter into this fall season.
A new small group for parents with youth in our Student Ministries or Highway 56: Informational meeting THIS Sunday night (Sept 9th) at 5:30pm in the Buchanan House (building with white columns across from the Hands statue) right side. Led by parents of a high schooler and a middle schooler. Come find out more. A new 9:45am adult Sunday morning class: Our newly forming Connections Class is hosting an open house on Sunday, Sept 16th and would love for you to join them. The group is open to adults of any age, married or single and plans to alternate their time between book and Bible studies. They meet in the Buchanan House (building with white columns across from the Hands statue) on the left side. In a few weeks BUMC will launch a sermon series along with a class and group study called Real Life Ahead. We're confident that God has big dreams for each of us and for our congregation! This series will challenge us to grow together as we seek to follow Christ's lead. Judith Bone and I will be forming new small groups with this series to begin at the end of September. If you would like more information on about this or any of the opportunities I've listed above I'd encourage you to be in touch. From the Missions Department: Flood Response This past weekend 200 flood buckets were distributed. The last day to return your filled flood bucket is Sunday, September 23. If you missed picking up a flood bucket you may purchase one at Home Depot. The list of needed items is here. Martin is away with a mission team from our church to Honduras this week and we ask that you keep them all in prayer. Grateful to be in ministry with you, Rev. Eric Burton-Krieger