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Dear Church Family, This is an interesting and encouraging time for BUMC. We are currently enjoying a stable and positive environment in most every area, including membership, attendance, giving and morale, with exceptional ministries occurring virtually 365 days a year. But I also know, deep in my heart and soul, that greater days are in front of us. For example, as I work with our capable leaders, we see the need to grow into a higher-commitment church, more fully living out our core spiritual practices to worship, connect, serve, invite and give. There is evidence this is already happening. Over the past two weeks of our "Real Life Ahead: Fully Alive in Christ" emphasis, large numbers of our congregation have made significant and concrete commitments to enrich their spiritual lives. Our leaders also see us engaging far more of our members and friends in hands-on ministry, both in our community and beyond. We see us growing in spiritual depth and maturity. We see BUMC reaching many new people for Christ and church. We see us prayerfully exploring the possibility of adding additional places where our ministry can expand. Eventually, we want to earn the role of being a teaching church, helping clergy, lay leaders and other congregations learn how to be more effective in their ministry. It would also be thrilling to see God use us to help call and train young people to serve as future spiritual leaders of the United Methodist Church. This is already happening to some extent, and it could become a major part of our future. There are many exciting dreams to be explored as we work together in the years ahead. The possibilities are endless.