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Dear Friends in Christ, Last weekend was such a meaningful time of worship as we celebrated the experience of Pentecost. Hearing Acts 2 recited in Dutch, French, Spanish, Lugandan and English reminded us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is utterly translatable. The Holy Spirit enables us to convey the good news in terms that every culture and generation can understand. The Holy Spirit is the wind and fire of God that ignites and empowers the church into mission and witness in the world; to move beyond our 'upper rooms' into the streets. This is happening in many ways among us at BUMC. Through the Housing Initiative, the Human Development Initiative and the Village (in Nolensville) to name a few. The Holy Spirit comes sometimes as a comforter and sometimes as disturber, moving us into a world of need. Pope Francis in his book Encountering Truth: Meeting God in the Everyday, writes an intriguing piece on the work of the Holy Spirit."To put it simply: the Holy Spirit bothers us. Because he moves us, he makes us walk, he pushes the Church to go forward. And we are like Peter at the Transfiguration: 'Ah, how wonderful it is to be here like this, all together!' ... But don't bother us. We want the Holy Spirit to doze off ... we want to domesticate the Holy Spirit. And that's no good. Because he is God, he is that wind which comes and goes and you don't know where. He is the power of God, he is the one who gives us consolation and strength to move forward. But: to move forward! And this bothers us. It's so much nicer to be comfortable." As we conclude our series this weekend on Who Needs The Church, I hope to see you in the place where the Spirit strengthens, comforts and sometimes bothers us, to move forward in mission!
Finally, we are pleased to welcome these new members. We are glad you are a part of our church community. The peace of Christ be with you! Davis PS We will be having a charge conference on Sunday, June 7, 2015 at 12:30 pm for update and action on the Holt property. All Church council members should plan to be present.