5:00 Worship Ends

It is with some sadness that I announce to you the end of our Sunday 5:00PM worship. After years of continuing to offer this worship experience, we have decided that we can no longer sustain this ministry. This was no easy decision made on the spur of the moment but one that has been in prayer for some time. Everyone is welcome to be part of our 11:00AM worship and we are exploring and seeking to discern God's vision for our future worship life offerings. What that might mean only God knows right now.

Thanks to all who have made Sunday evening worship happen and before it Saturday evening worship. Our last 5:00PM worship will be this coming Sunday, June 27th.

Annual Conference 2010 Follow-Up

Christen Scott and I attended the 2010 Annual Conference held in Norfolk, Virginia from June 13-16. I believe Christen would agree that the highlight for us was being part of the team that helped to package 102,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now, an international food distribution agency, during the conference meeting.

In other news, the conference voted to reduce the number of districts within the Virginia Conference from 18 to 16. That reduction will occur following 2011 annual conference.

Due to the strong response to our 4-item challenge, we are pleased to report that more than an entire truckload of food was donated to the local food bank in Norfolk. Thanks for playing a part in that.

More regarding the annual conference can be found at the Virginia Conference Website, www.vaumc.org

Galatians to be the Hot Topic

The summer message/sermon/preaching series will follow along with the letter of Paul to the folks in Galatia (central part of modern day Turkey). We will look for the challenges that folks 2000 years ago faced in being a faithful community and seek to re-discover how we can be a faithful community today. It is even more exciting to me that the series will be preached in parallel at Arkport United Methodist Church in Arkport, New York where Michael Smith, my good friend and our former assistant pastor, will be preaching the same!

Practicing Our Faith Seminar

Our next 6-week seminar will take a look at how we can practice our faith in everyday life including our personal and public lives. What does it look like to practice faith in everyday ways? Come and find out.

The seminar will meet on Monday evenings, 7:30-9:00PM, beginning July 12th. I put his information out early so you can keep it in mind if you wish to be part of the group this summer. Sign up sheets will go out mid-June.