What to say

This afternoon, I am taping a welcome messsage for the web site and to place in the welcome packets we give to visitors. It will be a 3-5 minutes message. What should I say? What is most important to convey to others? What do others need to hear? What questions do they want answered?

In such a brief message, there is only so much content I can share. Talking about just one aspect of our ministry could take all the time I have. So what can be shared in a few minutes?

As I wrestle with the answer, I wonder what you would be prepared to say if someone asked you about the church? What ministries would you tell them about? What would be the take away you would want them to have. I have to have my answer in a few hours. Soon you will be able to look on the website on the visitor page to hear what I had to say. You may have more time to come up with your answer. Or maybe someone will ask you about the church you attend today or tomorrow. What will you say?

A New Thing

Okay, I have been away for a while from blogging. I have not yet put it into my DNA to share thoughts not yet clarified. But now I have a few things to say.

We are part of an amazing ministry!!! Sometimes when you live next to the amazing, it can begin to seem average. We might even take it for granted. When I walk the beach along Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, I am constantly amazed to see all the residents do not go to the beach every morning for sunrises and sunsets. Yet I get it. Sometimes even the most amazing becomes the assumed or even taken for granted.

I am writing this as I sit in a session of Annual Conference of the Detroit Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. This includes 450 United Methodist churches. We have heard many amazing stories of creative ministries, changed lives and inspirational examples of God’s mercy. These come from large, medium and small membership congregations. I celebrate with them and feel encouraged by them.

Further, as we have listened to these witnesses, I have felt my mind spin as I listed ministry after ministry, life after life and mission after mission from our own congregation. I wanted at so many moments to shout out, hear what Clarkston UMC is doing. That may sound self serving, but it isn’t. It is not a witness about me or even for the glorification of this congregation. It is a continuation of what the church has always done, tell the story of God’s amazing grace touching people in the name of Jesus Christ. When this is done, others have been lifted up by witness and the church has expanded in even greater work.

I will make a more concerted effort to tell the stories of amazing grace in this ministry. No list I could begin now would cover adequately even half of all the good news. Yet I will begin and I encourage you to tell what you know about the blessings God is pouring out upon us and around us. We will tell what we can not only to each other but to others. All this to the Glory of God and in the name of Christ.

In the next few weeks I will tell you about such ministries as:

• The Six Mission trips for every age from middle school to our 50 and over ministry that are already underway.
• The individual witnesses of people changing the world for the sake of Christ.
• The growing and impacting ministry of the 611 service.
• Launching of the Leadership Academy beginning this fall
• A dynamic Men’s ministry.
• Deepening of Congregational Care for all persons
• The Study Committee that is getting perilously close to seeing the Vision of God for our next steps in ministry.

Our State Motto has always been one I have loved since my youth. It is, “If you seek a beautiful Peninsula, look around you!” In that spirit, and in the name of the Spirit, I tell you; If you seek an dynamic church making a change in the life of individuals for the sake of Christ, then look around you.” It is here. Thanks be to God!