April 30, 2009

Pastor John's Journeys

May is definitely a month for missions. Jennifer and I are getting very excited about our cross-country journey to Indiana, Mississippi and all parts in between. The majority of our 10-day trip will be spent rebuilding homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. It's hard to believe that 4 years later homes are still being rebuilt, but the fact is that another 4 years will still not see the end of the need there. We are overwhelmed by the response our tip and the call for support has produced. You raised over $800 toward our trip, which means you basically paid for Jennifer and I to go with little help from the district events.
May is definitely a month for missions, but around here every month is becoming a month for missions. Our Acts of Kindness mission is in constant motion doing things for Clay elementary and our community. Mission Possible Kids has touched over 400 lives in just 3 months. We have collected 150 bags of groceries in just the past 6 months. Our women's retreat and other events have included a specific missions project and focus. Missions is becoming not just something we do, but who we are. We are becoming a mission center. Through April we have supported fully the missions of our district and the global Methodist church through the giving of our apportionments.
Want to know the difference between a living thriving church and a dying church? It's Missions. Just like the Blue's Brothers we are "On a mission." We are on a mission to share God's love in real and practical ways. We are on a mission to share the blessings that God has given us with the world. We are on a mission to do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. We are on a mission to reach out to the community and to the world, to allow our lives to be transformed, and to transform the world. May, may be a month for missions, but our lives our missions all the time and that's what counts.

God Bless
Pastor John