WUMC Church

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ to the people serving God in the part of the Kingdom of God called Westview UMC!
Cathy, Elizabeth and I are deeply grateful to the people of Westview for the many kindnesses you have shown us. It’s hard for us to believe that already more than a month has passed since the moving truck arrived at the parsonage. But we are moved in now and settled in, with only a few things left to find a cubbyhole. We are very happy with the parsonage – it is very livable and convenient to the church. We are glad to make it our new home!
The church’s central calling is to worship and praise God, to magnify his salvation righteousness and to witness to the world the indestructible love of God through Jesus Christ his Son. Worship is the soul of a church. The enthusiasm of people at the worship services is most heartening! I am very appreciative of the time and skills our volunteers offer to the praise of God, whether they are the Gospel singers at the early service or the choir member at the later service. I do not intend changes to the order of the services but am open to suggestions, which I will discuss with the worship committee.
I’d like to reiterate briefly the three things at the core of my call from the Lord.
The first is to maintain a sense of religious vocation while doing “religious jobs.” Some things I do are visible to you, such as preaching, teaching, weddings or funerals and committee meetings. And there are private and personal parts of my ministry, including private prayer, theological reflection, and scripture study. These are usually invisible to you. But it is the angles that form the foundation for my public service and sustain me for them.
The second thing is relate scripturally sound insights in ways that make sense within this congregation’s setting. My task is not really to solve the problems of the day, but to identify and announce the ways in which Jesus is leading God’s people out of spiritual slavery. I say ‘no’ to every form of defeatism and proclaim clearly that the incarnation of God’s Word has made even the smallest event of daily living into an opportunity to be led deeper into the heart of Christ.
The third thing is to specially represent the love of Christ to the world. I affirm in word and deed that we are not alone, that God is with us. God is love and he loves each person. I cannot live this ministry only by doing “religious jobs.” I do it also by representing the love of Christ in a ministry that leads others deeper into the heart of Christ.
What I ask from you more than anything else is your prayers. We are admonished in Scripture to pray for one another. “The prayer of the faithful accomplishes much,” says the New Testament, and yet it is by prayer that we become faithful.
So I invite you to join me spiritually in a threefold orientation of discipleship:

• No plan but prayer


• No love but for God and his people


• No desire but for the Kingdom