Pastor's E-Letter

Pastor's E-Letter

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Pastors E-Letter 8/7/20

n our Staff Parish Relations Committee meeting this week, Clark Maxwell shared a devotion that involved letters and articles written by church leaders during the 1918 pandemic. I’ve seen several of these articles circulating on Facebook, many of which offer helpful words for us as we continue to navigate the realities of life during the coronavirus spread. But the one that Clark shared that captured my attention referred to the time that folks have been afforded in “slowing down” and not being able to do all the things we might normally do, as a “prolonged sabbath.” Even for folks who are back to work as usual, for most of us, our calendars remain free from many of the things we enjoyed or looked forward to but are no longer consider necessities. The absence of those things on our calendars can provide some additional “sabbath space” to cultivate our spiritual lives. 
 
Which is why I’m so excited about our upcoming message series “Launch into Extraordinary Love” and the accompanying opportunities that we are offering for you to use during this prolonged sabbath to grow deeper in faith, in relationship to God, and in the ways we are being shaped by the grace and love of Christ. You may not be able to come to in person worship or attend your small group, or a class in person, but there are so many ways that this extra time can be experienced as a gift in leaning into a renewed commitment to following Jesus, loving God, loving each other, and loving our neighbors in extraordinary ways. We are finding that the “zoom” platform can enable many folks who could not participate in such opportunities before can do so now from the comfort of their homes. Families with young children can put the kids to bed and hop on their computers. Folks who don’t like to drive at night don’t have to in order to join a class or a Life Group. People that are out of town can participate from wherever they may be. Many of us simply have more time to fit such opportunities into our schedules. 
 
So I hope you will familiarize yourself with the variety of opportunities we are offering from Journey and Oasis Classes, both in person and online, to a short term Life Group opportunities and opportunities to love our neighbors by serving in the community. Soon, we will also be providing resources via the website that can guide you in thinking about where you are in your faith journey and how you can grow. There you will find the “Four Stage Launch Sequence” guide and a simple assessment you can utilize in thinking about your next steps in launching into extraordinary love. 
 
This week in worship we will be focusing on Stage One – Love God, and how we can cultivate a deeper love for God by loving God with our head, our hearts, and hands. We will reflect on the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40 where he said that the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” So, if loving God is the first and greatest commandment (“and the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”) how do we express love for God and grow deeper in that love over a lifetime? That will be the focus this week in worship and I hope you will make it the focus of your own personal devotion and study time. 
 
This Sunday will also be our first “in person” worship experience since March 15th! Of course, as we have said again and again, it will be different, with everyone wearing masks, social distancing, not singing, etc. You also need to make a reservation for worship ahead of time to be sure we don’t have more people in each service that would prevent us from being properly socially distant. Most of our congregation will continue to worship online until there is a vaccine to protect their health or the health of a family member. We certainly support that. And we have tried to do everything we can to make this return to in person worship as safe as possible. Please check out the instructional video on the website to remind yourself of our in-person worship guidelines. 
 
I certainly look forward to seeing some of you in worship this Sunday. It’s also been great to see some of you in our Pastor Check-In Zoom meetings. And remember that because we were not able to include holy communion in our “tropical storm” edition of worship, we will celebrate holy communion this week so be sure to have your communion table set before you join us for online worship. Be sure to join us this Sunday either in person or online as we launch into extraordinary love! 
 
Grace and Peace, 
Pastor Annette 
Posted by Annette Stiles Pendergrass with

Pastors E-Letter 7/24/20

So far 2020 has been a very stressful year.  There’s been a pandemic, people have lost their jobs, the stock market has had ups and downs, many hard conversations surrounding race are happening, schools are changing their methods of education, and many activities we've looked forward to this summer have been cancelled. There are many reasons for kids to not feel safe and secure.
 
When parents are going through tough times, kids pick up on it and can become stressed out as well.  Fear can come from catching a small glimpse of the news, overhearing conversations between teens or adults, and seeing what their parents post and read on social media. It is common for kids to pick up on these things and become fearful during these crazy times.
 
Parents and families are a safe place where kids can ask questions, find out what they are thinking, reassure them that you will keep them safe, and let them know there is a great group of people that are working hard to keep everyone safe.  Stay positive, use positive words, build up others rather than tearing them down. Empower your child through your actions and displayed emotions.  Model the behavior you want to see in your children.  Kids will pick up on how you are responding.  Make sure you model what you want their response to be as well.
 
Encourage kids to be proactive.  They can encourage other kids who are experiencing fear by talking with them about it.  Equip them to be the leaders who can bring about the change that is so desperately needed in these days.
 
Here at Suntree UMC, we are attempting to be a place of encouragement, normalcy and grace. We have been providing Sunday services, small group meetings and book studies during this time, among other things. And this week, we will be having Vacation Bible School. It won’t look like it does during a typical summer, with hundreds of children, youth, and adults running around the church all week. It will be done virtually through videos and hands-on activities given to families. At Rocky Railway, kids explore Jesus’ power in them and how we can trust Jesus—not our own strength—to pull us through life’s challenges. COVID-19 has come through our lives like a freight train and derailed countless plans, routines, and expectations. This summer, more than ever, the kids in our community need the hope, reassurance, and abundance of God’s love through the unique ministry of VBS. 
 
I pray that you and yours are safe and that you fill your families and friends with grace and peace during this unexpected time in our lives.
 
Lia Page
Director of Children’s Ministry
Posted by Lia Page with

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