September 2024

Over the past two weeks, we’ve explored four of the six core strategies from Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church that will help us reflect, transform, and grow younger as we celebrate 185 years as a church. We’ve looked at the importance of prioritizing young people, practicing empathy, fostering a warm community, and taking Jesus’ message seriously. Today, we’re diving into the final two strategies: engaging with families and empowering leaders of all generations. These last two strategies are deeply connected to the vibrancy and vitality of our church as we look forward to our next 185Read More →

Last week, I kicked off our journey of vibrancy and vitality as we celebrate 185 years as a church by exploring two of the six strategies from Growing Young: prioritizing young people everywhere and practicing empathy. These strategies remind us that young people are not just the future of the church but an integral part of our community right now. As we continue this series, I want to dive into the next two strategies: fostering a warm community and taking Jesus’ message seriously. These strategies, like the first two, challenge us to reflect on our current practices and culture at UMCG and ask how weRead More →

As we approach the milestone of our 185th anniversary as a church, we find ourselves at a crossroads. It’s a time to look back and celebrate the faithfulness of generations past, but it’s also a time to look forward—toward a future that calls us to reflect and transform. While we honor our rich history, we must also ask: how do we ensure that our legacy of faith continues? How do we remain vital and vibrant for the next 185 years? These are questions that have been stirring in me a while now and came to the fore in the mountains of Colorado as I mentionedRead More →

First, I want to express my deep gratitude to each of you for your prayers and support during my recent mountain retreat. The time away was both productive and renewing, and I returned Thursday feeling refreshed and eager to share what’s on the horizon for our church in 2025. I spent a lot of time praying and planning worship themes that will help us spend a year with Jesus, letting Jesus speak and transform us. But before I dive into those details, I’ll be vetting these ideas with our staff and leaders as we discern together how God is leading us. We’ll make any necessaryRead More →