As August approaches, I begin gathering my notes, working on my packing list, and getting ready to head to Colorado to get off the grid to spend a week planning for the coming year. It’s far more work than it is rest and relaxation. I work from dawn to dusk daily on the kind of work I need in the stillness of that mountain air. I listen for God to speak and lead me as I seek to lead us as a church. I go up the mountain with a Bible, my laptop, two close preacher friends, and something else I treasure: your input and prayers! That’s where this blog comes in. I need your help.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be collecting your thoughts, ideas, and questions. Including the big ones, the random ones, the hard-to-ask ones. I genuinely want to know what you’re curious about, what challenges your faith, what parts of Scripture you’d like to wrestle with, and what topics would feed your soul. Then, I’ll carry those with me (along with surveys from previous years) into the quiet of the mountain retreat. It’s there that past series like “Does the Bible Really Say That?”, “Exploring World Religions,” “Where You There?”, “What Happens When We Die?”, “Defining Moments,” and “Grace in Country Music” were first born.
Now, if you’ve taken this survey before, thank you. I really do carry all your responses with me from year to year. And I also try and change it up. So, if you don’t see your suggestion show up right away, don’t worry. It doesn’t mean it’s been forgotten. Only God knows when the right moment is for an idea to come to life in Geneva. The Spirit will bring it to mind when it’s ready.
If you’re new to our church, or maybe just newly engaged, this is a great way to add your voice to what we build together at UMCG. You don’t have to be a theologian to participate. You just have to be curious, honest, and open to what God might be stirring in your life.
So here it is: [Click here to take the survey.] It’s short, anonymous, and really meaningful to me.
But there is a catch! I ask if you fill out the survey (and even if you don’t), please say a little prayer while you do. Pray that our worship next year will be bold and brave, rooted in Scripture, and relevant to what is happening in our lives today. Pray for inspiration for me and for the team that will shape these series with me. And pray that whatever we do in 2026 helps more people experience God’s grace and grow in their faith.
Thanks for your partnership. I’m excited to see where the Spirit leads us next.