From Pastor Zeke Page 1 From the Desk of Pastor Zeke Happy New Year. I want to thank you all for being a part of a wonderful Advent season. Our worship services were excellent and the love shared among each other and with our community this Advent was exceptional. We collected over 650 cans of food to help prevent childhood hunger in Arkansas as part of the UMC mission 200,000 Reasons. Blanche West and my kids delivered the food to the Community Clearing House for them to distribute. Our Christmas Cantata, which featured the combined choirs of Wesley and Cavanaugh, was outstanding. Shane Sanderson’s leadership in this endeavor was excellent and Mary Beth Oliver’s accompanying skills were excellent. I am honored to serve alongside a church staff that is capable, talented, and passionate about the mission and ministry of our church. The staff greatly appreciated the generous gifts presented to us during Advent. Thank you to everyone who worked and served sacrificially to make this Advent such an incredible success. As I reflect on my first 6 months at Wesley, I am keenly aware of the spiritual depth and potential for our church. This gives me hope and encouragement for the future. As I look to 2019, I invite each of you into a time of prayerful discernment for Wesley. This Spring we will begin a monthly service of prayer and healing at our church. We will gather on the second Sunday of every month in the Spring to pray for our church, its members, and God’s direction for us as we engage in mission and ministry this year. I believe that as we gather together and pray for our church as we seek God’s direction for Wesley, we will become aware of the direction God would have us go. I ask each of you to pray for our church and its leaders daily. I am convinced that as we bathe our church in prayer God will clarify our direction and empower us to engage in vibrant mission and ministry. Please pray for our church. Seek faithful discernment for how God is wanting to use you to engage in ministry in 2019. In addition, I ask each of you to pray for God to use you in 2019. I can’t wait to see how God will use each of us to actively engage in the mission and ministry of Wesley as we seek discernment and direction. Keep the Faith Strong, Zeke Wesley UMC Newsletter January 2019
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