From Pastor Zeke Page 1 From the Desk of Pastor Zeke “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” - Isaiah 43:19 John Maxwell penned the quote that “change is inevitable, growth is optional.” Just think about the things that have changed in our lives in the last year. Church has not been immune to this radical change. For me, I had to learn how to stream worship and preach into a camera with an empty sanctuary. I had to learn how to care for our church members without being able to visit them in their homes or even in the hospital. Even now, as much of our church members have been vaccinated and have come back to in-person worship, change is in the air. Let me be clear; I do not want to go back to the way things were before Covid. I believe this is an opportunity for us to reimagine church, our relationship with God, and our relationships with one another. We have all felt, to one degree or another, what it is like to be isolated. It is contrary to our God-created selves. I believe that we now have the distinct opportunity to reimagine church and what a vibrant faith community should be about. We should not take for granted our relationships. We should feel the importance of our faith community and want to be an active part of it by serving in new ways. This is an opportunity for each of us to reimagine our roles as part of the church body. Our reality and context have changed. Will we do the same? I believe we are at a place where Isaiah 43:19 speaks profound truth to us. God is still at work among us. Will we choose to grow from that moving of the Holy Spirit or will we sit back? I hope and pray that we will all be open to the new things God is doing in this time of radical change. I invite each of you to pray this prayer with me: “God, conform me to your will and way, Search me and clean and restore me, Guide me into how I might serve you and my church, With every new thing, let me be faithful. Not my will but your be done” Keep the Faith Strong, Zeke Wesley UMC Newsletter May 2021
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