Dear Church Family,

Summer is here. Summer often includes travel, vacations, and family visits. We can become busy with mowing our yards, tending flowers, tending gardens, and many other outdoor activities. It is good to be outside enjoying God’s creation. Being active is good for our bodies, minds, and souls. Yet, we also must remember to take time to rest.

June includes several changes at Union UMC. We pause our Wednesday Bible study for the summer, resuming in September. Annual Conference, Vacation Bible School, Rummage Sale, Worship in the Park, and Summer Clean Up Day all occur this month. Please consider being involved in one or more of these church activities. You will be rewarded in many ways for your time spent.

Unfortunately, some use the summer activities as an excuse for not participating in worship. Please consider making participating in worship an even higher priority. For, with all our busyness, we need to be refreshed even more and that comes as we worship and spend time with God. It is only the Holy Spirit who can refresh us when we grow weary. As we recently celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we must continue to remember that he is with us always.

                Not only is it important for each one of us to participate in worship for ourselves, but it is also important that we participate and fellowship so that we may lift up one another. It is by encouraging words and our demonstrated love for one another that we continue to spur one another on to good works. Our good works include spreading the good news of Jesus Christ through our actions and words.

                We also continue our strategic planning sessions. I encourage each of you to participate in them. After all, each of us is responsible to be a good ambassador for Christ and to be part of growing His church. So many of you have been members at Union UMC for decades. Your vested interest is important and crucial to its future success in carrying out the mission Jesus gave us. Each member must carry the flame of the Spirit and share it with everyone they meet. Our strategic planning sessions are being held to assist us in determining what ministries we should continue, which ones (if any) should be discontinued, and identify new ministries to reach into our community. It is by working together that we can achieve the mission given to Union UMC by Jesus Himself.

God Bless, Pastor Marty