“Welcome Aboard, this is your fellow servant leader speaking, clear skies ahead”
Greetings Friends,
John Wesley told us; “The means into which different persons are led, and in which they find the blessing of God, are varied, transposed, and combined together a thousand different ways.”
What a pleasure it is for me to work with the many wonderful believers and leaders here in the Heartland North District. My prayer is for us to come ever closer to the love and grace God offers as we work together with our Pastor Partners and bring the message of Jesus Christ to our congregations and communities. Together we will have the opportunity to work, worship and celebrate together and I encourage you to make every effort to find the spiritual fruit you need to fulfill our mission of leading congregations to lead people to actively follow Jesus Christ.
Somewhere out there . . .
Throughout the sixty plus congregations making up the Heartland North District you continue to share the practical applications and common language of the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations and provide the means of helping to find these thousand different ways along our journey and providing the many outreach ministries of our faith.
There has been a wave of intentional application along the Five Practices which we have been privileged to witness that lends itself to expanding the life changing ministries being used, developed, and prayerfully dreamed about on an even wider scale. Right now at small rural churches like that of Arley, Dearborn, Camden and New Hope UMC they draw insights and confirmation from the radical hospitality ideas of much larger congregations located nearby through a connecting exercise begun by a group of dedicated District leaders called “Practiced Excellence” and continued by leaders at our local churches. We are bearing fruit and somewhere out there a family has come to know God’s love by your outreach.
Larger congregations like those at Platte Woods, Kearney, Platte City, Carrollton, Liberty and First-Blue Springs are reaching out to invite churches and connect the dream of doing risk taking mission and partnering with smaller churches bundling resources and seeing this dream come to light. Somewhere out there communities are being blessed by the care and love of our Heartland North churches.
We continue to see and hear of clergy and laity that have formed new peer support groups to explore exciting ways to offer passionate worship each and every week and participating in programs developed within the Conference like the Small Church Academy, Healthy Church Initiative, Pastor and Lay Leadership Development sessions, along with Lay Speaking opportunities, Laity led Sunday School classes and small group study gatherings that are reading and sharing these practices. From two or three gathered around a table at churches in Braymer, Malta Bend, and Smith Chapel with believers also exporting them over in Lawson, Excelsior Springs, St. Peter and Marshall, we are all learning a commonality in which sharing the love of Christ is focused on his people and outside the walls of the church. Somewhere out there people are seeking and finding a place to worship the risen Christ with us, and add to their faith journey.
So from East to West, and North to South all over this District - sharing the thousand ways our different congregations demonstrate these leadership lessons, you are leading the change of faithfulness all the way from Hale to Paradise, and around the world.
Thank you for your many works of faith and patience during this era of transformation within our Missouri Conference, your District leadership teams greatly appreciates your works and joins with you in celebration for all your many efforts to ensure the grace of God is alive in our churches and local communities; please know that we stand ready to assist you along that path. God’s blessing upon all our wonderful servant leaders.
Kevin <><
“How may we serve you?”
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