After a day filled with delicious food, beloved friends and family, I am sure most of you are now home- resting, and relaxing before you change gears and focus on your Christmas preparations and shopping, but at church we have one more week before we enter into the Advent season.
As you may remember, this Sunday is Stewardship Sunday at church- when we all take some time to prayerfully consider how God is calling us to respond to all God’s blessings in our lives.
Your Ministry Advocates Board decided that for the coming calendar year we will choose to “Commit, Seek and Share,” focusing on Acts 14:27. “On arrival, they got the church together and reported on their trip, telling in detail how God had used them to throw the door of faith wide open so people of all nations could come streaming in.” (The Message)
We too will commit to constantly seek how God desires Broadway UMC to share the blessings with all God’s people and keep our doors open for all who seek God. We invite your partnership in that work and ask that you fill out pledge cards so we can prepare accordingly. If you will not be at church this Sunday, we invite you to use this link to make your 2024 pledge.
After this Sunday, we enter into the Advent season with the 1st Sunday of December. Our Advent worship will be based on a series prepared by Worship Design Studio and Rev. Marcia McFee, titled, “The Gift of Being Present.” Like I said in the beginning- many people might begin their Christmas preparation today- and get busy with decorating, and shopping for the perfect Christmas gifts but somewhere in that busyness we overlook the greatest gift of all… our very presence. This season, we are invited to be the gift of presence for our loved ones, for our communities, and for those who need it most. More information is shared with you in this enews and details will be shared soon, but I don’t want to end this message without thanking you all for participating in the survey and helping make the decision that we will have 2 services on Dec. 24th - at 11am for the 4th Sunday of Advent and then come together at 7pm for the Christmas Eve Candlelight service.
That’s it for now friends! I am thankful for each one of you and for all the ways you faithfully show up to make Broadway a community of welcome, love and grace. I feel blessed, every day, to be a part of this community that is always willing to step up to offer support and aide wherever it is needed. Let us continue to be agents of hope, and pray for peace as we also bring care and help where needed.
Be blessed and be a blessing, beloveds, and I look forward to seeing you all in church.
