It is nice to be back to a normal work week after taking a week and a half off to spend time with family in New Orleans for Christmas. It was a renewing time for me to be away from the church and not have to worry about things. Except in personal prayer, I rarely thought about the church, which is exactly what I needed. We call times like these Sabbath, and I hope that you take time in your life to practice Sabbath in your life.
Immediately, things get a little crazy for us as a church. First of all, we are beginning a series of pulpit exchange among all the United Methodist pastors in Worcester. Over the next two months, we will be rotating through all the churches (except Covenant/St Andrews). It is our belief that our Connectional relationship should be strong. We should work, pray, worship, etc. together as Methodists in Worcester. In the midst of this, our denomination will be meeting to discuss our future at General Conference. This is our declaration that united we are stronger.
Each pastor is taking a portion of the vows we make as we become members of the United Methodist Church and preaching on that topic. We say that we will faithfully participate in the church’s ministries through prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. So, we are not away from our churches; we have spread this out over a two-month period. Please welcome these pastors over this time period. The Worship & Arts Team will be seeking your feedback on this pulpit exchange.
Pastor Ken Mantler