Pastoral Message

Wow!  It’s been a year since we invited our D.S. Rev. Rich Weihing to come and talk to us about our options as a congregation and we started to look at this Compass Project.  We wondered what this Project was and how could we possibly use this “Conference Tool” to help this congregation here in Alplaus to find how and where God is leading us!  Since then we have started and are over ½ way done with this Project.  From this Compass effort we have noticed closer ties within the congregation and more energy about who we are as the people of the Alplaus United Methodist Church.  We have sent the Confirmation Class on an intergenerational VIM trip.  We have a new walking group – the Alplaus Amblers.  We have adjusted our greeting procedure for Sunday mornings.  We are working on issues of accessibility.  Those are some of the tangible outcomes of our efforts.  Less tangible but equally important is the depth of connection that we make as we meet and discuss how it is we offer ourselves to be servants of God and how we nurture one another in it.
What else can we do?  We need to up our courage and boast a bit – in an inviting kind of way- to actually invite and welcome folks to bask in the Spirit of God as we do each time we gather here.  We do good work, great ministry and fabulous community.  I feel like we are burning a pretty good lamp here and we need to remove our bushel basket and let this light shine!
 
Blessings, Pastor Kristi