Dear Friends, 

​

Greetings in the name of Jesus!  In my last Pastor’s Page, I wrote about the image of a small boat called a coracle introduced to me by Dr. Sue Nilson Kibbey, co-author of Dynamite Prayer a 28-Day Experiment. Because it does not have a sail or a rudder, a coracle can either be steered by paddle or not at all!  Legend has it that Saint Brendan of Ireland set out on many voyages in a coracle depending only on the winds, the waves and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead him.  This image for the church challenges us to invite the wind of the Spirt to direct us to the new adventures God has in store for us.

​

 I promised that we would be spending time this Fall looking to the Spirit to lead us into God’s new and next.  I am pleased to announce that we will be doing that on Sundays, beginning October 18th through November 22nd at 9:45AM.  Everyone is invited to participate in this important conversation.  The Digging Deeper Class is giving up their usual format during this timeframe. The plan for now is to meet in the Wesley Room unless we outgrow that space.  If that happens, we will let you know.  There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex to help us decide where we will be meeting.

​

We will begin our journey by talking about prayer. We will begin with the question, “Do I really believe that prayer makes a difference?”  Our conversation will move to types of prayer with an emphasis on our experience with our Breakthrough Prayer.  Even though we have been using our prayer for some time, we will dig deeper into why we have been using it.

​

Part of our time together will be spent learning more about ourselves.  It is important for us to consider our own gifts as we discern God’s will together.  These components are part of who God made us to be and often impact how we work with others.  They also determine how we think about the possibilities God places before us.  Our preferences often guide our decision making.  As we understand how this happens, we can become more open to where God is leading us.

​

 As we plan to go where God is guiding us, we will need to take some time to explore where we have been.  During this part of our time together, we will identify and celebrate our congregation’s strengths.  We will discuss possible roadblocks and pray about them.  We will share stories about our life together.  We will discuss the changes we have faced over the past three years and how God has been leading us.

​

 Finally, we will have conversations around what have we noticed as we have been seeking God to lead us over the past several months.  We will discuss the ways this has energized or drained us.  We will listen to God and each other as we discern the invitations God has given us.  We will discuss next steps in the process.  As we conclude this part of the journey, we will think about ways we can continue together in listening and discerning what God is saying to us.

​

I am looking forward to the new things God has in store for us as we continue to pray and discern together.  It should be a great time of listening to one another and the Spirit!  I hope you will join us in our conversation for as many of our sessions you can.

​

 

Blessings, 

Pastor Keith