Eden Prairie United Methodist Church
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weekly memo: mentors and shipmates

9/19/2019

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Dear Friends:
 
Twenty-four years ago, as I was entering ministry, I knew I needed a mentor.  I needed someone to help me navigate the waters of ordained ministry.  I knew no one, and I knew nothing of what pastoring would mean, other than the theories I learned at seminary.  So, I asked for an appointment as an associate in a larger congregation.  My mentor became the lead pastor of the church I served, Rev. Mark Nordell.  He truly mentored me by teaching me and guiding me in the adventure of my first appointment in ministry.
 
We all need mentors in the faith.  We all need people who will help us navigate the waters of our faith adventure.  Who have your faith mentors been?  Mark wasn’t my only mentor.  There was my grandmother, whom you will hear me quote often.  She was a practical and faithful woman who was in worship with me every Sunday for the first 10 years of my life.  My father was also a faith mentor.  He would quietly live out of his faith so I could witness and see what it was like to be a faithful follower.  He would speak of life in terms of where God was in the midst of things.  He would routinely tell us about the devotions he had been reading.  He would be sure that we maintained both a mealtime and bedtime prayer life, as well as regularly attend worship and serve through our local church. There was also my philosophy professor from undergraduate school, a Quaker woman who mentored me by teaching me to question and wonder about everything I was taught and was being taught.  I could go on – there have been many mentors in my faith life.  Who have your faith mentors been?
 
Not only do we need people who stand before us and lead by mentoring, but we also need folks who will stand alongside of us and be with us on our faith journey.  We need spiritual friends with whom we can honestly be who we are.  We need spiritual friends who can help us journey toward more fully loving God and neighbor and self.  We need companions.  We need shipmates on the adventure of faith.  Do you have shipmates?  Do you know why you need them?  Are you a shipmate to someone else?
 
Join me this Sunday as we continue to explore the adventure that is faith in Jesus Christ as we see what our biblical seafarers, Noah, Jonah and Peter, have to teach us about the importance of having shipmates.
 
See you in worship on Sunday at 10 a.m.







 

Pastor Becky Jo Messenbrink


 



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Weekly Memo: Finding a firm footing

9/12/2019

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Dear Friends:
 
In the midst of watching regular morning news programs on my favorite network, a video came up that, before I could look away, had me watching a young woman slip off the edge of a cliff in Hawaii.  Did you see it?  Because the woman was wearing a Go-Pro camera, we saw everything she saw as she inched to the edge of a cliff for a better view.  As she did, her right foot stepped in a trickle of water and slipped out from beneath her and she was falling before she knew what happened.  While injured, she did survive and is telling her story to warn the rest of us to find firm footing, perhaps a little further away from the edge. 
 
Getting firm footing is so critical.  Knowing where your feet can land firmly makes one feel secure and confident.  There are times in our lives when we are in transition from one season to the next where finding firm footing becomes a challenge.  Eden Prairie Church is in that season of transition.  We’ve been in transition for a while.  And because there is a delay in finding a church accompanist, we will continue to be in transition.  As we walk together, we are looking for that firm footing of getting to know one another and working together as a team. 
 
One of the places the staff and I have been working for firm footing is the opening / start of worship.  We absolutely love the energy and conversation that is happening in the gathering space outside of the sanctuary.  But how do you know it’s time to start worship so you can make the choice to find a place in the sanctuary?
 
Here’s what we are going to try.  You’ll hear the bell ring (who could miss that!) while the church musician is playing the gathering music.  The bell is your cue that the next thing that is going to happen is a congregational gathering song.  If you choose to, we invite you to make your way into the sanctuary and find a place to land so that you can join in the gathering song meant to set the tone for worship.
 
Let’s see if that’s a place for us to find firm footing.  Thank you for trusting your staff to continue to work on finding firm footing for all of us, so that we can continue to be a congregation challenged and enlivened by the vitality of growth.
 
I’ll see you on Sunday for worship, as we take a look at facing storms on The Voyage of Life with Jesus.







 
Pastor Becky Jo Messenbrink



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Weekly Memo: The voyage begins

9/5/2019

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Dear Friends,
 
It’s time!  Last night a few cars were in the parking lot – of people singing in the choir, of people helping with confirmation, of people passionate about youth ministry.  My guess is that it was a small taste of what’s coming.  And I am so excited to get the program year started!
 
This Sunday we have “Promotion Sunday” where children will be celebrated, a few ministries will be highlighted, and the multi-generational community of Eden Prairie Church will eat together and play together.  Join us for worship at 10 a.m. as we launch a new series of messages called “The Voyage,” where we will explore the great adventure that God wants our faith to be.  After worship there will be a voyage to embark on around the church (weather permitting, some outside) to get your passport stamped at different ports of call by “playing,” eat some great food (walking tacos, root beer floats, etc.) and reconnect with people.  Plan to stay for the fun (the Vikings don’t start until noon, so that gives you fans a little time for an adventure)!
 
While  you’re here on Sunday, or via email, sign up for dinner for your family for the first Wednesday Night Live (WNL) Sept. 11 at 5:45 p.m.  On the menu will be ribs and chicken, as well as a community who really loves to be together.  After dinner you can sing in the choir, join a small group for Grades 3 – 4 (Roots), Grades 5 – 7 (Holy Club), Confirmation families, or post confirmation youth (Higher Ground).  It’s always an option for you to just hang out and build relationships, help with clean up, or head home after dinner.  Whoever you are, there’s a place for you at WNL!
 
I’m sure there will be some faces that I won’t recognize this Sunday (even if I have met you before).  If you are willing, wear a name tag for me (and others who might not know you), and please introduce yourself and your family to me on Sunday or Wednesday or both!  I want to get to know you, to build a relationship with you, and to recognize you when I see you!
 
If you are in town this weekend, come on board for an adventure in faith as you join us for worship and fun!
 Blessings.

Blessings!








Pastor Becky Jo Messenbrink






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(952) 937-8781

15050 Scenic Heights Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
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