This Sunday following worship it’s our Annual Meeting. It is an important day and I want to offer a little extra encouragement for you to attend. First, it is the beginning of our four part worship series on “Sharing the Gift of Church.” We are going to explore Church as God’s gift. What I hope you receive from this sermon series/message is how our Church, EPUMC, is a gift from God in your life and a gift to our community.
The second encouragement really needs no encouraging. Following worship we will gather in the fellowship hall for a potluck meal. It’s always good to eat together. The food is always great, the people are great and unless it’s your turn (or if you are so inclined) you don’t have to clean up. If your name begins with an A-I please bring a main dish/hot dish; J-M – please bring a dessert; N-Z – please bring a salad. If you’re reading this and you’ve never attended a fellowship meal, this is a good one try. Really, don’t worry if you forget to bring food, there is always plenty and the more of you who show up the better. Heck, if you don’t want to eat you don’t have too; just saying….And of course there will be somebody engaging the kids.
At our Annual meeting we keep the meeting part of it very short. Yes, we have to elect some officers but they are already recruited. The budget will be mentioned but it will be approved tonight at our CMC meeting. The main part of the “meeting” on Sunday will be (I hope) interesting, enlightening and inspiring and no, it’s not another sermon. Since October, Don, Deb, Andrew, our Church leaders and I have been discussing what we believe is a bit of a different slant on how we might “do” church in 2015 with the goal of engaging more of you more fully.
It’s time for all of us, for you to be a part of this conversation. We’ll discuss why 2015 is a crucial year for EPUMC. We’ll hear about: What is a “life cycle,” of a congregation. Why it is important this year that we begin to act a little more like we did when we were just beginning to grow up as a church in order to grow deeper into the church God is calling us to become.
Finally, I’ll present a worship/study/mission focus for our congregation that understands our Church as a gift from God that is meant to be shared. Our specific gift to this community is that we are: Big Enough to Make a Difference Small Enough to Care. How will we equip ourselves and share this gift in order to insure that this specific gift of God is passed on to the next generation in Eden Prairie, Minnesota?
All that and all the love and fellowship and camaraderie and fun that is being a part of this community of faith awaits. I really hope to see you this Sunday.
Keep the Faith!
Pastor Dan