Eden Prairie UMC is a polling place, Precinct 10 for the City of Eden Prairie. On Tuesday after I voted at a different precinct, I was “inspecting” the assortment of cookies and treats and coffee our gracious staff and congregation always puts out. (Don was here at 6:30 a.m. to get it all ready.) A lady who hadn’t voted yet, walked in behind me to choose a cookie. Without introducing herself she sort of blurted out, “I love coming to vote here, this is the best precinct in the county! “ The judges who have to stay here until the polls close have expressed this same sentiment. When you think about it… being a polling place when you are a church is one time when everybody from the neighborhood comes over to your house for something important...of course we want to be gracious.
It doesn’t take all that much to be gracious. A little attention like asking yourself, “What would people enjoy after listening to political ads for months?” and coming up with, COOKIES! Being gracious is being willing to also take that little extra effort it sometimes takes to make something good happen. I don’t want to embarrass Don but just sayin’ he’s usually not here at 6:30 a.m. Rick might be, but it’s a little early for the rest of us.
This is the season of the year when we explore how we are going to be gracious to and with our neighbors. Now I’ll admit that is not usually what we call our annual Stewardship Campaign but it is one way to see it. “How Much is Enough?” is our theme for this year. It’s an invitation for us to be gracious to our neighbors by being the church Christ is calling us to become. Like the time last year when we bought pastry treats for all the bus drivers at the school district’s garage that is literally in our backyard. Paying attention to the needs of our neighbors does not have to be “rocket science.” It does take a little extra attention and a little extra effort. And that is what we will do during the stewardship campaign; we take a look at how we want to be gracious and the extra effort that it will take on all of our parts to continue to be big enough to make a difference and small enough to care.
This is the season of the year when we explore how we are going to be gracious to and with our neighbors. Now I’ll admit that is not usually what we call our annual Stewardship Campaign but it is one way to see it. “How Much is Enough?” is our theme for this year. It’s an invitation for us to be gracious to our neighbors by being the church Christ is calling us to become. Like the time last year when we bought pastry treats for all the bus drivers at the school district’s garage that is literally in our backyard. Paying attention to the needs of our neighbors does not have to be “rocket science.” It does take a little extra attention and a little extra effort. And that is what we will do during the stewardship campaign; we take a look at how we want to be gracious and the extra effort that it will take on all of our parts to continue to be big enough to make a difference and small enough to care.
This Sunday we will have a chance to see what it has meant for us to be gracious to our neighbors in a very far away place. We are excited to have a couple who are missionaries we have supported for a very long time. Ardell & Gordon Graner have served in Bolivia and now are serving in the Dominican Republic. They are a very gracious couple, originally from North Dakota. Ardell & Gordon have a story to tell that is worth hearing about; among other things how it is we who live in this culture of abundance can be gracious and learn from other cultures.
Keep the Faith!
Pastor Dan
Keep the Faith!
Pastor Dan
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