Lenten dinners and adult studies series
Beginning February 29, Wednesdays of Lent will include Wednesday night meals at 5:15 p.m. followed by an adult study series, “A Disciple’s Path: Deepening Your Relationship with Christ and the Church” by author James A Harnish.
“The [study] combines a uniquely Wesleyan understanding of growth in God’s love and grace with the time-tested practices of spiritual discipline expressed in the vows of membership in the United Methodist Church.” Whether you have been United Methodist all your life, or are new to the faith practices of United Methodism, whether you have practiced the disciplines of faith religiously or are in need of renewal in the spiritual practices, this study offers something for anyone seeking to serve as a disciple of Christ. This study requires both a workbook with five daily readings to be completed prior to each weekly session, and a Companion Reader which offers Biblical and theological insights on week’s theme from a distinctly Wesleyan perspective.
Participants must order the materials no later than February 16, 2012. Cost for participant materials is $15.00 and may be paid by check or online. Please make sure to register for the class by February 16 in order to have materials available for pick-up following the Ash Wednesday service on Feb. 22. Classes will begin on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. ending on April 4, 2012.
A Season of Prayer
In January and February, a review begins in preparation for the Fixing of the Appointments at Annual Conference in June. In this sense, "fixing" means "setting." A number of factors arise in the process of review that have to be considered: the desires of the local church, the needs of the conference, and the circumstances in the pastors’ personal and family lives. Discernment of the varying needs of church, pastor, and conference for the effectiveness of ministry is the vital business of the appointment-making process.
Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committees participate in the process. Each minister of the conference has a time of consultation. The Bishop and Cabinet gather the input from each of these, plus the information from retirements, sabbaticals, leaves of absence, departures from ministry, and new pastors. Within all of these factors to consider, clearly the recommendations and decisions need to be undergirded by prayer.
On behalf of all our pastors, the Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committees, and the congregations, the Bishop and Cabinet ask our churches and people to use the season of Epiphany as a time of prayer for discernment and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the work of the appointment process. The following is offered as a guide for use either in corporate worship or in personal prayer and devotion.
