On Monday, I attended an event for area clergy at the Holocaust Museum. We were talking about the voices for human rights in our city, and the challenges of civil discourse in the age of social media. The new executive director spoke of Abraham, recognized as the father of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and shared that Abraham’s original name is related to the Hebrew word for “crossing a divide”. As I was paying attention to his welcome, I also noticed something behind him. The front of the building, which I could see through glass, is in the shape of a smoke stack- a startling and somber reminder of some of the worst of humanity. But inside, in front of the glass, was a display of iridescent butterflies. As I listened to him talk about crossing divides, I wondered if that was at least part of the answer of how we get from death to resurrection, from smoke stack to butterflies. We all know God often calls us beyond our comfort zones- is there a divide God is calling us to cross, so that a relationship or a circumstance in our life can be renewed and restored?
I want to ask you to join me in prayer for the next 12 days. Iglesia Generaciones, a congregation within Chapelwood UMC, will begin their weekly worship services at our Westchase campus on September 7th. Click here to watch a video they recently posted of church members sharing what one word they think of when they think of God. Will you commit to praying that they would reach new people for Christ, that people would experience salvation and life, and peace as a result of their ministry? I am so grateful that we have an opportunity to be a part of the growth of what I believe is the largest Hispanic congregation within the Texas Annual Conference.
Just over a week ago, we had an Administrative Board meeting here at First. This is the church council, the body that all the committees of the church report to, and the one that has the final vote on important church matters. At this meeting, we heard updates about church finances (I’ll share more in my upcoming monthly financial update), missions celebrations, and staff. We made decisions about how to handle some significant facilities issues at both campuses, and we considered how we want to present ourselves through our name and logo. I’m happy to report that there was so much consensus around this last issue that a vote was called, and we’ll be able to share the results with you at our State of the Church meeting in the sanctuary from 12 – 1 pm on September 28th.
I hope you have a wonderful week. I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday, and I hope that you experience God’s help in crossing any divides He’s leading you through.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Lindsay Kirkpatrick
Senior Pastor
[email protected]