Roy’s Ramblings

Greetings All,

I like to keep folks up to date on news around the church and there have been some real happenings this week. The big news that comes out of the Catholic Church is the election of a new Pope. Pope Leo XIV from Chicago, the very first Pope form the United States, will take the lead from Pope Francis that recently died. We are invited to pray for Pope Leo and for our brothers and sisters of the Catholic Faith.

Something else that happen this week in the United Methodist Church is that the Council of Bishops have announced a new vision statement for the entire, world wide UMC. We all know (or at least have heard) the mission statement: The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches and extension ministries of the Church provide the most significant arenas through which disciple-making occurs. Well, now there is a new vision to go along with it: The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.

I know some of you are asking what is the big deal? What is the difference? Why should it concern me? Well, the Mission is what we are called to do and the vision is how we do it. So Mission: Make disciples and change the world … Vision: By Loving Boldly, Serving Joyfully, and Leading Courageously. This sounds a lot like our local vision of: Love God, Love All, Serve Joyfully. So I encourage you to check out the new vision and the explanation of their thinking in the following diagram and let us continue: Making Disciples, Making a Positive Difference, Having Fun, and Loving All in everything we do.

Blessings My Friends – Pastor Roy