I continue to offer this phrase, the motto of the Theological School of Drew University, as my personal mission statement. I am privileged to employ my gifts among the Methodists of Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Our transitional journey from small to larger membership church, from store-front to permanent facility, from predominantly retired persons to a diverse cross-section of ages, from charter visionaries to emerging leaders continues. This journey is marked by transitions that are both transparent and murky. At times we have clarity and at other moments we seem to be grasping in the dark. The gift of this church is that we continue to see these possibilities as an opportunity to enjoy God’s blessings.

So far this year we have welcomed over 60 persons into membership in the church (current membership is 427 persons). Our worship attendance has jumped to 330 since Labor Day and we anticipate welcoming another 10-15 persons into membership on our Celebration Sunday (October 24, 2004). This Sunday will mark the ninth anniversary of our worshipping together in Pinehurst. In January and February of this year we read, taught, prayed and worshipped our way through Rick Warren’s book The Purpose-Driven Life. From Ash Wednesday through Pentecost we studied Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Most recently we have been paying attention to the transforming power of God’s Holy Spirit to help us learn the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
This year Roger and Jean Hicks arrived to provide leadership to our music ministry. They have embraced our love for traditional music and led us to deeper appreciation of contemporary music forms. They have also introduced us to gifted musicians in our midst: Robey Howard – saxophone, a trombone quartet featuring our high school students, a mixed instrumental ensemble, and choirs of pre- and elementary schoolers. Most recently they have invited us to journey in our appreciation of handbells through a special purchase made possible by the gifts of two families in the church.

Our ministry with children and youth is experiencing the pangs of growth as we move from crawling to walking. A special thank you is due Beth VonCannon and Susan Windley for leading us in our children’s church. Mary Kilkka provided invaluable leadership to our church school program and proved a strong proponent for enhancing our children’s spaces. Keith and Kerry Millikan joined Susan Brazaski in working with our youth and our kids are becoming vitally engaged in our church and community.

In our community we are making a mark of Jesus Christ. We support Friend to Friend, the Sandhills Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Coalition for Human Care, Habitat for Humanity, and Moore Housing. With our hands we have mowed lawns, weeded and planted flower beds, replaced roofs, built a house with Southern Pines UMC, served meals to the homeless with Community Presbyterian Church, and served countless hours in thrift stores. We have raised in excess of $15,000 for missions’ projects close at hand and at a distance. Surely we are living into God’s promise to Abraham that we are blessed to be blessing.

I continue to challenge our church to remember with Paul that the work of a pastor is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (see Ephesians 4:11). I remain committed to setting each of us free for ministry in this place. I give thanks for Lucy Achuff and Ellen Hertlein who provided valuable assistance to the administrative life of our church. Their able handling of the details enables me to spend more time witht eh members of our church and in prayer with Jesus. I am also blessed to work with my colleagues Lovell Aills, Jean Arthur, Bruce Carlson, Betsy Kugel, and Ronda Torres. May we find strength in the willingness “to become all things to all people so that by all means some might be saved” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

I offer this phrase, the motto of the Theological School of Drew University, as my mission statement. As a person called by God and ordained an elder in The United Methodist Church, I am privileged to employ my gifts among the Methodists – both saints and sinners – of Pinehurst, North Carolina.

As a newcomer to this community of faith, I can only limited observations about our life together. I celebrate the spirit of God that is evident in the body of Christ here in Pinehurst and pray that we will continue to lean into God’s future for this church. I find myself learning a new style of working among the God’s people. Scripturally I find myself challenged by Paul to live into his call for the pastor “to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (see Ephesians 4:11). I am committed to setting each of us free for ministry in this place. To this end I am trying to spend more time with God and others in prayer and discernment about what God is already doing in the Sandhills and how we can respond to that call. As I seek to know Jesus more and the details of the church’s life less I sometimes like I am just muddling through. In those moments I find strength in the apostle Paul’s willingness “to become all things to all people so that by all means some might be saved” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

I recently reviewed Albert Outler’s in (1996). Albert Outler noted that our task in ministry is always three-fold (see pp. 65-66): (1) announcing the coming of Christ (see Mark 16:15), (2) witnessing by our actions and words to God’s love (see Acts 1:8), and (3) living as servants together (see John 13). The problem for Outler’s day and our own is that often settle for living together in community and struggle with our announcing and witnessing ministries with the least, the last, and the lost of Jesus’ sisters and brothers. Rich Mullins reminds me that “faith without works is a song you can’t sing … it’s about as useless as a screen door on a submarine.” As we seek to enhance our fellowship together, let us never lose our resolve to reach out to the “Lost in America” beginning with the 20,000 persons who reside within 5 miles of this place (see Tom Clegg, Lost in America, 2001).

Our lay leadership development team comes to you offering a simpler slate of officers – a chance
for God to breathe fresh air into our predictability. In the coming year we will invite more folks to live into a model of ministry where calling, equipping, and sending sets the tempo for our life together. This will be a struggle as we move beyond our comfort zone to a passion driven and gift-based model for discerning and equipping each of us for the work of ministry. Expanding our current ministries has already brought other issues to light. Fifteen months after moving into this space we find ourselves expanding beyond the walls of existing classroom space and needing to invent and reinvent church school for young and old alike.

I cannot finish without a word of gratitude to Glenda Clendenin, Lucy Achuff, and Merry Glass who have helped me learn how to shuffle the paperwork and ride the unpredictable carousel of this church. They possess grace in uncertain moments, wisdom in the face of confusion, and confidence to tame my not so humble nature. To their names, I add the great blessing I receive from working with my colleagues Lovell and Barbara Aills, Jean Arthur, Bob and Inez Bundy, Bruce and Jean Carlson, Betsy Kugel, and Ronda and Eric Torres. Their wisdom goes with me to the broader Methodist connection where I serve as the chairperson of our conference’s Commission on Congregational Development and share in our conference’s visioning by sitting at the Conference Connectional Table. I especially give thanks for Cindy, Ann and William – my God-given family – they are God’s breath of fresh air every day. Finally, I am blessed to live and work among the saints and sinners of Pinehurst United Methodist Church.