Following Our Hearts

Greetings in the Name of Jesus,

An elderly Christian lady with arthritis struggled to attend church services on crutches. Despite the pain, she attended every service. When asked how she managed, she replied, "My heart gets there first, and my legs follow."

Over the last five weeks, members of Stonebridge UMC have hosted seven home meetings for our IMAGINE Listening Tour. The spirit of this listening tour was amazing. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a wonderful heart for Jesus that beats within the work we are doing. The passion you have for our ministries is inspiring.

For the long-time members as well as the newest among us, our heart leads the way. Everything else follows. One lady told me, “I have been attending worship and serving in churches all my life. Stonebridge UMC is special. I have never been involved in a church where the people care about each other like we do here.” 

At each home, we celebrated the ministries that are going well. We brainstormed the priorities for our future together. And we talked about how we can increase servant participation and remove barriers to deeper involvement. I took pages of notes as I listened-in on the small groups and heard the final reports each evening. I can’t wait to pray over all the individual written celebrations and comments. I hope to have a final report of the consistent threads of where God is leading us by the end of August after my vacation. 

There is no doubt that we have much to improve at Stonebridge UMC. There is still much to be done. We have made our share of mistakes. At times, we are as fragile as clay pots. But as Paul puts it, “But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7) 

The theme of servant leadership will be on display this Sunday. Pastor Jana is preaching, and she has asked three of our church leaders to join her in the message, “Answering the Call”. Erin Clark, Sandy Tutwiler, and Jim Davis will be giving their testimony of how God has been working in their lives. 

As the crippled lady said, “My heart gets there first, and my legs follow.” May our heart for Christ continue to lead us into the future with hope, as we strive to live and love like Jesus. 

See you Sunday! It is going to be glorious!

Pastor John Allen