Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus, whom you are harassing,” came the reply. “Now get up and enter the city. You will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:5-6 CEB)
Starting New, Starting Fresh is the theme of our New Year for Fairbury UMC. New Year is a time when we naturally look to making resolutions, changing lifestyles, finally getting to that project that was set aside during the holidays, and reflecting on how we want the future to be different that our past in ways big and small.
This is often done by individuals but it can also be done by groups, businesses, and yes, churches. We are doing wonderful things as a church in the name of Christ. We have United Methodist Women working on spiritual growth, fellowship, global and local missions. We now have a United Methodist Men’s group restarting and working on their goals for spiritual growth and service. We have Sunday school classes and special studies. We help support many missions in our community and around the world. We have two worship opportunities each week.
The mission statement of the church is “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Being a disciple takes energy and attention. It is about relationships—with God in Jesus as well as with people we know and ones we may never meet. It is about listening to God through the study of scripture, worship, prayer, and Christian conversations. It is also about works of mercy that not only provide some assistance when people are in need but also help people know that God loves them and is working on their behalf, often through other persons.
To help us be disciples who model what it means to follow Jesus and invite others to join us in being disciples we are always being guided by the Holy Spirit to go one step further on the journey; to try something new or get back to doing something we stopped doing for some reason; to invite others and bring them to worship, study, special service events, or conversations around a table in our homes; to connect with God in some way.
In worship on January 6 you will hear about how you can join in starting new, starting fresh for 2019. There is a free meal after worship and you can add your ideas to the conversation and we can all work together to be disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world as well as making disciples. Please make meal reservations in worship or contact the church office so we know how much food is needed. Pray for our congregation that we have clarity for what God is calling us to do and the desire to answer that call.