Community Connect
Thoughts on a Healthy Goodbye

As Pastor Kim announced on Sunday that she had accepted a move to a new church. we shared at the end of her sentence a wave of  emotions. Pastoral transitions have been a part of our church’s life since 1957 but are not easy.  Saying goodbye to Pastor Kim may be one of the most emotionally challenging transitions for both her and our congregation. We have had strong connections with Kim over the last decade in important life events…weddings, funerals, births, and illnesses. She has been with us in teaching, preaching, fellowship, Messy Church, choir, Youth Group, and so many other daily activities around the church. What can we do right now, this week?
*  Pray for Kim – share in her happiness and excitement for this new opportunity for her.
*  Pray for Kim’s mom Carolyn who remains with us and be thankful for a mother’s love, just as Christ loves us.
*  Be aware of your feelings, acknowledge them, process them, talk to others about them. Your lay leaders Warren Heffron and Barb Tegtmeier are available to listen to you and pray with you any time. Turn to them and each other.
*  Remain focused on our Vision, the vision that Pastor Kim discerned for and with us:

Christ United Methodist Church is to be a Christ-centered community which is compassionate, creative, relevant, and resilient.

~Barb T.

STEWARDSHIP MOMENT

Your dollars change lives for Christ

Vincent Van Gogh once said, “ Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” We have people at CUMC who don’t pledge towards the church. They think their giving is so little that they don’t need to pledge. That is not true. If you pledge, you are more likely to give. If you give, you are more likely to feel good about giving. If you feel good about giving, you will find a way to give more. Your small gift is part of a series of small gifts that are brought together to do great things for God. So remember, your small thing matters.

For the rest of the year, would you take up this challenge: even if you write a monthly check or give electronically, please ALSO put your spare change or a dollar or two in the offering plate as it passes by each Sunday. Let’s see if we can do great things!