From the Pastor's Desk: May 2010

February 2010 March 2010 April 2010

‘May’ your heart be warmed

Happy May Day! Wait, can it be May already? It seems like just yesterday we were shoveling ourselves out from under the largest snowfall we had ever seen. Some people even put aside the idea of global warming with all that snow. My epistle, however, is not about global warming. It’s about something much different — the warming of our hearts.

On May 2, 10 new members joined our Christian fellowship. Later this month, our Confirmands will join the church on Pentecost. We’ve had an adult and two youth baptisms, and more baptisms and members are to come as well. The Spirit is alive at Perry Hall Church and now is the time for us to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into getting involved with the different ministries. We can celebrate in this light the great Spaghetti Dinner we had and how we doubled the number of people who participated.

When John Wesley had the unique warming of his heart experience at Aldersgate, he did not just tell people about it. He acted upon this revelation, and his real ministry to the people began. Wesley had been serving as a Pastor for a few years by the time of his Aldersgate experience, but he knew that something was missing for him — that his ministry was at best stagnant. Not until the presence of the Holy Spirit entered into his life did Wesley catch on fire, and then the people flocked to hear his sermons. John Wesley called people to action and to live out their faith in real ways by sharing the good news of the Gospels, to be involved with their neighbors and community and to confront the global issues of their day.

Perry Hall UMC presents to you many different opportunities in ministry in which you can let those fires of passion to serve the Lord be lived out: the Flea Market, Vacation Bible School, Movie Nights, Camping, working in the Nursery or Sunday School programs, working with the Mission Committee in any number of our Mission projects, Thrift Shop, Outreach, Food ministry to Christ Church for the Deaf, helping provide manpower to the booth at the Town Fair in July. The list goes on and on.

How can you connect with one of our ministries? Call the office, send us a note, put down a request on the prayer cards and put into the offering plate or grab me after church or call the church office and ask to meet with me. Or if you know someone who is doing what you would like to help doing, ask them if you can help them, too.

Pentecost falls on May 23 this year, and this is the time we celebrate and remember the Holy Spirit coming and filling those gathered together. But your own Pentecost, your own Epiphany can happen at any time. When it does, I invite you to act upon this special time in your life and come forth and share your news, your energy, your gifts and talents, and the warming of your heart by the Holy Spirit.

Blessings,