The Easter Season

We are enjoying worship with you these days as we celebrate the Easter season. You may or may not know that after Easter Sunday, the Easter season continues through until Pentecost Sunday later in May. Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a year-round, life long joy and this season focuses us on that great victory of God.
In these next few weeks, the school year will close and many of you will be off to travel, vacations, camps, and everything else that summer brings. As you do that, I hope you will make a few things a priority. First, be present to welcome your new pastor, Bryan Harkness and his family. Their first Sunday will be June 13th. Second, take note of all the summer ministry happening at Woodville UMC and shape your family calendar with those dates for camps and Vacation Bible School in mind. Finally, be sure to continue your financial committments to the church. Your giving to general ministry of the church is most important. It is what allows us to have great Sunday school curriculum for adults, children and youth. That giving allows us to give to world-wide missions that support methodist universities, scholarships for young people, and help for the needy. Your giving makes a difference, whether it's keeping the lights bright and the air cool this summer at church or if its sending a child to camp. Your faithful giving is vitally important for us to continue to grow in being disciples and making disciples of Jesus Christ.
While secondary to your general offering, your giving toward Wesley Center's building progress is also important. We are projecting 8-10 weeks for completion of Wesley Center, which means that in all likelihood, that place will be buzzing with activity in a matter of time. Thanks in advance for your faithfulness to welcome the Harkness', your participation in ministry and your giving commitments. Please know that I continue to pray for you and for the ministry of Woodville UMC now and in the future. I share these words from Paul's letter to the Colossians for your reflection this week.
"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1: 10-14