by Ken Kelley

This coming June, Colleen and I will celebrate the 40th anniversary of our marriage in the sanctuary of KPUMC.  I will always remember, as I readied myself to see Colleen walk down the aisle, standing in awe in our beautifully decorated sanctuary filled with our family and friends, including many from KPUMC. 

I hadn’t been a member long, and most of those from our congregation were friends of Colleen and her family. But, as I had experienced many times at KPUMC, this congregation welcomed and embraced me as part of the church family that night, and you continue to support and inspire me even now.

I, along with Colleen and our daughter Shannon, feel the blessings of your care and concern when we struggle with life’s difficulties and feel your joy when we celebrate our milestones and victories. That’s what congregational care is all about, and I pray that I can find a way to equip and nurture you as we continue to grow this important ministry together. 

But to minister to each other, we must first have a way to communicate with one another. I’m available to you at any time by email - ken@kpumc.org or cell - 214.707.9605.  To facilitate our members contacting each other, we will soon all have access to an online directory. You’ll receive an email next week with additional information.

At the times in my life when I’ve had my act together, when I strive to get right with God, one of the most important hours in my week is 11:00 on Sunday morning when we worship God together. In worship, we do more than just celebrate God. Worship has the ability both to inform us and transform us. When we worship, we remember who God is and who we are to be as God’s people.

As another opportunity for worship, on May 16 we’ll have dinner church at 6:00 pm. In this service, we’ll share a meal, read scripture, have informal discussions, sing, and have communion. Please plan to join us for this informal worship service.

Besides worship, our church offers many other opportunities for our spiritual enrichment and development. Rev. Kay Ash, our new Director of Christian Education, tells us of her plans for our children’s department: “During Summer 2018 our Sunday School children will explore the Grand Narrative of the Hebrew Scriptures beginning with Creation in interactive, creative, and outside-the-box ways.  Then, starting the last full week of July, our VBS children will go on a rolling river rampage to discover that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  Look for us to start each morning of July 23 - 27 with music in Roberts Forest!”

Our youth and their parents will meet this coming Sunday 4:00-6:00 pm in the youth room to discuss the future of this important ministry with Kay and Wes.

Our last Wednesday Night Live will take place next week, but we have several other opportunities to serve and be served.  If you aren’t already attending one, I invite you to try a Sunday School class. The adult classes gather in the Fellowship Hall and conference room at 9:45 each Sunday morning, and they’d love to have you. We have a women’s Bible study group that meets on Wednesday nights at 6:30 and a pastor’s Bible study group that meets with Wes at 5:00 on Sunday afternoons to discuss the following week’s worship service scripture. Both groups meet in the conference room.  Our Chancel Choir and handbell choir always welcome new members. Feel free to contact me or one of the other ministers if you have ideas for other small groups or would like to volunteer in one of our existing programs.

A task force composed of some of our newer members will present to us their ideas for the future of KPUMC at the all member Church Council meeting on May 20th right after church. I strongly encourage you to join us for lunch and to hear this report. Plans for later in the year include a Grief Share grief support group, new catalyst groups, and other opportunities for fellowship and enrichment. 

When we have our act together and, more importantly when we don’t, I pray that we will continue to grow and enrich our ministry to each other. I hope to see you in worship Sunday and leave you with a prayer I discovered last night: 

“My prayer today is that we remember, and seek out each other intentionally, asking what we can give one another that will cause the quickening of each other’s hearts to subside in relief that we are not forgotten, but rather cherished and loved.” (Ana Lisa de Jong)