ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE MINISTER
Here we are again at another Annual Meeting. This is the time when we traditionally look back at what our church has done and can still be doing. As always our church continues to be a vibrant and staid presence in the larger community we seek to serve in Christ’s name. We remain a sacred place where God can be freely worshiped and people supported and cared for by that same divine love.
My thanks as always go out to the church staff that remain so loyal and offer their time and talents beyond the call of duty. They quietly serve Christ’s church behind the scenes which most people never know about on any given Sunday morning. If you were to add up all the time and extra hours they put in and paid them accordingly, the church budget would have to be doubled.
The ministry I continue to be called to as the pastor for this congregation remains committed and always grounded in being the best disciple for Jesus possible. It is a blessing to seeing the church comfortably full on most Sunday mornings. I pray that the message delivered from the pulpit speaks to at least one or more of you in personal or prophetic ways. When I’ve visited you in the hospital or shared a private prayer in your home, I pray that some small part of God’s care has been shared. Over the years by way of default or I have become this community’s pastor during times of trial and testing. Whenever I have been asked to help or give counsel, it is always with the intent of being a representative for our larger congregation.
Despite trending and graphs that show a decline in organized religion across the country, our church remains strong and a viable presence. In a world now interconnected by technicolor and communication, what we share together here remains a reminder that God’s people need to simply slow down long enough to be in community with one another. I pray that will always be our strongest appeal as others come into this sacred place to find peace and fulfillment. Thank you for all the years of your faithful support and encouragement. If there is something that I’ve missed in my ministry, let me know. If there is something that you’ve appreciated, let me know. Together we are always kept in the loving embrace of those words from scripture that say:
Although I am the very least of all the saints this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in rich variety might now be made known the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. Ephesians 3:8-13
Be Well and Be A Blessing,
Reverend David L. Hunting