From your pastor…
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
(Galatians 6: 9-10, NRSV)
A few years ago, our United Methodist Conference in Louisiana decided to begin having our annual Charge Conference meetings in clusters. Instead of the District Superintendent traveling to each church for the meeting, groups of churches now meet together for Charge Conference. Most of the time, our cluster has included Asbury, Aurora, Boynton, Belle Chasse, Gretna, St. Matthew, and us. We have heard the leaders of these churches tell the story of their different and various ministries through recent years. I believe it has been good because we are meeting and getting to know each other better, and we hear about other ministries, and it has fostered us coming together to share in ministry. We had sixteen members to go and serve for the STOP HUNGER NOW mission sponsored by Aurora. Belle Chasse joined us at City Park for our SKEETER RUN to fight malaria globally. For the first time ever, three of our churches are sharing the same music director, Stacy Hood!! That has been a great blessing for us.
When we fellowship, worship, and serve God together, greater things can be accomplished. In that spirit, Asbury has hosted a joint worship time for a couple of years. This year, these joint worship services are scheduled for Sunday, July 10 and Monday, July 11, 2016. The services will be held at Asbury, but all of the above mentioned churches are invited to participate. The services will begin at 6pm and end at 7:30pm. For those of us who attended in the past, we really enjoyed learning about different worship styles, choirs, musicians, and hearing from other United Methodist preachers in our area. We can all learn and grow together in our faith and in our service to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have made a commitment to be there because I believe it is imperative that we come together as the body of Christ in our world today with so many challenges that we face. We are stronger together than we are alone.
We say that as United Methodists, we are a connectional church. We can turn that statement into a reality when we come together for worship and for mission. I hope to see you there at Asbury UMC. The address is: 2725 Ernest Street, NOLA 70131. Rev. Tu’uta will preach Sunday evening and Rev. Griffin will preach Monday evening. Let’s join in praising God together, and invite a neighbor to come, too!
Grace and peace,
Rev. Becky