A fair amount of spiritual and emotional energy and pain is evident in many churches right now. Pastors and local church leaders are experiencing major discouragement and uncertainty after so many months of dealing with Covid-19 - with no clear end in sight!
Questions like these are being raised in many churches: What will happen to my congregation? How do we maintain our staff? Our building? How do we pay the utilities? Benefits? Can we ever regain the momentum we once had? Will the people who came to church before return after all this is over? Will I still have a job? Where is God in all of this? These kinds of questions hang over all of us in the local church.
And yet, I have to tell you that I believe strongly in the future of Southport United Methodist Church. My friend, who's been at this for a lot longer than I, in his article, helped me to define the foundation of this belief, as follows.
I still believe that the local church is God's best hope for a sane and stable world.
I still believe what Jesus promised when he told the disciple Peter that, "the gates of hell will not prevail against the church." (Matthew 16:18)
I still believe that people need God and a spiritual dimension to their lives.
I still believe that followers of Jesus are creatures of indomitable and indefatigable hope and resilience.
I still believe all of these things, and I believe them more than ever.
I still believe that the people of Southport United Methodist Church are some of the most generous, supportive, prayerful, faithful, focused on the needs of others, people I have ever known. I believe this last one because I have seen it with my own eyes over the last 8 months.
So, be hopeful, be optimistic, be determined, stick with it, don't give up! Looking around at the world right now, it seems sometimes like there is unlimited work to do. But I still believe that there is unlimited potential here within us, too.
This is my message of Grace and Hope for you this week.
Pastor Duane
