We are doing it!
That’s right, after almost two years since the seed of possibility was planted from the Holy Spirit, we are having worship in Bixby this Sunday for the first time at 11:00 am. Think of it like a dress rehearsal. We will not be live streaming but we will be having worship in the sanctuary in the new building. Pastor Sherri and Pastor Seungrok will both be there leading and serving communion. There is still work to be done and we will not be advertising but we are going to officially begin. We are HIRING! We need to hire some tech booth staff, kid’s ministry staff and nursery workers . If you are interested in any of these part time positions, please reach out to me and I will share the job descriptions and information. I ask that everyone pray for this endeavor as we launch softly. If you haven’t seen the new sign, I encourage you to drive down Memorial and check it out.
The new location has a banner out front with the new vision of the United Methodist denomination. It proclaims “Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully, Lead Courageously.” The denomination is to use these three phrases as motivation and inspiration. Jonathon pointed out that they are very close to our own Values as a congregation. We say “Connect with Love” and they push us to do this boldly. We say “Lead with Service” and they remind us to serve joyfully as we lead. Our mission statement combines these values of both leading and serving. My prayer is that you do it with joy. We will be preaching on this new vision for United Methodist until we begin Advent on Nov. 30th.
As we move forward as one church in two locations, I ask you to view this with joy and opportunity. Instead of seeing it with eyes that proclaim what you could possibly lose, I ask you to see it as the amazing miracle that God has invited us to be part of. We certainly didn’t come up with the idea to have more than one Faith UMC but the Holy Spirit did and has paved the way forward. This is hard work. Your staff have gone above and beyond helping to make this happen. Please tell everyone that you know that they can join us as we being something new. If you know people in Bixby who might like a church like ours, tell them that we have one in their hometown. Word of mouth and invitation is the best way to reach people looking for a safe space to thrive in their faith. If some of you want to attend in Bixby, we affirm that choice to help them get started. We will probably be launching publicly in January with advertising and publicity. This should give us time to work out all the details and put our best foot forward.
I give thanks that we are doing this work together.
I Love You and God Loves You,
