Welcome
I have been very blessed this week to have met with three different families who want to make Faith UMC their home church. As I listen to them tell me why they love it here, I am so filled with appreciation for you and the way that you treat each other. In a world where many people have been hurt by churches, I love that you are so kind and loving to strangers when they walk in our doors. Last Sunday, I got to reconnect with a family that I have loved for a long time and their daughter (who in my head is still a Jr High girl) and her husband and baby girl. After the daughter and son-in-law visited several churches, they have found their way back to Faith as the place where they want to raise their kids.
Another new family is a woman who moved to Tulsa and is looking for community. She explained to me how she loved how kind and welcoming everyone has been to her. She feels safe and is currently enjoying trying out all the different Faith Group options. She was even already invited out to Friday lunch with some of you who made her feel at home. I am so proud of the way that you have embraced her and made her feel at home. You will get to meet her after the 9:00 service this Sunday.
One of our new families invited me into their home and fed me homemade tamales! It was delicious and I enjoyed curling up on the couch after dinner to visit with each other and play catch with their delightful son. I was also blessed that their cats welcomed me and let me love on them. I lost my cat of 18 years last year and their snuggles filled a spot in my spirit that had been aching in loss. They told me that they love our values and they had chosen us because of the outstanding kid’s and youth programs. It reminded me once again of how wonderful our staff is and how our understanding of how we live out our faith in our everyday life is so important. You will get to meet them at the end of the 11:00 service this Sunday.
So today, I want to say “Thank you Faith!” You do such a wonderful job in creating a space for all people. I could be the best preacher in the world and it wouldn’t matter if you were cold or unkind to those who gather with us. I give thanks that we are a people who take following Jesus and his teachings seriously.
Love,
