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June 2026, the sixth month of the year, when this month is over half the year will be half spent. How are we doing so far? Has it been a good year? Bad year? A year to celebrate of a year to forget? For some this has been a year of change. I spent the weekend with several pastors and laity of the UMC, some will be heading to new appointments, others will be getting ready to receive a new pastor or working with a pastor who already serves a church close to them and will now be pastoring at two churches, or three. Some will be saying goodbye to a beloved pastor, while I’m sure a few will be saying good riddance. Either way change is happening and much of the change will determine if 2026 is a good or bad year.

For those of us who have been in the UMC system for years, this can be a very anxious time of year. There was a time when the pastors were told where they will be appointed during Annual Conference, which means that they would have a month to get their things in order, pack and move. (I am very glad they do not do that anymore), still goodbyes will be said, some tears may be shed, but we have faith in the Bishop and his cabinet that they know where to send our pastors through prayer and discernment and not by the roll of a dice.

So far this year we have seen some great things happening in and through our churches. We hosted a couple of families through the Family Promise program and supported their journey to find a place to work and a home to live in. We worked hand in hand with Cork Pine Builders and the Eagles lodge to distribute food to hundreds of families in our community and the surrounding area. Our Easter services were very well attended and once again we were blessed to share the experience with our brothers and sisters from Grace Lutheran Church. God is still alive and active in our churches and taking us to places that help us learn a grow.

Half way through the year and it seems pretty good so far. I continue to thank the Lord for these two churches and enjoy serving along side my church family in sharing/bringing God’s love and peace, grace and forgiveness, joy and hope to this community and beyond. We are blessed and we are a blessing, I wait with wonder and gladness for what God has in store for us in the days and months ahead.

For those who have not heard, I did get a CT scan and it has been confirmed that yes, I do have a brain! Also, there is no evidence of any bleeding or damage from the fall we had in church a few weeks back. However, in the process they did find a nodule on my left lung which I am going Tuesday the 2nd to get looked at by a pulmonologist. Many of these findings are benign, but there could also be a chance that there is more to it than meets the eye. I will be needing another test to get a better look, but I know that whatever the result, God will be with me on the journey and I ask that you keep me and my family in your prayers as we take this journey together.

I do pray that the final seven months of this year will be as exciting and productive as the first five. As long as we stay tuned in to the Holy Spirit and work together to build God’s kingdom, God will continue to use each of us to bring hope to a world that often has none. Keep you eyes on Jesus and keep working for Him. Amen and Hallelujah!!

 

In Christ,

Pastor Denny.