Summer is such a different and exciting season this year, with full on programming and vacations for the first time in three years. Our Youth Choir is on tour as I write this, VBS starts next Monday, then Friday Cammy and I head to Colorado. With Sarah we are hosting our senior and junior high youth over two consecutive weeks for their annual mission trips. They will discover God in creation and their own creativity as we serve locally. It’s an exciting time.
It’s also a perfect time to introduce you to some of the up-and-coming pastors in our Conference. We will have four guest preachers this summer for our “Young Preachers of Hope” Summer Series. I know them through my work on the Board of Ordained Ministry as we have confirmed their call and gifts for ordained ministry. They are serving in a variety of settings and mission fields; their personal faith stories and service inspire. Unknown to me until after the fact is that our first guest preacher on Father’s Day – the Rev. Tom Burdett – was baptized right here at FUMC Plano in 1981! You can learn about all four of our guest preachers HERE.
When we interviewed this pastors en route to ordination, I came away saying to myself, “the United Methodist Church is in good hands.” The four coming to preach all exude hope and optimism about the church that is contagious. I hope that as you are in town, and even out of town, you will make every effort to be in worship in person or online to be inspired by these young preachers of hope. Blessings upon them and all of us in our work for the gospel in these new times.
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
