From The Pastor's Desk

January 2009

In the fall of 2007, our Church Council called for the formation of a Visioning Task Force that would create a vision/mission statement.   After five sessions, beginning in January 2008, the Task Force presented the statement they worked on to the Church Council and it was heartily accepted:  The Mission of the Beach Lake United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world through:  1. Evangelism, 2. Worship, 3. Discipleship, 4. Service and 5. Fellowship.  Committees and work areas of the church will be able to plan their work with this vision/mission statement clearly in mind. 

In late April/early May, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church met and agreed to focus our next quadrennium’s (2009-2012) work of “making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” around four areas of ministry:

1. Combating the diseases of poverty by improving health globally.

2. Creating new places for new people and revitalizing existing congregations.

3. Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world.

    4. Engaging in ministry with the poor.

We have already engaged in some of these ministries.  Others seem daunting, yet exciting.  These defined four areas of ministry, combined with our mission statement, give all of us—individually and in our various work areas—some very specific goals to work on in Beach Lake United Methodist Church, together with United Methodists throughout our global connection. 

We will begin our new year on January 4 with the commissioning of our church leaders during our worship services.  Now that we in BLUMC, and we in the entire United Methodist Church, have done our part in planning, may we continue to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit in order to be guided and energized to do what is pleasing to God!

 Yours in faith, Mark