God is moving remarkably at First UMC, Mission

By Charlie Baskin
First UMC, Mission
Brevity has not always been my strong point, but it seems even more difficult to come by lately. I’ve felt like apologizing more than once recently for not being able to find the “off switch.” But it just seems that there’s so much to tell about! And ministry at First UMC, Mission, is just getting better and better. Several of our challenges have turned out to be a blessing.
We were challenged when we had a stewardship response that caused us to tighten our belts financially, but we were blessed because it caused us to re-evaluate and restructure our approach to stewardship. And we were still able to take some much-needed steps in ministry. We planned a financial workshop, organized a stewardship ministry, organized a forward planning group to look at maintenance and additions to our buildings, built a playground, and started an English as a Second Language ministry.
Another challenge was in how to reach year-round residents in a community (and congregation) that is heavily influenced by seasonal visitors. Through increased advertising, outreach and a change in our worship schedule, we have been blessed not only by the increased attendance of our year-round residents but increasing diversity in this congregation. In our 9:30 a.m. service and our Sunday school, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in attendance by younger adults and by non-Anglo worshipers. We’re seeing an even more pronounced diversity in our 11:30 a.m. service. During the last four Sundays, more than 50 percent of our attendance at 11:30 has been by non-Anglo worshipers.
The increase in diversity reflects an increase in the overall health of this congregation. And if we are healthier and connecting with our community, we’re being more faithful to the vision that God has for his church.
God is doing something here! We can see it. We can feel it. It’s something that’s beyond what we might be able to put into numbers or words.