It was difficult to settle on something to write for the first Reflections article of the New Year. My mind and heart are so full from the wonderful Advent/Christmas season and I have so many things to consider going into a new year with the wonderful community of Belmont United Methodist

Church—a new year that marks the centennial of our church’s history.
    
The first thought that came to me on this morning was profound gratitude for each of you and how much you mean to each other, to the community and to communities of people in faraway places, places that have been touched by your compassion, service, and generosity. I am thankful for our church staff and their tireless dedication. Every one of them worked overtime during this past holy season to make the time meaningful and hopeful for all of us. I am grateful for our relationship with the people of Edgehill United Methodist Church and the Edgehill community. We celebrated that relationship with over $20,000 in gifts to support the Brighter Days after-school program and the expansion of future ministries of the Edgehill church. I am grateful for your many acts of kindness and generosity. During economic downturns the church is often asked to do more, because the needs are greater. This is especially true of our Benevolence Fund, which is used to assist those in need. Your generosity has made a huge difference in assisting persons with utility bills, rent payments, and to provide for basic life needs.
    
We have a promising and hopeful year ahead of us, a year to celebrate our past and look to the future, a year that will have new challenges. At the beginning of this year, our staff read these words from Beth Richardson (The Uncluttered Heart, page 95) and we will let them be a guide for us as we move into a new year together. “If I could adopt and nurture one spiritual practice this year, it would be learning to let myself be ‘carried along in the steady flow of the Spirit of God.’ This means setting aside my opinions, my control, my will, my need to be right, and placing myself in God’s care, asking God to be in charge of everything I think and say or do.”

 

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