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Belin Memorial UMC is a very special church with dynamic ministries and devoted disciples of Jesus Christ. We can point to the excellent worship experiences that we enjoy week after week, the ongoing acts of serving God and neighbor near and far, and the Christian formation gatherings for people of all ages that combine faithful study with fellowship, to name a few.
Some of the ways we were faithful in 2023 included an average worship attendance of 1707 per Sunday. That number includes 54% worshiping in-person and 46% online. Online includes friends of Belin Memorial in 37 U.S. cities and 14 other countries, as well as some who are nearby but unable to attend in-person for a variety of reasons.
Our church has also been faithful stewards of what God has provided us, contributing $3,803,658 in 2023, compared with expenditures of $3,620,069. Giving God our first fruits helps us be part of the dynamic ministry God is providing at Belin Memorial and helps us begin 2024 from a position of strength.
We also begin from a place of humility. We recognize that we need to be in prayer for our church and one another. With the General Conference of the United Methodist Church meeting in Charlotte from April 23 - May 3, 2024, and with the potential of changes coming out of that, there is some anxiety about what that can mean for Belin Memorial.
This month and next, we will seek to become more educated about our denomination, always in a spirit of prayer and honoring what ultimately holds us together: our faith in and following of Jesus Christ.
The Denominational Education Team encourages you to join us this Sunday afternoon for the Unity Service (3 PM in the sanctuary). This service will include the Wesleyan Covenant Renewal Service, a form that dates back to John Wesley’s use on August 11, 1755. The Covenant Prayer focuses on our individual commitment to God. It is a heavy prayer, recognizing that the cost of discipleship is high. When we make it alongside other disciples, there’s a recognition that we don’t attempt costly discipleship alone. We need the Holy Spirit and one another to follow Jesus well.
After the recommitment to Christ through the covenant prayer, we will have the opportunity to remember our baptism and to receive Holy Communion, the two sacraments we hold in common. Whatever disagreements or differences of opinion we may have, our faith in Christ, our commitment to follow Christ, our baptism into Christ, and Christ’s presence among us in Holy Communion unite.
Prayer unites as well. Each day of our Denominational Education period (beginning Monday, January 8 and concluding Sunday, February 11), you will receive a short scripture and a prayer. These are used with permission from a church in Louisiana. They hit on different themes of life shared in faith and ministry. We hope that reading and praying these across our church family each day will be additional reminders of what we share and the significant people with whom we share it.
I hope to see you Sunday morning (when we celebrate the Epiphany) and afternoon (for the 3 PM Unity Service) and throughout the education period. I look forward to joining you in that and in prayer as we continue our important shared ministry.
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