Dear Grace Church Family, I attended my first Church Council meeting this week.  It was great to look out at all the faces and recognize that most of the people in the room had participated in an onboarding process with me.  This means we had spent a couple hours together for the purpose of leadership getting to know me and how I lead.  I…

All on Board! Dear Grace Church Family, This past week, I had the opportunity to participate in an onboarding experience with some of the lay leaders at the church.  The onboarding was facilitated by Rev. Tim Smiley.  Tim has served as both a pastor and a District Superintendent.  He is also a very good friend of both Pastor Steve and Pastor Gary.  It was a deeply…

Dear Grace United Methodist Church Family, What a beautiful Sunday afternoon we had last week!  It was so great to eat hotdogs and hamburgers, watch the kids on the water slide, and celebrate the beginning of a new school year!  We are preparing for family promise and all things pumpkin!  By the time you read this, I will have completed the “onboarding” process with…

Dear Grace UMC Church Family, What a powerful week this has been for me this past week.  As many of you know, I have been away on a Civil Rights Pilgrimage. We have traveled to Birmingham, Selma, and Atlanta.  I always say that “if we really believe that the image of God lives in all of us, then spending time with each other…

Dear Grace United Methodist Church Family, I will be away this week attending the wedding of Rev. Dr. Cynthia Weems.  She is getting married in Kansas City this weekend.  After attending her wedding, I fly to complete an elective course for my doctoral work through Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC (the elective worktakes place in Birmingham, AL).  The doctoral program I am a part of is cohort based,…