Wednesday, November 22, 2006
A Thanksgiving message from the Bishop
A Thanksgiving message to United Methodists of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
From Bishop Marcus Matthews
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This Thursday, we will celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. In the busyness of our daily routines, it is often hard to stop and give thanks for God’s many blessings, both large and small.
When we celebrate Thanksgiving, we recall the Pilgrims who left England nearly 400 years ago, seeking a better life where they were free to worship God. We think, too, of the Native Americans, who welcomed the Pilgrims and invited them to share the bounty of God’s creation in a new and strange land.
We give thanks for the 125,000 United Methodists in the 475 local churches of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, who are welcoming and inviting pilgrims in our neighborhoods to share in the bounty of all that faith in Jesus Christ has to offer. Signs are everywhere of the movement of the Holy Spirit in our churches, as together we invite and welcome the stranger, and move forward in our common mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God's Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” Philippians 1:3 (The Message)
We will pray for you and the ministry of your church in your neighborhoods. We wish you many blessings as you celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in your churches and homes, where you will welcome family, friends, and just perhaps, a stranger, too.
Yours in Christ,
Bishop Marcus Matthews, the Cabinet, and Conference Staff
From Bishop Marcus Matthews
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This Thursday, we will celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. In the busyness of our daily routines, it is often hard to stop and give thanks for God’s many blessings, both large and small.
When we celebrate Thanksgiving, we recall the Pilgrims who left England nearly 400 years ago, seeking a better life where they were free to worship God. We think, too, of the Native Americans, who welcomed the Pilgrims and invited them to share the bounty of God’s creation in a new and strange land.
We give thanks for the 125,000 United Methodists in the 475 local churches of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, who are welcoming and inviting pilgrims in our neighborhoods to share in the bounty of all that faith in Jesus Christ has to offer. Signs are everywhere of the movement of the Holy Spirit in our churches, as together we invite and welcome the stranger, and move forward in our common mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God's Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” Philippians 1:3 (The Message)
We will pray for you and the ministry of your church in your neighborhoods. We wish you many blessings as you celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in your churches and homes, where you will welcome family, friends, and just perhaps, a stranger, too.
Yours in Christ,
Bishop Marcus Matthews, the Cabinet, and Conference Staff
# posted by Spring City UMC @ 7:19 AM 
