Dear Winfield UMC family and friends,
As the new pastor of the Winfield UMC, I greet you in the name of the living and risen Savior Jesus Christ! As the summer months draw to a close, and we move toward the fall season, I want to take a moment to write this letter to each of you, inviting you to join us for worship and all the other programs that are offered here at our church. Janet and I are very excited to be part of what God is doing here at the Winfield Church, and we are certainly looking forward to meeting all of you and sharing in the great things that are happening here as we work together to grow in Christ. We are especially excited about starting a new building project soon that will offer even greater opportunities to serve God and the people in the Winfield and surrounding communities.
One of the things I find to be of great importance for any congregation is to be faithful to Church with regular attendance. I'm not referring to vacations or required work activities, or other unavoidable conflicts that arise from time to time that affect our attendance. The Bible makes it very clear that as we see the last days approaching, our desire should be to be in fellowship together on a more increasing basis. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV) 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. The Bible also gives us great warning regarding our love for God, and the danger of allowing that love to grow cold, or become lukewarm. I truly believe one of the greatest ways to keep our love for the Lord on fire is to spend time in Christ’s presence, both at home and in church. When a person is faithful to church, soon a passion and desire to become involved in ministry develops, as well as a desire to bring other people into the Kingdom of God and into the Winfield Church to join us on this amazing journey of faith. We have so many opportunities for ministry available here, especially in the areas of youth and children. Dads, Moms, and Grandparents, I encourage you to set aside time on Sunday mornings for Sunday School and Wednesday evenings for Bible study, along with our Youth Group, and Children's Programs.
Faithfulness is important for the following reasons: When we are faithful to God and our church, our children, youth, friends and neighbors see how important Christ is to us and will follow our example. When we are faithful to God and our church, we can become involved in all types of Ministry as we hear the voice of God and are led by the Holy Spirit to use our gifts and talents for God at the Winfield UMC. Yes, this includes evangelism! Have you ever invited someone to attend church, and missed the Sunday they attended? It is very important for us to be here every Sunday and to invite others to join us in worship every week. These are just a few ways faithfulness is essential, and I'm sure you can think of many others. The bottom line is that we need each other, and the more we connect to each other, the stronger we will be as a church family, and the more effective we will be in our community in sharing God’s love. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope to see you in church this Sunday!
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. H. Thomas Hill, Pastor, Winfield UMC
