As I begin my second year at Community UMC in Huntington Beach, I look at the past few days and think that this is pretty much what I had hoped for a year ago: On Saturday we held our Engage experience, inviting the community to serve the larger community; yesterday we held three morning worship services, with lively music (including the choir), lots of dialogue about the Word, and people deeply moved by the sense of grace and community provided in the sacrament of Holy Communion (including some new folks who heard about us online); a UMYF group where (I am told) young folks have reconnected; and today where we have a steady stream of folks coming to find refreshment and renewal in the shower ministry, while the scrip counter sold a record amount!
At the same time it is very different than I imagined! For one thing I didn’t realize just how “outside the box” ministry would become. But two truths have become apparent: 1. God’s imagination is much bigger than mine. 2. The people who make up Community HB are both resilient and creative. Together these two things make for a tremendous community in ministry.
You, the people and leaders here, probably had no idea when you remodeled the courtyard that you were providing for this exact moment and circumstance. Yet here we have easily sanitized seating spaces, set far apart, where folks can enjoy a prepackaged snack as they await their turn in the shower. At some point in the not-too-distant future, this will be our worship space, just as it was last August when we left the Sanctuary for remodeling.
Thank you Jan Wiley and Ginny Wheeler for preparing the people to go into an unknown future; thank you John Farley and Bishop Hagiya for trusting the nudging of the Holy Spirit to connect me with this wonderful congregation!
Pastor George