Dear Trinity Friends,

  Igniting Ministry, the national campaign of the United Methodist Church brings us back in touch with the fundamentals of the Christian faith.  The slogan for the campaign is: Our hearts, our minds and our doors are always open.  Our goal is not to increase attendance as a numeric total.  Our goal is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all we meet!  Our goal is to model Gods love in our everyday life.  Our goal is to renew our own personal and community spirituality.

 

	When we open our hearts we find that the love of Jesus Christ is a transforming gift, not only for us within the church but indeed for a world in need of love.
	When we open our minds to grow spiritually and to educate ourselves and our community, we embrace the wisdom of God.
	When we open our doors, we welcome all Gods children to find a new relationship with God; a relationship not based on rules or conformity, but a relationship built on the foundation of grace.

 

Our message to others and here at Trinity is one that emerges from a core of human experience.a sense of emptiness in day-to-day existence shared in some way by everyone. For some, it is a feeling that our activities are meaningless or our jobs purposeless.  Others express a fierce sense of self-sufficiency and independence that masks a deeper uncertainty.  Some experience a sense of distance from people a lack of intimacy in even the closest human relationships.  Others feel trapped in emotional distress, unrelenting pain or illness.  However this feeling manifests itself, it expresses a basic reality: Humankind is frustrated and estranged from one another and even from God.  To this common life experience, we offer hope and invitation. In our souls, there is a desire and upwelling of energy that urges us to seek more from life and to develop meaningful and trustworthy relationships with others and with God.  This power and drive comes as a gift, unexpected and unmerited.  It is an eternal presence a grace and a power available to everyone whether we are alert to its presence or not.  It is a sheer gift from a loving God.  Our founder, John Wesley called this prevenient grace   (Igniting Ministry Campaign)

        So, on behalf of the people of the United Methodist Church, we offer this invitation: 

If you  are searching for something to believe in or belong to, you are not alone.  Our hearts, our minds and our doors are always open.

 

Rev. Amy Overton Harris