Greetings to the family and friends of Grace UMC,

 The month of October has been full of excitement as my husband and I realize we are a month or less from welcoming a new addition to our family. Preparing for my maternity leave has kept me busy for much of October.

I am happy to share with the congregation that we have lined up exciting preachers to fill in for me during the month of November. I have invited Rev. William Barnes to kick off our stewardship campaign. The Rev. William S. Barnes is Pastor Emeritus of Prospect United Methodist Church in Bristol where he served from 1991 until his retirement in 2002. From 2003 to 2008, he served on a part-time basis as the pastor of the Lakeville United Methodist Church. He was president of the New York Annual Conference Board of Pension and Health Benefits from 2000 to 2008 and served previously as secretary and president of the Conference Council on Finance and Administration.

Also, I am excited about the activities the MYF have planned for the rest of this year. In my absence, Geof Fowler and Craig McGarrah, with the newly elected MYF representatives, Jessica Walker and Lisa Rosengrant, will lead the MYF in the CROP Walk, Habitat for Humanity, raking leaves for Grace Helping Hands, the 30 Hour Famine, Wreath Making, Night in Bethlehem, and snow tubing.

While I am very nervous about taking a month off for my maternity leave, I am also excited by the level of partnership and support I am receiving from the leadership and the congregation at this time. For me it reflects the spirit of the community and the growth of who we are as a church. Still, the wonderful attributes of our church have not been spread beyond the four walls of the church building. We have a hidden treasure far too many people outside of the church are unaware of. In our October council meeting, our new district superintendent, Rev. Ken Keiffer, shared with us many ministry ideas to reach outside our four walls. It is my hope that we will begin to explore ways in which to take some of these ideas and reach out to the people outside of our church building and become an inviting and visible church in the town of Southington, sharing the message of Jesus Christ.

 “For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” - 2 Corinthians 4:5-7 

Peace in our savior Jesus Christ,
Pastor Christine Kim