2016: THE YEAR OF PRAYER AND DISCOVERY
By Gary Gibson, Senior Pastor
St. Paul, as a community of faith within the United Methodist tribe, has had an incredible history. We have grown from a Sunday School class in 1915 to be one of the flagship churches in Kentucky United Methodism. We have had a history of innovation, risk taking, and generosity. St. Paul has been on the cutting edge of ministry for one hundred years beginning with a Sunday offering totaling $2.43, continuing on to build a magnificent sanctuary in the middle of the Great Depression and then, constantly supporting mission locally and globally.
We are now embarking on our second century of ministry. Effective ministry in the years to come will demand we continue our tradition of innovation, risk taking, and generosity. We are living in a much different world today than just a few years ago and it is changing at a pace unlike any other time in history. If St. Paul is to be fruitful in its ministry we must keep pace with the world around us.
2016 will be “A Year of Prayer and Discovery” for us. I call the community to be in prayer, but a specific kind of prayer. Our prayers should be ones of seeking to understand God’s heart for our world and our community. Do not simply ask God to bless what we are doing, but seek to discover what God is blessing. We are not only seeking to discover God’s heart, but also seeking to discover a deeper understanding our culture. More people are classifying themselves as having no religious affiliation than at anytime in history of the U.S. We must ask ourselves how a faith community can connect with those people and engage them in a conversation.
The future is bright for St. Paul. If we continue our tradition of innovation, risk taking, and generosity. Join with me in A Year of Prayer and Discovery as we seek to remain effective in the years to come.