Clinton Methodist Church

A Word from our Pastor…

There are three things you need to know ahead of this weekend.

1. We are ONE church that just happens to worship in two locations. About 48 Sundays out of the year our congregation is split between the Sanctuary and the Worship Center. There is not a whole lot of cross pollination between the two worship spaces. This Sunday gives us a wonderful opportunity to worship as ONE congregation. We will gather for a “Friendsgiving” celebration with our church family and friends in the Family Life Building at 10:00 a.m. Bring a side dish or dessert to share because we will have homemade chicken tenders and a fellowship meal after worship.

Let me encourage you to do a couple of things before you arrive on Sunday. First, grab a seat next to someone you haven’t seen in a while. Avoid simply sitting next to the people that you always sit by. To break the ice, ask them, “How long have you been coming to church here?” Second, find someone new and introduce yourself. Have the attitude that I am going to meet one new person today. Then remember their name. Write it down or put it in your phone. (Hint: There will be a place to do this in the bulletin.) Take a selfie with them, if they will allow. (Hint: You will be encouraged to do this during the service also.) Finally, commit to praying for them during the next week.

2. “Something is better than nothing.” A staff member recently said this to me, and I thought it was worth sharing with you. As you are aware, our Commitment Sunday is this weekend. What this means is at the end of Sunday’s worship service each person/family will have the opportunity to signify their commitment to support Clinton Methodist Church in 2025 through their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. You will receive a card that you can mark to pledge your participation in these five areas. The cards will be collected and prayed over asking God to help us commit to participate in the life of our church. Imagine the level of engagement in our church if everyone contributed in some way! Remember, something is better than nothing.

3. Advent is upon us. Our Advent series is entitled Protagonist. You will see posters around campus with all the pertinent dates for Advent and Christmas. See the graphic below for those details. In addition to worship events and special activities, there are several Sunday school classes using Bible study materials that follow along with the sermon series. If you need help finding a group, email me at [email protected].

There are daily devotional books available for purchase through your class or the office for $10/each. Readings begin on December 1 and go through Epiphany, January 6.

Furthermore, we are excited to offer 2-3 times each week a video devotional that will be shared on social media about the daily readings. These videos will be filmed by staff and church members of all ages sharing their thoughts and interactions with the reading materials. Our hope is during this Advent season we will slow down enough to spiritually engage with the story of Jesus from a new perspective while the world tries to pull us into its stories of fantasy and frantic hustle and bustle.

See you Sunday!

Jimmy