Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we approach summer days, hopefully peaceful moments on the front porch and the celebration of family and friends with picnics, reunions and graduation parties will help you feel God’s presence in all that you do.
As I sit down to write this newsletter I hope that the faithful supporters of Branchport UMC will find themselves connected with all that we have going on. Consider Galatians 5:22; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”. The past few years has been one of hope and perseverance as we do the work of Jesus. It was not too long ago that we struggled to gather resources to cover the expenses of our building. It seemed as though fundraisers were the means of paying the bills and doing our part in our denomination by paying our ministry shares. Though when I joined you in 2016 what I discovered was your faith that this church has a purpose and there are many who are willing to offer themselves and their own resources to keep it going. Prayers to make the resources last, stubbornness in our beliefs and steadfastness in ministry kept us going. I witness over and over again the love you have for your church and one another, even when health, miles and other obstacles keep us physically apart. We experience the joy of fellowship and feel the peace of having a sanctuary to worship in. I praise God for all of you and am thrilled to continue in ministry together. The Holy Spirit is present at Branchport United Methodist Church! Praise God!
Over the past 2 years we have invested in replacing well-worn pew cushions, repaired a roof that was in great need, have plans to replace the flooring in the bathroom and we now are preparing to replace the church sign that we use to share all the events that we are blessed to host. All of these projects have been results of hours of conversation, research, connecting with contractors and prayer as we discern how to best use the resources entrusted to us. All of this takes funding that is not easy to come by and a big responsibility to put to use, but we know it is all due to God and all that has been entrusted to us. As we discussed the signage and whether it was a necessary investment we found ourselves considering the memorial fund and all the Saints we honor with those funds. So, it was decided that we should use these monies and celebrate that we are blessed because of the foundation built by those who came before us.
We still have a great deal of work ahead of us. We worship in an aging building that requires upkeep and care, and we have been called to create disciples for the transformation of the world. In order to carry on our ministry at Branchport UMC we must continuously be aware of the needs of our community and how to best reach out to others. For this we need your continued support and prayers.
We are continually discussing ways to reach out to others and offer opportunities to bring people through our doors. We celebrate the community’s support of our Memorial Day Chicken BBQ, grateful for the many hands that come together to make it such a smooth event. We look forward to our 7th Annual Red, White and Blue 5K on July 4th! We have become a part of family tradition as runners and walkers start the day with us before heading off for parades and picnics. On Friday the 21st of June we will gather to watch the movie The Shack at 6:30pm in the fellowship hall. We hope to welcome other area United Methodist Churches this summer with a game night and will be worshipping together at Indian Pines Park in Penn Yan on August 11th at 11am. We have many great things in store as we embrace the summer days. We hope you can join us for some of these events and be a part of worship as we gather each Sunday morning at 10:45 am.
Once again, I thank you for your faithfulness and support to our beautiful church and pray that you feel the love and grace surrounding you each and every day!
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” ~ Phillipians 4:12-13
Praise God from whom all blessings flow~
God Bless,
Pastor Kim
Pastor Kim Lyons
585-857-7962
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
facebook:@branchportumc.org