January Newsletter Article

Building a Relationship

At some point as I was talking with one of my ministry mentors he shared with me a simple idea, “ministry is about relationships.” Seems obvious once it is stated, but sometimes church leaders (and church members) need to be reminded of the obvious. We gather together as a community because of the relationship with each other and the relationship we have with God. When things are working well, those relationships are a gift of grace.

This New Year’s Eve I was able to host a gathering of friends that have been getting together in one form or another for nearly 15 years now. We have celebrated marriages, the birth of children and now we are looking toward our children growing up and on our growing older. This community was formed by the relationships built through the ministry of the church. We met at first as youth at Ocean Park Camp, then as college students many of us gathered together while we were at W.S.U. These relationships are a gift of grace for me and I treasure them deeply.

It is my hope and prayer that as we gather together as the People of Longview United Methodist Church that we would understand being a disciple for Jesus Christ is to be in relationship with God and with our neighbors.

As a growing congregation our challenge is to continue to find ways to build relationships with others. Often we find ourselves at a point where we are comfortable with the number of people we have relationships with. Sometimes we don’t want to form a new relationship (relationships take work after all.) Yet, that is what we must do. We must find ways to continue to foster new relationships with others as well as deepen our relationship with God. Pray for the ministry of Longview United Methodist Church as we continue to work to build up the people of God in this New Year.