Welcome to 

First United Methodist Church 

Greetings!

Faith is hard.  Most Christians are unwilling to acknowledge to themselves and others that faith is a horse-sized pill to swallow.  Faith, as recorded in the Jewish NT translation by David H. Stern, records Hebrews 11:1, "Trusting is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see."  Trusting in that which cannot be seen is even more difficult than trusting in that which can be seen!  This is the challenge.  For instance, we trust that our brakes on the car will function properly when we have provided appropriate care to our vehicles.  Parents trust that the school bus will take their children to school and bring them home safely. 

Simon, whom Jesus renames Peter, is called by Jesus to be a disciple.  The Greek word for disciple is learner.  The learner is a pupil of a specific teacher.  Jesus is the teacher; and Simon, as recorded in Matthew 4:18 and Mark1:16, receives a call to be a learner of Jesus.  Primary to being a disciple of Jesus was the learning of God's plan of salvation by faith. 

Jesus asks the question "Who do you say that I am?"  Simon's response was that Jesus is the living God.  Simon provides the faith statement response.  Jesus renames Simon as Peter based upon the faith statement. Matthew 16:18, "Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it."(New Living Translation of the Bible)

You would think Peter, in making such a statement, understands the full implications of Jesus as the living God.  As we read in the biblical account of Peter's life and as his journey with Jesus continues, Peter encounters struggles of being faithful to that which he believes.  For instance, Peter cuts off the servant's ear when the guards appear in the garden on the Mount of Olives to arrest Jesus.  We have our personal remembrance of acting or speaking before thinking. 

Peter's journey with Jesus as a learner taught him to "walk the talk."  Peter, the learner, was in continuous transformation from worldly learned ways to spiritually being exemplary of God's grace; an example and witness to the world.  Ultimately, Peter's faith in God equipped him to be relational (graciously relating with others).

The wisdom of faith teaches, God loved us even when we did not accept nor love God. Faith accepts God's time clock in drawing us into a loving relationship with our Savior.  Not one of us pre-determined the day or the hour when our hearts would surrender to God's love.  Our faith must be a relinquishing of attempts to control the transformative walk of another sister or brother.

Yes, faith is challenging because it is trusting God in more than getting the house of one's dreams; more than getting all A's on the report card; acquiring the job title or promotion; more than being named football captain or prom queen; more than to have cancer in remission.  Faith is trusting God's grace to be at work in the lives of our neighbor.   A goal is to align our hope with the hope of God for our lives.  Our work is engaging in opportunities and creating space for others to engage in opportunities for faith to have roots and continue to grow. 

Pastor Gwen

Our church is offering a Confirmation Class beginning on Sunday mornings.  Any student 6th-12th grade who is interested in being confirmed as a member of the church is welcome to join.  Classes will take place Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in room 311.  

Sign-up sheets are in the Narthex. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Kate Triemstra at 219-680-7313 or katiebear2482@yahoo.com.  

Also 

The youth confirmation class is looking for members to come talk to them about what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a disciple, and what it means to be a Methodist. If you would like to talk to the youth about one of these topics, please contact Kate Triemstra in person, by email katiebear2482@yahoo.com or by phone 219-680-7313. These topics will be discussed starting mid June and continue through the summer. You can talk for five minutes or an entire class period; either way, the youth would love to hear your input. Thank you!