Skip to main content

GETTING TO KNOW YOU…

“Getting to know you…getting to know all about you…”  I remember hearing that song when I was young.  My mom would sing it to me.  I would make a face when she did.  Later, I would learn that it was a famous song from a musical and not something my mother made up!
Now, you and I are in the process of getting to know one another as pastor and congregation.  I’ve met many of you (and am doing my best to learn your names).   If I haven’t met you yet, I hope to very soon.  That’s very important to me.

I believe that Christianity is about relationships.  The Holy Trinity is a relationship.  In Jesus, God has taken on flesh, suffered, died and been raised to restore our relationship with our Creator.  We are called to live in a new kind of relationship with each other because of our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection.  It’s all about relationships!

My very first goal as your new pastor is to meet you and listen deeply to you so that you feel like I do know you – that I “get” you.  Everything else I do in my pastorate will build on that.  I would be honored if you gave me the opportunity to hear about your life’s journey – whether you’re currently broken, totally together or anything else in between!  (If you wanted to learn about me that would be fine as well!)

So, come to worship and say hello.  Be a part of one of the forthcoming “Cottage Meetings” where we will gather in homes and get better acquainted.  Call me if you’d like to schedule a time to meet with me.  I am looking forward to getting to know you!

Another goal for the beginning of my pastorate at Newtown is to get to know our surrounding community – not just the demographics, but the actual people who live and work in our area and what their hopes, joys and struggles are.  I believe that when a pastor is appointed to a church, that pastor is also appointed to the community around that church.  Please tell me anything about the Newtown community that you believe I should know.  It would be so helpful for me and I would appreciate it so much!

My prayer is that through the quality and character of the relationships we develop within the Newtown United Methodist Church and within our larger community, we will find ourselves moving into a closer and deeper relationship with the risen Lord.  That’s the relationship that matters most!

 Pastor Blaik Westhoff, Newtown United Methodist Church, 35 Liberty Street, Newtown, PA

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHRISTIAN?   CONSIDER THE FOUR L’S! The mission statement of the Newtown United Methodist Church is “Helping Christians Grow and Growing New Christians.”   This statement raises a very important question: What does it mean to be a Christian?   Arriving at a shared understanding of what makes a Christian a Christian is crucial for us at NUMC if we’re going to fulfill our mission! One understanding of what it means to be a Christian is that a Christian is a disciple of Jesus.   The word “disciple” is based on a word which means “a pupil of a teacher” or, simply, “a learner.”   Jesus said that we are to be making disciples (see Matthew 28:16-20).   Another understanding of what it means to be a Christian is that a Christian is one who follows Jesus.   Jesus also said that we are meant to follow him (see Matthew 16:24-26).    Another understanding is that a Christian is a miniature version of Jesus or “a little...
Post a Comment
Read more

DUST, DEATH AND DISCIPLESHIP

Lent is that forty-day period before Easter that many churches have set aside as a time of reflection upon Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and our response to that sacrifice.   Lent, basically, is a season of spiritual inventory. In Genesis 2:4b-7, we read how God created us out of dust.   In Genesis 3:1-19, we read how we will return to that dust.   Physically speaking, our origin and our destination are one and the same – dust! Do you know that household dust is made up mostly of the discarded skin cells of the occupants of that house?   Sometime, when you’re brave and you can handle a sobering dose of biblical reality, lift up the bedspread from where it touches the floor, get on your hands and knees and stare your mortality square in the face! Doing so is part of what Lent is all about.   That’s why some people have cross-shaped smears of ashes put on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday.   Those smears are a reminder that we are all returning t...
Post a Comment
Read more
30, 60, 90 AND BEYOND! What is the best way for a new pastor to get started in a congregation?   That’s a question I’ve been asking myself quite a bit since I moved to the Newtown United Methodist Church! There are many ways to answer that question.   One is answer is that the best way to get started is to make some big decisions shortly after arriving so the people in your congregation realize that the new pastor is a decisive leader.   Another answer is that the best way to get started is to quickly begin a new program (which is guaranteed to be a success) so people realize that the new pastor is effective at making things happen.   Another answer is to rapidly make changes where needed while the “Honeymoon Effect” is still in full swing so as to get the maximum strategic leverage from the start up period. My answer is to that question is a little different from those above.   Even though my hope and prayer is that you will realize that I am an e...
Post a Comment
Read more