I have recently been attending a different local congregation.   It is Centenary UMC on US Route 220 North in Cumberland.  The congregation and I have been in a process of getting to know each other.  One of the steps in that process was my delivering the sermon today.  I received a lot of favorable comments about the content of my message.  More affirming than those comments was the universal invitation that everyone made to me to continue attending the congregation’s worship services.

The picture of the building reminds me of one of the churches I served in my first full-time appointment.  The people also remind me of the members of that congregation because of their friendliness and outgoing nature.  Centenary has been diligent in maintaining their building which speaks both to these sense of dedication to stewardship of what they have received from past generations, and their desire to attract new members.  Both of these are healthy signs for any congregation!

I had a bonus today because my colleague and Pastoral Care Department Director attended the service as an expression of support.  That is something else I want to comment about for a moment.  Colleagues supporting colleagues in any setting is important.  We enjoy a lot of that at Western Maryland Health System, which is a very positive part of the organization’s DNA!