– A Message from Your Lay Leader, Kim R. Smith
Lent is a time of waiting and reflection. I feel that God has really been working on my heart during this season. In my personal life, I’ve been waiting for things to fall into place for my girls. I’ve been waiting for test results to come in for friends. I’ve been waiting for my sister to heal from a month-long hospital stay. I’ve been waiting for my husband to get his first-ever passport. I’ve been waiting for things to slow down a bit.
In my church life, I’ve been waiting for grant notifications. I’ve been waiting for hearts to return. I’ve been waiting to have babies that would make us open the nursery again and hearts to sing that would fill the choir loft once more. I’ve been waiting for the pews to be so full I might need to move over!
I’ve been waiting. The problem with waiting is that we are distracted from the here and now. We become so focused on looking at the days ahead of us on the calendar that we miss the days we are living in right now. I own it for myself. I have become lost in the waiting. While I’ve been worrying about what lies ahead for my church and, quite frankly, all of YOUR churches, I’ve been glancing right over all the amazing ways God is walking beside us in this season.
Did you know two of the Sound District Laity Program Coordinators received recognition from the Governor for their service? Gayle Midyette, the C4C Team Coordinator (pictured above) from Centenary UMC, received the Gold Medallion Award from Governor Roy Cooper for her volunteer efforts and commitment to Oaks Road Academy. She will be recognized in a ceremony with the Governor in May. Tanya Lewis and the “Love Our Neighbors” food ministry of Harlowe UMC received recognition with a Governor’s Volunteer Service Award as well. God is at work all around us if we can stay focused on what really matters. These ladies stayed focused, and they kept serving with their whole hearts. I am betting they didn’t have time to worry!
Worry can erode faith. We can allow ourselves to doubt and fear as if God hasn’t shown up with us and for us time and time again. As we move through Lent with the anticipation of Easter morning and all that the risen Savior means to the world and to our future, hold on to that feeling of excitement for our lives here and now. Don’t miss the many ways the Holy Spirit is walking beside us every single day. Don’t stop living with hope while wading through the waiting.
“I pray to God – my life a prayer – and wait for what he’ll say and do.” Psalm 130:5 MSG
Pictured are (L to R) Gayle Midyette, C4C Coordinator Centenary UMC, and Dr. Suzanne Averitt, Principal
of Oaks Road Academy