Weekly Note from
Rev. Jim Peich

Dear Cornerstone UMC Family:

This past Wednesday was the final Community Dinner of the season. These dinners, which began in the fall of last year, have been a wonderful opportunity to gather for delicious food and loving fellowship. In addition, they have created a non-intimidating way for new people to come and experience the Cornerstone UMC family.

Many new faces, as well as some that have been missing for a while, came and enjoyed some of the best food in town. More than 2,000 meals have been served since this program began last fall making it the newest and second largest ministry of our church (after worship).

A Huge Thank You!

Community Dinners were possible thanks to a dedicated and talented team of volunteers who helped to plan, promote, setup, cook, bake, decorate, serve, clean-up, tear down, and more. On behalf of the entire congregation, I extend a deep and heartfelt THANKS to everyone who helped to make this new ministry program a huge success!

I’d especially like to thank our kitchen leader, Yvonne Beasley, for believing in this new idea and bringing together a delightful team of volunteers to make it run seamlessly each week. Cornerstone UMC is so fortunate to have a group of caring and passionate people like this among us.

Dessert Donations

Much appreciation to those who baked and donated yummy desserts for Community Dinners as part of our efforts to raise funds for new projectors in the sanctuary. I’m excited to share that you raised an additional $690 toward this important project through dessert donations. We still have a long way to go, but this is an excellent start!

General Conference

As I mentioned in last week’s note, the General Conference of The United Methodist Church is underway in Charlotte, North Carolina. General Conference is the legislative body of our denomination and typically occurs every 4 years.

Creating the possibility for “regionalization” within The United Methodist Church is one of the primary efforts of this year’s General Conference. It would allow different regions of the world (e.g., Africa, Europe, United States, etc.) to adopt rules, procedures, and practices that fit their needs and customs as long as they still align with the overarching tenets of the denomination. Right now, some regions have this opportunity, but not all (including the United States).

If you’d like to learn more about regionalization, visit “What is regionalization?”

If you’d like to learn more about the functions of General Conference, visit “A beginner’s guide to General Conference.”

If you’d like to stay informed about news coming from this year’s General Conference, visit the General Conference News and Commentary site created by UM News.

If you have questions about General Conference or The United Methodist Church, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Coming this Weekend

On Sunday, we will continue the sermon series titled, “Questions Jesus Asked.” The Gospels record Jesus asking more than 300 questions to the people around him. Together, we’ll look at a different question each Sunday from now through Pentecost.

This week, we will explore the time when Jesus asked, “Can you see anything?” and what it means for us today. Take a look at Mark 8:22-26 and come ready to learn and grow.

I hope to see you in worship this Sunday at 9a (classic in the Sanctuary) or 10:30a (modern in The Corner).

Remember, families and children are always welcome in worship at Cornerstone UMC.

Peace,

Rev. Jim Peich
Lead Pastor – Cornerstone UMC
pastor@csofallon.org