Sponsored
By Dr. Bascom Ratliff
Pastor, Parker/Beagle/Fontana United Methodist Churches
2022 is finished and is now behind us. We look forward to 2023. A new year to serve God. A new year of fellowship. A time to celebrate our service to a loving and vital God.
I want to thank all of you for reading my submissions. After reviewing them myself, I have to admit that they are not all that exciting or entertaining. My goal has been, and continues to be, to write about Christian service, and in doing so, to promote the active and enthusiastic fellowship of Christ.
This year my promise to you is that I will use more stories, parables, and real-life experiences to serve Jesus. After having weathered the pandemic and tortured storm for the past three years, I believe now, more than ever, that God has a mission for all of us. I continue to grieve the fracture of the Methodist Church due to different beliefs about sexual preferences and practices. I continue to grieve the trauma that our country has suffered because of abortion and cultural issues. But I continue to have hope that God is with us and continues to help us overcome the obstacles and difficulties in our path.
I thank all of you my faithful readers. I thank the editors of the Linn County Journal for their tolerance and for publishing my messages. Most of all, I think God, our leader and Savior, who continues to provide us with abundant assurance of hope.
Next week's article will be in the form of a story. As always, I appreciate your feedback. May the Lord provide us guidance and support during 2023. We are truly blessed.
If you want to hear more about God’s wonderful promise of unfailing love and enjoy a great morning of music and worship, please come and worship with us.
• We will worship at the Parker UMC during January & April & July & October 2023.
• We will worship at the Beagle UMC during February & May & August & November 2023.
• We will worship at the Fontana UMC during March & June & September 2023.
All services are at 10 a.m.
We offer communion on the first Sunday of each month.
We’ll be sure to give you a warm welcome, a hot cup of coffee, and the best seats in the house. Thank you.