A message from Zan Fleming, Lay Leader
To mark Laity Sunday at both services on January 13, Kyle Bostian and I are working hard to make it a meaningful worship experience. I have been privileged to serve with Kyle as Lay Leaders over the last 2 years. Kyle is a pillar of Calvary and special to me. Deborah and I were looking for a church six years ago, and after we had visited CUMC for the first time, Kyle was the first Calvary person to visit our house in distant Harpers Ferry. There were other good reasons for us to join Calvary, such as Ginger Ward introducing us to those who are now our closest friends, but Kyle’s visit and Ginger’s kindness may have made the difference. This is just one example of the stewardship that Kyle gives quietly every day in serving the Lord and His church on Bentz Street. It is also an example of how a single act of stewardship can make a difference. There is no knowing in advance what may result from each act of stewardship. But, we know that we are all called to be good stewards, and when we are, all good things are possible.
I feel called to bring a message of encouragement for the great potential of Calvary United Methodist Church to make important differences in the lives of its members and of people stretching across the city, region, and the globe. Never has the world needed Calvary and the United Methodist Church than it does today. We will talk about that on Sunday.
I shall sign off with a blessing we all know from The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Though not explicitly a Christian story, it is one of the most powerful expressions of love, forgiveness and the potential for human transformation, which has ever been written. On the day after Christmas Carol was published in London, donations to charitable organizations doubled. Many social reforms followed—not only in England but across the world. I highly recommend the movie, The Man Who Invented Christmas, which tells the fascinating story of Dickens’ struggle to write the book. Writing it was an act of stewardship—it changed the world. So can we.
God bless us,everyone!
-Zan