Hello! Central United Methodist Church,

It is an honor to serve in ministry with committed disciples of Jesus who serve in the church and the community. Each year, the church enters a process to identify servant leaders who will help the church continue its efforts to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We are entering such a process now, and I hope you will prayerfully consider your own gifts for leadership and service.

The people we are in need of must be Christian disciples who take seriously the Six Marks of Discipleship: prayer, worship, study, service, encouragement, and generosity AND who display the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

There are several opportunities for you to volunteer your service in the church to support our purpose to be the church at the heart of the city with the city at heart through our WINGS Ministry Areas: Worship. Invite. Nurture. Grow. Serve. In addition, through our nominations process, there are opportunities to serve on administrative committees and lay leadership. I pray you will prayerfully consider how you may be of service and nominate yourself in the coming days.

There are also areas of critical need I wish to highlight. In the gospels, Jesus consistently highlights the importance of children. Jesus empowered them (Luke 9:46-48), used them as positive examples of faith (Matt 18:1-5), warned us against placing stumbling blocks in front of them (Matt 18:6-7); and Luke even reminds us about Jesus’s own determination as a youth to be about God’s business (Luke 2:41-52). This year, we are putting a special focus on children and youth ministry through the Grow 1 and Grow 2 ministry areas. We are in search of disciples of Jesus who love children and youth, who are willing to give of their time and efforts to strengthen their faith, and who are committed to growing our impact for children and youth in the church and in the community. I pray God has already touched your heart for this vital ministry of our church and that you will offer yourself for service through this process.

Together, I believe we can be a church that strives to be a Christ-centered, radically inclusive, intergenerational congregation that uses its spiritual gifts to meet the needs of our unique surrounding community.

May goodness and mercy pursue you,

Rev. Dr. Brian A. Tillman