The Leading Edge

Monday through Wednesday of this week Rhonda and I will be at “The Leading Edge” an event for the Senior Pastors of the 100 top attended United Methodist Churches in the Nation.  This is the second gathering for this Event led by Adam Hamilton the Senior Pastor of Church of the Resurrection the largest Methodist Church in the world.  The purpose of these three days is for each of us to encourage, support, and give ideas for ministry to one another.  Large Church pastors very seldom get together, and it certainly seldom happens nationally.  It will be a blessing to us all and hopefully we will bring some of those blessings back to our individual Churches.  But this event is also designed to be a core piece of revitalizing the United Methodist Church as a whole around three major ideas; Worship, new worship services and churches,   Mission and its expansion locally and around the world, and recruiting and encouraging new young pastors to lead the Church into the future.  First Methodist has long been about these God given goals, but in this last year we have emphasized them even more, preparing to add new worship services, supporting the creation of a new Methodist Church in the Mansfield area, expanding our mission (we are excited to help build a Church in Mexico and wheelchairs will be on the way there on Thursday) and we are actively pursuing ways to recruit and train new young pastors.  Please be in prayer for me as I represent you in one of the most significant and exciting moments in the life of our Church.  In many ways the future of the Methodist Church is on the line.  It is especially meaningful because my twin brother,  Steve Ramsdell will be representing First Waco at this event as well.  We will certainly be the only twin brothers, or even brothers in the top 100 Methodist Churches.  I will be blogging each day from Jacksonville Florida updating you on what is happing.  I have high expectations.

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